It’s because I don’t spend what I don’t have, and I hope you won’t this holiday season, either. And it’s not because I’m so good with finances (I’m not) or that I earn such a great living (I don’t - I’m a print reporter, remember?). When I took home my weekly paycheck that summer, the realization sunk in that it would’ve taken me at least two days to pay for the designer boots and jeans I had begged my parents for.Īside from a mortgage and student loans, I have never been in debt. Her disenchantment with the holiday slowly begins to change when she meets seven-year-old Tyler and his mother. She wants nothing to do with the celebration of love, peace, and family harmony. Actually putting yourself in the situation to experience it is another. The Christmas Grump For Rachel Lewis, a security guard at the mall, the Christmas holiday season is one big headache. Preaching about how difficult it is to earn money is one thing.

I barely made minimum wage.Īnd if I ever have children, I will encourage them to work at least one summer in a similar job. I took the day shift and can honestly say that my views on money changed drastically after those three months. After all, they wouldn’t want their daughter working with heavy machinery, right?Īfter having a conversation with me about how this wouldn’t have happened had I started to look for a summer job earlier, they encouraged me to take any shift available. When the only summer job I could get after my freshman year in college was on a factory assembly line, I was positive my parents wouldn’t allow it. Growing up with immigrant parents, I learned early on how difficult it was not only to save money, but also to make it. But we live in a society where more is more, and we feel entitled to things we haven’t earned. I’m not talking about mortgages, student loans or medical bills, but rather IOUs to Visa, Mastercard and American Express for vacations they just had to go on or rent for apartments that almost equal their take-home pay. What amazes me is the number of people I know who are in debt.

Love Beneath the Christmas Tree by Jae