Indeed one if the greatest gifts to our family is that we remain debt-free. It is true that gifts are more meaningful when they aren’t bought with credit. i find a lot of people going for credit cards as they are on a shopping spree and then after the celebrations are over, they are afraid of collections and creditor call and they don’t money to pay off the debt. So, I would say maintaining a budget and then sticking to it is what matters. Here’s some Christmas budgeting tips that can help one remain within a fixed budget and not overspend during the festive season:

http://www.mortgagefit.com/budgeting/51tips-christmas.html

Merry Christmas in advance!