What Does Christmas Cost?

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The holiday times are a great time of family, food, and fellowship. Add in a little shopping… and you have Christmastime for most Americans. I was sitting at Starbucks the other day and heard two women talking about everything they had bought (and named various prices for their items)…

My immediate thought was that these ladies need to go on The Price is Right and win the showcase showdown for their families;they knew the cost of everything! This got me thinking––– if I had to put a price on things I loved, how would I do it? As a finance major, I thought back to my wonderfully fun boring interesting economics classes in college.

As I began to do this, I was reminded of the density of the subject and (frankly) how little of it made sense to me at the time.  I mean, the whole course seemed to be characterized by baffling theories where opposing forces reigned absolute.  Just consider a few of these; macro vs. micro, supply vs. demand, Keynesian vs. free-market, etc.  Needless to say, I was very grateful when my professor had given a very nice curve to every test.  I am sure my passing grade would have been very different if I had to explain in detail all those theories.

Life has taught me more than any course could have; everything has a cost.

My point of the article is this, most people (including me) know the cost of everything but few people know the value of anything.  

Ask any of my friends and they’ll tell you that I have everything calculated out, from my new suit to the loaf of bread I need. Very rarely do I take time to consider what the value the expense might bring to my family or friends.

Why is it we are programmed to view life according to what it costs us?

What if we could alter our view on life and see the costs of life’s experiences and encounters through what it costs the people, places and things that make up our lives? What we view as a simple cost to us of doing business may bring unnecessary debt to our loved ones. I’m sure if we viewed our costs through our external circumstances, our economic professors would have a different view about the “debt ceiling.”

During this holiday season, take a few moments to think about the sacrifice and cost of things to you compared to how it affects your loved ones. Chances are they might be paying a much higher price then you are.

Merry Christmas.

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