My first grandchild will be born in February. Back when her mother was born her mother and I figured out how to pay for birthdays and Christmas without debt. We both held low paying hourly jobs. We got paid by paper check. We cashed our checks at Money Tree. We used cash for everything. Except for the kids. Every payday we bought gift cards. 25 years ago, it was Toys r Us cards. they were perfect for everything kid all the way through high school. As the kids aged out of TrU, we bought some Walmart cards. by buying just a $25 card each paycheck we accumulated $1000 by Thanksgiving each year. both kids were born in December so December was when the cards were used up. November and December we dedicated the card money to each other's Christmas. $100 each. Unlike many of our friends, we never went into debt for Christmas. And our kids had great birthdays and Christmas. #HolidayPriceShock