My Grumpy Husband Grumbles Through the Holidays and It Saves Us Thousands of Dollars

My husband does not like to give gifts. He will absolutely not be black Friday shopping. There is nothing about the holidays that make him want to go out and buy something, and we used to have a lot of arguments about it.<br><br>I grew up in a pretty unstable environment and always felt like I was on edge. Christmas was a holiday that was pretty hard to rely on. <br><br>I love Christmas. I make ornaments by hand. I bake cookies, I make stock for the holidays, and I decorate for weeks. I gift a lot, but I don’t have to buy much. <br><br>My husband’s grumpiness has always been a bit of a conflict for us. The first year we were together, I made an advent calendar and he laughed at it. I made him something every day for a month and he scoffed at most of it. I went out and bought gifts for him, for his family, and for mine, and we had a good holiday. <br><br>This year, I’m 8 months pregnant and I’ve been getting everything ready for almost two months. We had a good year last year, but I still worry about money. When you grow up with instability, it feels better to be prepared. So I’ve been making a lot of gifts, and my husband has been making fun of almost every single one. <br><br>We’re going to have a good Christmas. I made over 150 ornaments with the kids, and we had so much fun. I made soup and baked cookies all month. It feels so nice to have so many traditions. <br><br>My husband is grumpy, but he’s also generous with his time, and he always offers to help even when he’s making fun of it. <br><br>I spend a lot of time on these gifts, but almost none of it is bought. We save so much money every year, but the way we spend time together is so much more valuable. I love him for it, and I love how grumpy he is too.