Christmas costs more

Long gone are the days when a tin cup, stick of candy, heart-shaped cake and shiny new penny would suffice for a child’s collection of Christmas gifts.

After all, the 1870s was a different time, and Laura Ingalls Wilder was only a young girl when she received the presents in her snow-covered “Little House on the Prairie” near Independence, Kan.

Whether there’s more money to go around today or gift expectations are higher, spending will most likely increase this year as American households up the ante for Christmas.

The Conference Board, the world’s leading business membership and research organization best known for its Consumer Confidence Index and the Leading Economic Indicators, expects U.S. households to spend an average of $471 on gifts during this holiday season. That’s up from last year’s estimate of $449 per household.

Lynn Franco, director of the board’s Consumer Research Center, said surveys showed overall spending intentions are up this year, but consumers with modest incomes are spending carefully. Many postponed their shopping until this weekend in hope of lower prices.

“Consumers who are earning less are being a little more frugal — the bargain hunters,” she said. “They’re definitely waiting for the bigger sales. I think they’re fully aware that the longer they wait, the better the bargain.”

Odessan Denise Sanchez said recently that she’d already spent about $400 on gifts for family members, trying to stay between $25 to $30 per person, but she’d lingered on shopping for her three children.

“I haven’t done any shopping for my kids yet,” she said. “We got started a little late this year.”

While some parents started their Christmas shopping last week, others were wrapping it up.

Roy and Raye Gomez from Big Spring paid a visit recently to the Music City Mall to finalize gifts for their five children between 2 and 12 years old.

The couple said they started shopping in October and spent about $500 this year — $100 per child — consistent with past Christmastimes. The more expensive tastes of their older children, though, affected the number of gifts that they’ll receive.

“Our older ones want more expensive gifts so they understand if they only get one or two,” Raye Gomez said. “Between grandparents and everybody, they’re pretty well taken care of.”

Complying with the rising cost of Christmas, 18-year-old Ruben Contreras from Monahans said he spent $400 on gifts, more than last year, partially due to the addition of a girlfriend.

“I spent more this year ’cause I had more people to buy for,” he said. “I just asked them what they wanted and went from there.”

Steve and Daisy Maldonado from Midland finished their shopping for 17 people without an individual gift budget, though they did have an overall limit of $350, which they had saved specifically for the holiday.

The couple said it’s harder than ever to balance their finances with Christmas wishes.

“More advanced things are coming out, and kids want all that,” Steve Maldonado said.

Odessan Ismelda Villanueva agreed that it’s hard to keep tight pursestrings, and she’s not looking forward to the after-Christmas shock of her credit card bills — having spent more than the expected average.

“Supposedly we did (budget), but we’ve definitely gone over,” she said. “I’m trying to do what I can in cash, but I’ve charged a few things — more than I’m supposed to.”

Because of her large extended family, Villanueva said she has almost 30 children to buy gifts for — the oldest ones asking for higher-priced electronic devices.

“Before, you could get them just about any toy, and they’d be happy. But now they’re getting older, and they’re asking for bigger things,” she said. “And the younger ones are expecting certain things from Santa — it gets expensive.”