Extreme Christmas: Reclaim Joy, Peace by Thinking Ahead
Mary Hunt
Debt-Proof Living

The results are in and the news is shocking. Average spending per U.S. household for Christmas 2006 reached $1,000.

According to this study conducted by Unity Marketing’s Gift Tracker, the most popular gifts were gift certificates, bath and body gifts, luxury soaps, candles, home fragrances and take-home spa kits.

And how did we pay for all that loot? Americans added more than $8 billion to their bank credit-card revolving debt in November 2006 alone! God only knows how high that went by season’s end—or how much of that staggering increase remains unpaid six months later.

I know a thing or two about extreme holiday spending. For years I’d do my part to keep up with national averages. And it nearly killed me.
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