Christmas Traditions: Home for Christmas
One of the traditions that I love that my family does is to stay home for Christmas. When we first married, my husband and I decided that we wanted to celebrate Christmas Eve and Christmas Day in a relaxed way. And, since our family all lived hundreds of miles away, traveling was very inconvenient. We so enjoyed our ability to take it easy on Christmas as hermits that we made it our tradition. And now we wait to see family until the day after Christmas.
Grateful for our home
Last year we bought a home, and we are very grateful that we have it. Our home is lovely at Christmas (at least I think so). We are also glad that we were able to get a 30 year fixed rate for our mortgage loan. It is a good mortgage. However, this Christmas we are thinking of refinancing — even though we’ve only been in the house for a year. Interest rates are very low, and we could probably refinance to a 20 year mortgage loan, helping us pay off the mortgage faster and build equity at a more rapid rate.
Other things I have been considering this Christmas, with regard to my home, include:
- Putting in a sprinkler system.
- Planting attractive shrubs to increase curb appeal.
- Moving rooms around so that my home office is upstairs.
- Planting a garden.
Since our home was new construction, a lot of things were missing. We have been saving up money so that we can makes changes to the yard and the landscaping. We would love to see improvements, since they will increase the value of our home, and allow us to sell it more easily when the time comes.
Christmas is a time of reflection and gratitude, as well as being a time to enjoy family. Happily, we are able to enjoy the season. I hope that you are having a lovely and blessed holiday season as well.
Merry Christmas from the Banks.com Mortgage Blog!
