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 Well, Thanksgiving is almost upon us. You know what that means? That right: the day after tomorrow starts that time of year when holiday cheer competes for attention with the marketers; when our desire to remember the Christmas story and the joy of the holiday season is challenged by seemingly inexorable waves of advertising seeking to compel or guilt us into buying the stuff they are hawking.
This is true even if you are not living within the Christian tradition or celebrating Christmas. The Jewish celebration of Hanukkah is coming up. Secular African Americans will be celebrating Kwanzaa. Even Muslim friends of mine get into the holiday feeling of love and good will. What's interesting about this tension between good cheer and good gifts is that it is a relatively contemporary phenomenon. When we think of stories like A Christmas Carol, we tend to picture Scrooge buying a bunch of gifts for Tiny Tim, like maybe a Tickle Me Elmo doll or a Game Boy. That is an image implanted in our mind by the countless Hollywood retellings of this story. But, in point of fact, in the original story, Scrooge did not even go to Bob Cratchit's house. If you read the story again you will remember that the only thing Scrooge did after regaining his Christmas spirit was repay people he had cheated, give his employee a raise and the day off to celebrate Christmas with his family, and bought him a turkey. No gifts, as we might define them in contemporary culture. Our notion of Christmas gift-giving is largely an innovation of post-war (WWII) economic expansion fueled in part by a massive growth in the advertising industry. So, I would love to see us return to a time when we had a more innocent notion of this holiday season, when giving cheap gifts was not connected to loving your family, God, or your neighbor. In that spirit I offer the following suggestions for thinking about our Christmas giving: Buy Nothing This Weekend - Friday and Saturday is the annual Buy Nothing Day event organized by AdBusters. I would encourage you to stay away from buying anything - at the mall, at the boutique, online - this weekend. Even if you plan to spend a ton of loot buying love this year, consider the act of buying nothing the next two days a decision that will be good for your health and your pocketbook. If you venture out, even to Amazon, the longs will be long or the bandwidth will be hogged. So, buy nothing this weekend and count all the extra days you will live without that stress. It will also be good for your pocketbook - that stuff is still too overpriced. There are better sales coming later. Don't Buy Anything - Make something. Why buy something that looks like a handknit scarf when you can knit something that is, in fact, a handknit scarf? Ty is busy painting for those she loves, and Lisa is making jewelry. But, if you are going to make something, start early. Substitute Charitable Giving for Gift Giving - Mike Todd has an excellent campaign going entitled (Red)emption. The goal of this campaign is to provide a way for you to give without the promise of a tchotchke. Considering giving to Mike's campaign on behalf of those you love. Or, there are dozens of other great charities to give to. Give Differently - The other alternative is to give a gift of service. If you are not the person who cleans at your house, give the person who is five coupons for "Get Out of the Kitchen Free" nights (hint, hint). Give babysitting coupons to harried young couples. Consider giving chauffeur coupons to someone who is caring for a sick relative. At The Least, Buy Differently - If you are going to buy something, consider buying something that is fairly traded and could also be seen as the gift of income for those in need. Below are some resources for socially responsible buying:
(I got some help from Geoff and Lisa in putting this post together)
Original content by: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Willzhead/~3/52831653/giving_2006.html.
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