This is the perfect holiday season to begin rethinking the consumerism that has run amok for so many years now. The entire world is in a financial nosedive, and everyone is thinking "I don't have money for rent-food-utilities, but I'm supposed to shell out bucks for everyone who's expecting a gift from me. Argghhh!!!!" Now, does that sound like a peaceful or joyful thought? Notice the guilt expressed in the supposed to. The frustration in Arghhh. The burden of bills piling up. The angst of feeling oppressed during a season when one is supposed to feel joyful and uplifted. The Northern Hemisphere's seasonal festivities don't come close to achieving the ideal we've built up in our heads (and in commercials). What to do?
Most people I know and from what I'm reading have decided it's time to take back the holiday. My college roommate opened the dialog with an email saying perhaps we should only give gifts when we find the perfect one (usually by accident), and I answered that email with a quick Yes! Enjoy the TIME with your loved ones, and not the stuff. Buy a family gift of a game (not a Wii) you can all play together a couple of hours after the holiday meal. Perhaps even touch football, or sledding; something active (and I'm not an active person).
And don't feel guilty about it! Look around you--everyone's having the same thoughts and fears. Let's come together over our concern and love for one another as real people instead of around some marketer's idea of what sells. No Gift, No Guilt!
Saturday, December 13, 2008
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