I’m pretty much a Scrooge around the holidays, but I just discovered I’m not alone.
One trend I just found out about today is Buy Nothing DayBND , the day after Thanksgiving (a bit late to trumpet for this year, but I’m sure the consumer economy will still be with us next year.)
And then I discovered there is a book called "Unplug the Christmas Machine
by Jo Robinson, Jean C. Staeheli "
Finally, I don’t have to take flak from relatives for being the only person who doesn’t buy, or want to receive, presents. If they give me presents, I can feel no shame in returning them. I just tuck in a copy of the book, and tell them to be sure to recycle it to others caught in the cogs of The Christmas Machine. (I love the name Unplug the Christmas Machine. Just the tone I was looking for. Scroogism always sounded so anti-social, and I think of restraining from the gift frenzy as being eminently social.)
I keep present-buying to a minimum, and expect even less in return as far as Christmas goes. Then again, I’m an anti-social so-and-so, practicing to go for full-fledged mean bitter old lady spinsterhood. Doin’ all right, too.
I’ve already made it quite clear to all my friends and family to not buy me anything for Christmas and most have returned the sentiment. I’ve told them if you feel the need to still spend the money then donate it to a charity.
Even my girlfriend who doesn’t exactly share my philosophy is going to get my something different. Like a box of juice oranges.
I’m not big on gift holidays just because I never know what to buy for people and it’s a hassle shopping around and thinking about how to not give a crap gift.
As for myself, I like having things and it seems that the way to go about that is to purchase them. If there’s an alternative to buying, I’m all for it, but in the meantime I’ve already done about a hundred bucks worth of consumerism today. Works for me, and I’ve never really understood the anti-shopping attitude. It’s just exchange of money for goods, I can’t get worked up over it.
I got an allergy shot (paid for by insurance) and used my gym membership. If I can avoid any 'net shopping for 6 more hours I’m in the clear.
My mom was an extreme early adopter of this philosophy. It definitely turned me into an adult who doesn’t feel the need to go along with a bunch of seasonal foolishness. OTOH, it did traumatize me for life. In all seriousness, most holidays were bitter fights over one thing or another, either her not speaking to her family or me wondering why we can’t be normal. So if you have kids I would suggest taking it slow in adopting this philosophy, and maybe doing just enough so they don’t have to explain to their friends why their family is weird.
Although my parents were very, very generous (five years of colege paid, usually had a car of some type after 16), my mom quit buying Christmas gifts when I was around 14: birthday gifts stopped by 10, and as a famliy we have never done wedding or graduation gifts. Being different never bothered me, so don’t assume it would bother all kids. I understood and sympathized with her reasons (basically, my mom considers greed and envy the worst of the deadly sins!)
At 14 you were old enough to understand and respect her reasons. In my case I was about 6, and it was right after my parents got divorced. So I guess I agree with the above, that it depends on the kid and the situation.
I didn’t buy anything today. Not because of Buy Nothing Day, but because I’m trying to save some money for things more important than a morning coffee and muffin.
I agree with “unplugging the Christmas machine” too, but I wouldn’t want to cut out gifts completely. I just don’t understand the mentality thet demands you buy $500 gifts for people you love, otherwise you’re a bad person. For me, it really is the thought that counts. I try to find something personal for each person I’m buying gifts for, and I put lots of thought into each purchase. Sometimes it’s not even bought - I’ve given away homemade cookies and fudge as gifts before, and they were well-received. That’s why I hate when my family insists that I provide them with a list. Christmas shouldn’t be about a list of demands!
I was at work all day, so I didn’t buy anything. Not even lunch.
I completely agree with this. Watching the news this evening, I was saddened and a little sickened by all the hoop-de-do about the malls being crowded and people getting up at 3 a.m. to buy stuff.
Now I’m going to totally sound like a hateful Scrooge, but the second bit that irritated me was the begging by various corporations for people to give toys to charity for needy kids. The rest of the year, the kids get squat from the public, except a kick in the pants and cuts in funding for programs for the poor. C’mon! Instead, maybe we should think about spending some of that money on educating them, educating their parents for better-paying jobs (with benefits!), and the million other things that would actually HELP them. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t want to deny poor needy children a holiday gift, but I would much prefer that money would go to give them a better future – year round.
I think I’ll get the Pit for saying it, or at least a Grinch-face from someone, but there you have it.
If by “Buy Nothing Day” you mean, don’t buy into this insane Christmas shopping frenzy the day after Christmas, then I’m good to go. I’ve never in my life bought anything Christmas oriented on this day. It’s nuts, and I don’t understand it.
Now, I don’t mind the holidays being all shiny & glittery & full of good cheer. But I’d love to do away with this present buying crap. The people I care about are likely to get little prezzies year 'round, even if it’s just “here, I baked a cake. Have some, shit-breath.”
But this present buying really hurts kids I think. Rich kids just get more spoiled & demanding. Middle class kids get spoiled & their parent’s rack up a couple more years of credit card debt. But it really sucks for the poor kids. Their parents are made to feel like total crap, and it’s really hard on kids who have to go back to school and listen to all their peer group listing off all their incredible loot. I know because I was one of those kids. I told my mom I understood about how “Christmas isn’t just about buying presents” but man I hated going back to school.
I have to ask: what is the point of buy nothing day? What is this Christmas Machine you speak of? Personally I like to think of things that my loved ones would like but wouldn’t buy for themselves and then get it for them. I certainly don’t feel obligated to, and I don’t expect anything in return, but it’s a nice holiday and it’s a nice opportunity to do so. I’m sure there’s a very good reason for it, but I just don’t see it right now.
Okay, I took a look at that link (probably should have done that first), and I’m still not entirely sure what it is. Like a previous poster, I, too, rather enjoy having things, and since I also generally choose to obey the law, that leaves me with buying as my only option. Do we really need a movement to tell us that we should reflect on why we buy stuff?
As for poor kids vs rich kids, yeah, it does suck. But doesn’t this divide come up at every birthday? And at every other time when a rich kid has something a poor kid doesn’t have? I doubt there’s any parents out there who feel perfectly fine with not being able to give their kids the best until Christmas rolls around and then bam! suddenly they feel bad. I guess I’m still confused on this idea.
Or making things. We weren’t exactly flush with cash when I was a kid, and Mom always told us she would far prefer a gift we had made for her to one we had bought. To this day she frequently gives gifts of her own handmade ceramics. We’ve never been extravagant gift-givers in our family; the big cash always got saved for the more important things, like college tuition.
I will probably bake cookies and/or make candy for my work team this year; it went over pretty well last year, especially the chocolate candy with dried sour cherries and candied ginger.
Well, I did buy a cup of coffee this morning, but only because I cannot go through the doors at work in the morning without a cup of coffee in my hand.
My father worked as a restaurant manager for 28 years, in establishments as diverse as five star restaurants, hotels, and fast food joints. We never had a Christmas, tHanksgiving, or New Years’ holiday. He would routinely be called in for 80 hour work weeks, without overtime, during the “holidays”. Nevermind saying “It’s not my problem”, he was in charge of getting things done, and had to do it. On each of those days, he had to be at work, handling the restaurant, because everyone and their kid brother wanted to go out and have a nice meal with their families, while we didn’t get to see our father. Other people’s greed became our problem.
I don’t go out or shop on the holidays. Not out of respect for the religious occasion (I’m an atheist) but out of respect for other people. Whether you chose to make this a religous of secular events, commercializing it only interferes with that. Viva la revolution!
I don’t like crowds and dislike the hype of Christmas shopping, so I never go out on Black Friday (and what a term to use–it sounds like the day the plague hit or something…come to think of it, maybe that is appropriate).
I come from a not so extravagant family–and am getting more uncomfortable with gifts as I age.
Keep it simple it probably best. I also like homemade, handmade stuff.
