"Black Friday," huh? Is that a good thing?

[urbpan]

It's the official start of the Christmas Resistance Season!
Thank you, Nina Paley, as always

NO SHOPPING
NO PRESENTS
NO GUILT!


You know holiday shopping is offensive and wasteful. You know Christmas "wish lists" and "gift exchanges" degrade the concept of giving. You know Christmas marketing is a scam, benefiting manufacturers, stores, and huge corporations, while driving individuals into debt. You know this annual consumer frenzy wreaks havoc on the environment, filling landfills with useless packaging and discarded gifts.

Yet, every year, you cave in and go shopping.

The relentless onslaught of advertising exerts constant pressure. So do the unified bleatings of herds of shoppers, who call you "Scrooge" if you fail to enthusiastically join their ritual orgy of consumption. Friends and family needle you with gift requests, store windows beckon with shiny colorful packages, the same "classic" holiday jingles are piped constantly through every speaker in town.

How can you resist?


http://www.xmasresistance.org/xmasresist.html

Comments

A suggestion for a simpler holiday

[(Anonymous)]

This is part of the letter David and I sent out last year with our Solstice cards:

"...we are requesting that our loved ones consider giving us other kinds of gifts this year, gifts that aren't... well... stuff. We'd be more than happy to just exchange the simple gift of good times with you, but if you really want to give us something more substantial (we know gift giving is sometimes a big part of the fun of the holidays), please consider choosing gifts that aren't from a store. We'd be overjoyed if you chose to give us some homemade vegetarian goodies, a used book that you think we would enjoy, a story or painting you've created, or even if you donated to an organization that you think we'd like to support. Or, how about making us a snowman!

If you are looking for more ideas on helping us simplify our holidays, we would like to recommend that you take a minute to check out the aptly named "Simplify the Holidays" pamphlet which is on the website:
http://www.newdream.org/holiday/brochure.html

If you have already planned well ahead, and have gifts already wrapped and waiting, no big deal. We'll be happy no matter what.

Anyway, thanks for making our lives simple and happy!"

We'll be sending out a similar one this year. It made some difference, though giving stuff is kind of an addiction for some, and others are the type who really enjoy giving (and give good, useful, environmentally sustainable) well-thought gifts. (I, myself, really like making stuff for people, since I'm an artsy type, and I so rarely have the opportunity to make just fun stuff!) But I think giving people the option is a good, unoffensive idea.

Re: A suggestion for a simpler holiday

[urbpan.livejournal.com]

Good for you, although to me it seems like a very complicated way to simplify things.

Has anyone taken great offense at your efforts?

Bah humbug

[desu.livejournal.com]

I saw this website posted yesterday on a message board I hang out on. Many of the people that responded to the thread immediately went for the throat, saying those who did not celebrate Christmas forgot the reason for the season, or that they're cheapskates that don't want to fork over the money for gifts. Of course, they conveniently didn't read the whole site:

We're in favor of socially responsible giving, but we don't think it ought to be emphasized only once a year when the need is there all year 'round.

And no, I don't celebrate Christmas. :)

Re: Bah humbug

[urbpan.livejournal.com]

Right on.
If people like Santa Claus and Jingle Bells and putting a dead tree in their house, I won't begrudge them that.
What most bothers me is the idea that being giving, charitable, generous, jolly, joyful or peaceful is part of a season, which lets people off the hook to be stingy, greedy, selfish, hateful, dour and warlike the rest of the year.

[http://users.livejournal.com/purplebunnie_/]

I celebrate Christmas because of family tradiditon. Lucky me, I have almost no media input, so I am not so bombarded by the "buy this now to make your life happy" feces. However, I like giving and making gifts for people, so I start collecting things around August. It's not 'the season' for me... it's giving my friends and family things which they will enjoy and find useful and beautiful.

[urbpan.livejournal.com]

That's quite sensible.
In a way, I'm lucky that my dad hates Christmas more than I do, and that my wife does not require me to participate (any more than necessary) in "Family Tradition." If once a year is the only time the whole family is together, so be it (but does it have to be when there's a foot of snow on the road in Vermont?)

[omphalina.livejournal.com]

Oh yes! I do and will cave in and go shopping, but not very much at all.

I understand the sentiment totally. The overall consumption orgy drives me batty. And the way EVERYTHING is suddenly oriented around attracting my attention, yelling at me about what to spend my money on, even subtley suggesting (in some commercials) that my kin will love me more if I buy them something extravagent like a car or mink coat. The grocery store is suffused with so much "x-mas spirit," everyone with santa hads and bug-eyed smiles.


Awesome post. I love it