Comments on: I’m Fading Into Christmas Grinchery…

By: Marcus Aurelius

Marcus Aurelius — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 20:11:13 +0000

Sure – it’s not the money aspect for us either; it’s the stress of trying to get something for each person, something they’d like, something we haven’t already gotten them twice before, etc. And being sated with all the things you’ve already gotten. I honestly cannot answer the question “What do you want this year?” – world peace, an end to racism, closing Guantanamo Bay, you know, not easy to shop for.

By: Julia

Julia — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 00:41:46 +0000

It makes total sense. And actually there is a grain of truth to it -- A lot of industrial and personal self-worth and image is based on creating wants and "needs". If we don't keep consuming, etc., then the advertising industry, not to mention all the other industries that depend on it, will collapse. OTOH just how bad a thing would that be? (she said cynically) Julia’s last blog post..Finally Live at 1000 Markets!

By: Andrea

Andrea — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 21:02:52 +0000

I think it depends on the family member. My brother and I tossed our Merry-Happy’s via e-mail yesterday after I asked what his daughter was into this year (dressup clothes, it turns out). They’ll get something for the boys, I get something for her, that’s it. My husband’s brother would probably be fine with a similar arrangement but his sister actually loves to shop. She’d probably be fine with us not getting her anything but would be unable to abide by her side of the bargain, so we wouldn’t even ask.

Really, I’m not personally stressed about the money aspect of it. If someone in my family chooses to think that my affection is graded on an expense scale … well, I can’t do anything about that.

It’s the desperation I see in the media, via advertisers and such. It’s like if we don’t keep consuming, wasting, spending, etc, we’ll collapse. Like we’ve reached this tipping point where the people on the planet simply won’t have enough to do with their days if they don’t have jobs that involve creating wants and “needs.”

Does that make sense?

By: Marcus Aurelius

Marcus Aurelius — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 18:20:57 +0000

One thing our family did to try to control the consumerism of the holiday season was to agree on a protocol for gift giving; we would give gifts to the children in the diaspora, but adults wouldn’t give or expect gifts to/from the adults. As adults, we should not use these occasions to try to prove to each other how much we love each other; we’re just trying to let the kids experience the surprise and fun of unwrapping presents and getting new stuff. Which in itself is something to discuss …

So far it’s pretty much worked. It’s not an easy thing to accomplish, either; some people get bent out of shape if you come across as trying to tell them what to do. So take the advice with a grain of salt. But overall, it’s become a lot less stressful as our shopping list has become that much shorter.

By: Julia

Julia — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 12:44:04 +0000

Join the club, dear. Bah! Humbug!!! Whatever happened to the REAL Christmas? I don't think it's just that we grew up; I think it got co-opted by Greed. Julia’s last blog post..Finally Live at 1000 Markets!