With December just around the corner, it’s as good a time as any to mention Buy Nothing Christmas, for those whose curiosity was pricked by the recent Buy Nothing Day.
Buy Nothing Christmas is a campaign set in motion by a group of Canadian Mennonite Christians, as a ‘prophetic no’ to the consumerism of the silly season. While that may sound like a dour and spoilsport kind of statement, Buy Nothing Christmas is actually a really fun and whimsical project, aiming to reconnect people to what is important, remind them to be thankful for what they already have, and to encourage generosity to the poor.
The campaign invites everyone to “join a movement to de-commercialize Christmas and re-design a Christian lifestyle that is richer in meaning, smaller in impact upon the earth, and greater in giving to people less-privileged.” And it’s open to everyone, Christian or not.
Ideas include subversive carol singing, downloadable posters, and quirky ideas like a Christmas catalogue “with things you really want… and already have!” There’s also an extensive list of alternatives to buying stuff, from vouchers for desserts and massages, to homemade recipe books or personalised calendars.
I really like the whole Buy Nothing Christmas initiative, not least because the same people have a campaign called Make Affluence History . I’ve mentioned it before, but it’s a name so similar to ours (and slightly better) I can’t help but feel a certain affinity.
More importantly though, my family have unintentionally subscribed to the Buy Nothing Christmas attitude for years. We just don’t really participate in Christmas. I think it’s mainly because we used to live in Madagascar when I was younger, and the potential for over-consumption just wasn’t there. Coming back to the UK, the huge Christmas machine just didn’t appeal to us as a family. It hadn’t been part of our tradition, and there was no reason to adopt it.
That doesn’t mean we sit at home and sulk, we still have a good time. We get together and hang out, we play together, and we’re finding Christmas gets simpler every year. Togetherness is what it’s about for me, especially now that the seven of us all live in different places. So instead of buying presents, I always bring something we can do together, like a board game or a jigsaw puzzle, or we’ll go out somewhere. We don’t have Christmas card lists, long lists of presents to buy, and we don’t spend huge amounts on decorations, trees and crackers, and things that are only going to be thrown away anyway. It’s very liberating.
I guess we have it easy, in that we all agree about it, and it comes naturally to us. If you already do the big Christmas thing, it can feel like you’re letting people down if you don’t. I’ve met people who dread Christmas, as it’s so much work and so much money and they just don’t have the energy, but they feel trapped by it. They’ve set a precedent, and now they have to live up to everybody’s expectations. If you’re one of those people, I would urge you to start talking about Christmas as a family. Deal with it together. You might not be able to make a clean break right away, but browse the Buy Nothing Christmas website and think up a couple of symbolic gestures you can do to declare your independence of that Christmas consumer pressure. A real holiday is possible, in the midst of it all, and I’d love for you to find it.
Let’s talk about it here too – how do you find Christmas? How do you deal with the consumer pressure, or do you embrace it and get a January loan? Leave a comment and let’s think about it.
November 30, 2007 at 1:55 pm
Have you considered what may happen to economy if Buy Nothing Christmas catches on? What about all the underprivileged people who get a nice job to pay some bills this season as they sign on with some business as holiday help.
November 30, 2007 at 3:27 pm
Yes, and what a crazy economy we’ve built for ourselves that requires us to consume things that we don’t need, at a level that the earth can’t sustain. It’s a whole system that needs to change, and Christmas only highlights it. The same goes for the underprivileged reliant on seasonal jobs (which I’ve done myself in the past). Can we not create opportunities that won’t be rescinded come January?
Plus, I don’t think there’s any risk of everyone suddenly adopting it. It’s not as if it’ll catch on and there’ll be no Christmas in 2008. I’m hoping for a slow return to sanity, for changes over generations. The economy and the job market will find substitutes and adapt, the way they always do.
November 30, 2007 at 4:21 pm
Good response. If my husband’s family wasn’t so Christmas crazy I outwardly support your cause.
December 1, 2007 at 8:16 pm
Yes. Giving time to others is a skill many of us have lost. The Christmas season gives us a chance to reconnect with others, and that is a great gain. So many people actually loathe the tyranny of Christmas, with its enforced jollity and vapid celebrations. There must be a better way to do it! Why could we not agree with some of our friends that the money we would otherwise spend on cards and gifts we will dedicate instead to people in need? Perhaps I will suggest that to my family this year, and see how they respond.
December 6, 2007 at 5:45 pm
this is not possible , that ill not buy anything here on Christmas
December 18, 2007 at 5:33 pm
[...] Buy Nothing Christmas [...]
December 19, 2007 at 5:03 pm
I’m glad I looked up if this was something other people did! When we had kids, we decided that they weren’t going to celebrate X-mass consumption day. Instead we celebrate giving of ourselves, and spending time with loved ones.
The arguement that if we stopped consuming the way we do would mean that various people and countries would stop being exploited doesn’t convince me.
December 29, 2007 at 12:01 pm
[...] shopping, simplicity, waste | Tags: buy nothing christmas, christmas | A few weeks ago we wrote about Buy Nothing Christmas, and a couple of people wished they could tone down their Christmas celebrations to something more [...]