Step out of the marketing trick that holidays have become

so I’ve spent much less this year than in previous years and only on immediate family (i.e. my husband). and I have no plans to buy anything else this season, so this goal is done. my extended family isn’t impressed, but such is life. I’m pretty fed up with holiday commercialization and refuse to support it any more than I have to.

on the other hand though, I have been enjoying lots of holiday movies and books this year, including several versions of Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. how this is possible, I’m not quite sure.

from slate:

Hardy American consumers have clearly conditioned themselves to shop till they drop in the frenzied five-week period between Thanksgiving and New Year’s, no matter what the distraction. (Insert lament/screed over the commercialization of the sacred here.) Over the decades, powerful social, emotional, and cultural forces have built up, instilling habits that evolved into instincts. In the last several weeks of each year, these forces compel Americans to flock to the malls and log on to shopping Web sites. To prepare for these journeys, people gather fuel and conserve energy (i.e., save money), or steel themselves for a few months of lean times.

The Christmas pessimists err by continually viewing holiday shopping as a discretionary item, subject to the short-term whims of the economy. But the evidence suggests that buying toys for children, jewelry for spouses, and fruitcakes for those random folks for whom we have to buy presents isn’t a matter of choice. It’s compulsory at some level. And during boom and bust, Americans take the necessary measures to ensure they have enough cash to spend. From an economist’s perspective, that may be the true meaning of Christmas.

when you have a dozen young nieces and nephews with high expectations. i almost never see them, but i really don’t need to earn myself a family-wide scrooge and/or weirdo/subversive stigma. though in some respects i probably already have it. hmm.

perhaps i need add the ‘stop worrying about what other people think’ goal to my list.

happy holidays.

Let’s see how Valentine’s Day is managed….

Let’s start with Christmas.
I am not religious… however, I do see Christmas as being a season of joy, peace, and appreciation. For many Jesus is the reason for the season, and I respect Jesus because his teachings are about love. So however you choose to see it, unless you completely ignore it, it is a season of love, which is very cool.
But everywhere else that you look, it is a season to buy, and I think we are losing the significance.
I will be the first to admit that for many years I was one of the last minute shoppers rushing around all stressed out because I forgot about my uncle, couldn’t find the right gift for my boyfriend, and had no idea what to get for my dad. It feels like you have to have your gifts ready and wrapped come December 25 or you are doomed.
I say no more.
I’d like to revive the days of meaningful moments over the holidays, which may or may not involve gifts, unless that is what you WANT to do, not what the media pressures you to do.