Buy Nothing Day (a.k.a. Black Friday, a.k.a. Fur-free Friday) is just around the corner. This year I've decided to circumvent the consumer frenzy as much as possible, spending as little as I can. As a result, this is the first time in a looong time that I'm actually looking forward to Xmas and all the gift-giving; I could never really stand the consumerist nature of the holiday season.
So here's my goal: I will find/make every present that I give, or else give stuff that I already have, rather than buy anything new for the holiday. I will visit dumpsters, make beer/wine, give away books that I've read, burn CDs (with legal material of course), create arts and crafts cards, write poems of gratitude, etc. I don't know if I'll be able to pull it off 100%, but that's my goal. I'm sick of the malls and the sales and the lack of sincerity that goes into giving something you picked up on a shelf because it was 25% off that day. And then the guilt of wondering whether or not you spent the right amount on each person, hoping they don't trump you with something more expensive in return. (To be completely honest, I don't really even like the idea of ritualized gift-giving. Gifts are so much more powerful when they're not expected of you.)
The reason I'm posting about all this (besides getting people to hopefully do the same) is to generate ideas. I'm sure there's probably some good sites out there with ideas for a non-consumer Xmas, but I haven't searched for them yet. So! If you're of the same mind as me, speak up and share your ideas!
...I can't believe I'm actually looking forward to my "Christmas shopping" this year.
Hybrid Mode
