The end of exam week is quickly approaching and it should be a time to relax and reflect on the previous semester.  If only that were the case.  Rather than resting on the laurels of a semester well spent, I will be out fighting the crowds to get some last minute items for a holiday that is less than 10 days hence.  The season really crept up quickly this year.  It seems like only a few weeks ago I was celebrating my 35th birthday (12 November) and now it is time to bake cookies and wrap gifts.

As is tradition here at rise up buffalo - I would like to offer my advice on a more relaxed and well spent holiday season.  In years passed, we have discussed the goodness of buying green, the wonders of spending time with family and friends, the happiness that comes from volunteering/giving, and the simple pleasure of buying nothing.  This year, I would like to talk specifically about consumerism and ways in which we can enjoy the holiday season without breaking the bank.  As a homage to last year’s post I would like to again include the the give list link.  This list shows a number of ways that we can have holiday spirit without emptying our wallets.

Consumerism is a way of life in America.  We feel that we always have to strive for the biggest and best in our lives and when it comes to holiday shopping this feeling transcends to the gifting of others.  It seems like the person that gives the biggest gifts is the one that wins.  Even though we try to discuss the meaning of our holidays and the fact that spending time with family is enough, we each still feel a certain amount of pressure to perform in the capitalist arena.  The commercials pushing us to buy buy buy are heightened during the holidays.  We barely have time to breathe before another commercial is nudging us off the couch and out to the department store for another spectacular sale.

This year we will break the cycle.  This year we will buy local.  This year we will give handmade items.  This year we will do better.  In the past we have tried to do these things, but our attempts at being conscious consumers have sometimes failed.  We always end up going to one store that isn’t local or buying items that may not necessarily be as green as we could find elsewhere.  It’s about convenience.  We try to be sustainable, but sometimes convenience wins.  Sometimes we cannot bring ourselves to trudge through the smaller stores in order to find the perfect gift when we know that gift can be purchased with ease at a chain.  We are human.  We are tired.  The holidays take the energy out of us.  So we go for convenience and feel guilty, but we should not feel bad.  This is the nature of the season.  No matter how many times we say to others, “we would like to cut back this year - maybe just bake cookies or give handmade gifts” we know that we will end up waiting in long lines at the bookstore for the latest release because it makes our lives less complicated. 

The main issue is time.  The holidays creep up on us every year because we refuse to think about them until after Thanksgiving.  This is a time honored tradition in our household.  Thanksgiving first, then the rest.  We do not purchase gifts until after Thanksgiving weekend and we do not partake in the Black Friday madness, prefering to celebrate Buy Nothing Day each year on that date.  However - this could be a big part of our problem in being able to give handmade and local gifts.  If we started shopping and/or making items in September, by December we would be fully prepared and able to enjoy the holidays even more.  That is the key then.  Start making plans earlier.  Think ahead.  It may cost a little bit more, but buying local items in advance will make you feel better about your purchases and afford you the time to relax when December rolls around.

So - with that revelation I offer a few links to what others have said about the holiday season.  I am off now to get those last minute purchases in and perhaps next year I’ll think ahead.  Or maybe I’ll repeat the same pattern as so often occurs.  Either way - have a wonderful holiday season and try your best to get a little rest and relaxation in.  Before you know it it is back to work and school!  So take the time you can while it is given and hopefully you will have a wonderous and happy holiday.

Peace - Chantale

appropriate links:
The Virtue of Not Buying by Karen Sternheimer; from the Everyday Sociology blog at Norton Books.
20 Tips for a Sustainable Holiday from Earth911.com
Slow Holiday Gift Guide from масиTreeHugger.com