Spend time, not money

by | 27 Nov 2014 | SLAM | 1 comment

What do the holidays mean to you? If you take a second to close your eyes and picture the holiday season you will likely be thinking of hearty dinners, holiday parties, and spending time with your family to focus on the blessings you enjoy. Our most cherished holiday memories come from enjoying what we have with those we love.

However, while being content is wonderful for our sanity, it’s a major problem for retailers. Large corporations are telling their own holiday stories, ones in which we express our love not by doing stuff with our families, but by buying Stuff for them — the holidays aren’t about friends dropping in, but shopping ‘til you drop.

Of course we can buy gifts for those we love, but we can’t allow commercialism to take over the holidays. That’s why we are celebrating international “Buy Nothing Day” this year, a holiday dedicated to resisting crass consumerism.

This year, pledge to join people around the world who are saying “enough” to the holiday shopping madness, by spending November 29th doing something meaningful with those you love.

First organized in 1992, Buy Nothing Day has spread to 65 countries around the globe. In the US, it takes on the largest “consumer holiday,” Black Friday. Elsewhere, it’s celebrated on Saturday, November 29th. Participation has grown every year as people see commercialism devouring much more substantive holiday messages, making the holidays a time of stress and anxiety.
We want to get back to the original stories of the holidays. Spend time with those you love. Count the blessings you have, not the Stuff that you want. Prioritize doing something instead of buying something. Join our Story Community around the world in celebrating the gifts you already have. Here are a few ideas for better alternatives to shopping madness:
  • Write personalized holiday messages for those closest to you
  • Invite friends over for a home-cooked meal and games
  • Go outside and spend time in the natural world
  • Read that new book you’ve been meaning to start

By celebrating “Buy Nothing Day,” we take the pressure off retailers to force employees to work overtime, and we help reclaim the holidays as a time to rest and to strengthen our social bonds. If we each do our part, then together we can tell a better story. We can generate cherished memories instead of contributing to stress and crowded malls. We can celebrate the true meaning of the holidays.

Thank you for all you do!

Claiborne Deming, on behalf of The Story of Stuff team

1 Comment

  1. Tom Livanos on Thursday, 27 Nov at 3:28 pm

    I think this is a great idea.

    I know this is only two days away. I find it difficult to manage ingredients given that I have no refrigerator and live on my own. Therefore, I may not be in a position to make a home cooked meal. What I am able to offer is my time. I think this is in the spirit of Buy Nothing Day. I have met some wonderful and diverse people in Sustainable Living Armidale. I am better off for having done so. I am open to receiving contact as part of Buy Nothing Day.

    My telephone number is {oh-four-oh)six-879-32{eight}.
    My email address is tom.369@hotmail.com
    I live a five minute walk from Beardy Street Mall, Armidale.