Year after year I’ve opted out of shopping on Black Friday, in part because we’re just not that into the latest “stuff” and in part because the thought of those crowds freaks. Me. Out. Black Friday to me is consumerism at its best. Consumerism for the sake of consumerism is something I’m not much of a fan of, so it’s easy for me to opt out. I suspect that many of my readers are on board with that sentiment, while some of you are kind of in a pushme-pullyou kind of existence: you like the idea of less, but when it comes down to it, it’s hard.
If you’re truly interested in a more sustainable, less commercial holiday, first you must know that while retailers have dubbed this Black Friday, some folks in the UK are celebrating it as Buy Nothing Day. I’m in. It’s good incentive, yes? If you are headed out to shop today, consider skipping the big box stores and their sales unless you really, truly have been waiting to buy that one specific thing at a lower price. (I’m all for saving a little dough.) If you’re just shopping, looking for the right gift for a certain somebody, seek out your local independent retailers. Help keep your hard earned dollars in your local community.
More incentive: Check out Unplug the Christmas Machine if you’re not exactly sure how to trim down the holiday season. I read this book years ago and really liked what the authors had to say.
And finally, I just ran across reference of Bill McKibben’s Hundred Dollar Holiday yesterday. I’ve not read it, but if you’ve been here long, you know I’m a fan of McKibben’s ideas. I’ll definitely be looking for this book.
The holidays are so full of excess, even when we think we’re cutting back. Let’s encourage each other to keep the waste and want not to a dull roar this year, shall we?
Here to tell you that Buy Nothing Day is alive and well in Berkeley and beyond the Bay Area. I saw an encampment of tents on Thanksgiving Day in front of a Best Buy in San Francisco. At 10 am. Depressing.
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Exchanging Christmas gifts for my family had turned into nothing more than a gift card exchange years ago. So in 2008, when the economy tanked and businesses were closing, I proposed we not exchange gifts that year. After all, we may give our money to a company that already knows it won’t be around much longer. It worked out great, and we haven’t bought gifts since.