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Have less,Live more : Buy Nothing Christmas
Dec 27, 2006


Reclaiming the season from adbusters.org

"Inspired by the international successes of Buy Nothing Day, and disgusted with the personal debt, spiritual emptiness, and ecological damage that the holiday season now entails, writers and activists began to heavily promote the idea of a downshifted Christmas in the late nineties. Since then, the idea has been taken up by individuals, community groups, churches, and schools in at least a dozen countries, with strongest support in Canada, the USA, the UK, Australia and New Zealand.

Despite the name, the Buy Nothing Christmas campaign is not really about refusing to spend a dime over the holiday season. It’s about taking a deep breath and deciding to opt out of the hype, the overcrowded malls, and the stressful to-do lists. It’s about reminding ourselves to really think about what we are buying, why we are buying it, and whether we really need it at all.

“First and foremost, it’s about restoring authenticity to one the world’s great religious and secular traditions,” said Kalle Lasn, editor-in-chief of Adbusters magazine and long-time advocate of holiday restraint. “Christmas has been warped beyond recognition by commercial forces. It’s about time we took it back.”

Most participants will still exchange gifts, but will opt for recycled, homemade, locally produced, or fair-trade items. Some will excuse themselves from gift-giving altogether, and focus instead on valuable time with family and friends, on charitable works, and on rediscovering older, non-commercial holiday traditions as they also invent a few new ones. "

This may seem a bit radical and I know we all love to give and receive lots of gifts during the holidays.I know I do,nearly as much as I enjoy seeing all the holiday decorations and christmas lights.
But I think they're right.

I seriously can't understand why more and more people start celebrating the festivities earlier every year and I'm amazed to see Christmas adds in November while watching TV.It's annoying! >.< icon_stressed.gif
Apart from personal reasons,I feel the commercial pressure put into the holidays stresses me out more and more every year,preventing me from enjoying them as I used to.

Millions of trees are cut down for decorative purpouses,sold for about ten days' use before being unceremoniously tossed out onto the pavement.You can sing "O Christmas Tree" until you go hoarse, but that tree you just bought is dying before your eyes.A waste.

Lots of energy and money wasted by lots and lots of Christmas lights.The waste of electricity for amusement and nostalgia can't be justified only by the fact that it is beautiful.
I never liked houses all lit up(and it's not traditional in my country),but I love how the towns look at this time of the year.However,it's irresponsible.
I saw this on a discusion about the matter while browsing the Internet and I loved it! :

I take great pleasure in being the only house in my street that ISN’T lit up with ridiculous xmas lights. In fact, refusing to bow down to peer pressure and emotional blackmail, I have gone so far as to unscrew the streetlight directly out the front of my place to ensure it is extra dark in comparison to the rest of the street.

In place of energy wasting lights, I have installed a notice on my front gate stating “The money saved by not buying and running xmas lights this year has now restord the eyesight to 10 African children by way of a donation to the Fred Hollows foundation. Maybe you could suggest this to the rest of my neighbours as you wander down the street staring google-eyed at all the other lights”. XD




Anyway,end of rant LOL






However you celebrated,or even if you didn't,I hope you all enjoyed the holidays.
May the coming year bring you joy and happiness! ^_^
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Posted: Wednesday December 27, 2006, 7:13 pm
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