Christmas With No Presents?

inspired by an article i received about a young family in New York, who has intentionally stopped shopping the way most Americans do. Their goal is to leave no "footprint" on the environment. The email I received includes this link to an article in YES magazine.

Christmas with No Presents? by Colin Beavan

One family’s daring experiment: Christmas without all the stuff. http://www.yesmagazine.org/article.asp?id=3042

Here's brief background:

From November 2006 to November 2007, I and my little family—one wife, one toddler, one dog—embarked on a lifestyle experiment in which we tried to live with the lowest possible environmental impact (you can read about it on my blog NoImpactMan.com). Among other measures, the experiment included not making trash, not using any form of carbon-producing transportation, and not buying anything new. http://noimpactman.typepad.com/

When I sent this article out to my eList - I received a lot of favorable response and an especially inspiring one from my friend, Brad, who lives in Florida:

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My family is doing just that too this year for the first time: NO CHRISTMAS PRESENTS! I have been working on them for about 5 years to get to this point.

(“My family” = my Mom, Dad, brother, and my wife Lisa). We have no children, and my parents only had my brother and me. A small family but still…: NO Christmas cards, NO gifts of any kind to or from any of us! We DID all go out to dinner together last weekend, but this was NOT some back-door Christmas present to or from anyone.

Furthermore, I have decided that for ME (Lisa will try, but she’s not fully ready for this): NO SHOPPING in 2009!!! Only basic sustainance/maintenance purchases: food, necessary medications, gas and oil (basic maintenance and repair) for the car; basic hygiene products and things to maintain the house in the condition it is presently in (air and water filters, compact fluorescent lights…); sustainable gardening supplies; replacing a pair of shoes (for ex.) that I wear daily that wears out; no music purchases EXCEPT to replace things we need for the band to continue to perform: guitar strings, for example.; tennis balls (that’s my MAIN mode of exercise)… I DO NOT want to collect anything NEW: clothing, toys, … STUFF!!

I was inspired to do this by a show I heard today on our local community radio station (WMNF in Tampa: www.wmnf.org - FABULOUS station that you can hear on the internet) about a woman and her partner who did this for a year (in NYC and Vermont), and then wrote a book about it, which is out now). This, to me, is the best New Year’s resolution I can imagine. I suppose this would also include stopping eating out, movies, plays, concerts and other out-of-house entertainment that is not free… Magazine subscriptions? Hmmm… Charitable contributions to not-for-profit liberal/sustainable groups are EXEMPT – that’s not shopping!!!

So whaddaya think? (You may very well have has similar ideas. Let’s send this around, kick it around see who wants to give it a try in 2009!!! No better time to start than Jan. 1!!!!!

Love, Brad

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P.S.

It’s very exciting to embrace this challenge of “no more impulse buying” and more conscious, thoughtful spending, as you say. And I agree totally with your “ humble beginnings” – both my parents (of course) remember the Great Depression, living on a farm, and they, and I, have always lived accordingly. I was raised on a former chicken farm, had my chores to do each week, etc. etc. We didn’t even buy a TV til 1960! I have more than enough clothes to last me til I die, and it’s pretty much true for everything else as well. I will replace guitar strings, etc., of course!

Feel free to send my NO SHOPPING in 2009 testimonial around if you like. I am going to send it to my circle and challenge/encourage others to join me! 2009 is a great year to do it. We (Lisa and I) have no money anyway!!! BTW, the Yes Magazine article, esp. on “eating local” is fabulous! I will send that around as well!

Brad

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And this one from Gini, a very earth conscious social/peace activist in Seattle:

Hi JoyRae -   Why presents and gifts in the first place at this season of the year?  Of course it is tied to the Christmas traditions of the three kings each bringing a valuable gift to the person acclaimed to be the savior of the world - and about this too we must ask questions.    In my view we should be giving gifts to the earth itself, so steadily and reliably it does revolve around the sun, allowing predictability of the seasons, and permitting the earth to yield all its varied fruits.  But much of human activity is about nothing other than the raping and ravaging of the earth for highly questionable human usages, systematically, deliberately destroying not only creation but the very, the only, source of our survival.   So, to whom do we owe gifts at this season, especially now that the earth turns towards the sun once again, with already lengthening days presaging spring, light warmth?  We owe to the earth reparations - planting trees, native plants, gentleness, daily consideration.  We owe to all other creatures - those upon whom we directly depend such as bees, bats, butterflies and other pollinators - and those which amuse us and those which clean up after us, predators and prey alike - survival for ever, not annihilation.   So, let's think about what we can give to the earth today, perhaps not driving, flying or using ever scarcer resources, making do, doing with as little as possible, being ever so grateful that the earth turns, that lights shine in the sky day and night, sun and moon, each bringing its wondrous blessings, beneficently, benignly, beautifylly, enhancing our lives, hopefully for thousands of generations yet to come.   And as Chief Seattle said:  Take only memories, leave nothing but footprints.   Peace, and blessings.  Gini