(Back to the crafty stuff soon…really)
Today is Buy Nothing Day (BND) (internationally it is tomorrow, Nov. 24). It is the start of the Christmas shopping season and traditionally stores have sales to attract shoppers.
I have celebrated BND for three years. It is easy for me to not go to malls (I hate them) and other shops for one day. I hate brick-and-mortar browsing/shopping. I really do. I’m not a big fan of stuff, period (I exclude fabric from this category…ahem). I regularly throw out things (and sometimes need them later) just because clutter drives me jolly round the bend. So how hard is it for me to celebrate the traditional Buy Nothing Day, where I avoid stores for one day? It’s super easy; I avoid stores (even Jo-Ann) most every day.
But being fully present and thinking about the consequences of my actions when ordering *online* through the year (including BND)? Not quite as easy. Especially when I see something I love from Purl or Equilter, or, Center of All Temptation, Superbuzzy.
My big plan
Am I going to buy stuff online (outside BND)? Yes. But I’m also going to recognize that my choices don’t affect only me, and I’m going to *think twice* before participating in consumer culture. How far has the item been shipped? Who made it? How are their working conditions? Could I make do with something I already have? And so on. The issue to me is more about conscious choices than not buying anything (either on BND or for Christmas).
Just think twice
So today, in the vein of Buy Nothing Day, I’m asking for Just Think Twice About It Day, and I’m asking that it starts with me.
The Christmas slant
I have celebrated BND for as long as I’ve celebrated a Buy Nothing Christmas. The simple reason (for the no-gift exchange) is that the exchange had lost its meaningfulness. The people with whom I was exchanging gifts (time, gift certificates, or straight gifts, handmade or otherwise) did not feel edified, and I felt stressed and frustrated. So I stopped doing it (with a little help from this article).
But I wish I had another term for it, because I’m not opposed to the gift exchange (even if one buys gifts). I’m opposed to doing things because we’ve always done them, even if they cause stress and unhappiness. My new term would be something like Fully Present Holiday Celebration or Meaningful Merriment (suggestions welcome), rather than Buy Nothing Christmas.
For now, for me, the plan that works best is to not exchange gifts. But everything is an experiment, so it could change tomorrow. I should also mention that I am so thrilled for the Handmade Pledge and Etsy. If I ever participate in the exchange again, Etsy will be the first stop on my list.
Because really, it’s more about the spirit of it than the letter of it. And the spirit of it is happiness: Whether that means exchanging gifts, going on walks, baking treats, writing letters, or making snow angels. That’s my holiday wish for you: Lots of what you like.
