The Consumerism of Christmas

I could start to rant and rave about the consumerism of Christmas. It is truly atrocious and ridiculous. But, for some reason I do not have it in me. Plus, I would probably just be preaching to the choir.

I truly like (maybe love) gift-giving. But, if you have known me long enough, youhave probably received a gift about six months late at least once. My family is famous for IOU presents. Which means that about 50% of the time they never really appear. But, that's ok, because it is the thought that counts.... This approach to gift giving does not really work well with friends and new family. Speaking of "new family", due to the addition of my brother-in-laws to the family, I have actually received real gifts for my birthday.

But, here is why I love gift giving for those I love. I really enjoy finding that one thing that they will find beautiful or that they were really hoping for, or a complete surprise. Most of the jewelry that I wear on a regular basis was given to me by two of my closest friends. I love seeing them wear jewely that I gave them...or my sisters wearing the scarves that I crocheted for them in my irregular knots, similar to a camel's gate. It is not so much the item, but the relationship that is brought closer. I don't give a lot of thought to witchcraft, but I find amulets to be quite interesting. Witchcraft attemptes to manipulate people by the use of matter, often. It can require an item of that person. Our things are physical extensions of ourselves, to a degree. They can have power over us, or we can have power over them. Or, sometimes, we are freed from them and them from us. Not to say that matter, the physical is bad, because I am neither a gnostic nor given to cultic beliefs that exalt the "non-physical". The physical can be sacred because the spiritual is not disconnected. That's why our bodies are sacred. They are temples of our soul (or possibly the Holy Spirit), so that's why violation of our bodies hurts so bad. But, anyways, I think that I was talking about something a little lighter-gifts. Gifts can be a physical manifestation of our love for each other. In "The Five Love Languages"-gift giving is one the "love languages". I admit that it is not my strongest "love language". I am not rally sure is....I speak them all pretty loudly and receive them pretty well, too!

So, gift-giving can be good. But, if the point about Christmas is lost in gift-buying, and sometimes the purchases are not to show love, but for other reasons. And the marketeers capitalize on this....it is how our society works. So, maybe for those that are finally starting to see the gluttonish consumerism, they can see that it applies to our lives in general-at least in the States. There are a couple of reactions that I have had to this behavior-one involving soap boxes and tired looks on my parents' face as discuss my feelings ad nauseum at the dinner table. I would make a call for ethical consumerism, because I cannot figure out how to extrapolate myself from the system (and the not-quite-sustainable farm in West Virginia doesn't look like it is going to happen). Maybe it is not perfect (maybe Fair Trade doesn't work??!! It was my hope!), but it is a better way. Things are pretty broken here on planet Earth (and apparently we are polluting the space around our orb, too), but we can try for a better way. Fair trade. Buy red. Buy local (I have heard some contrary opinions on this). Eat organic, if not for your body for the birds and land and migrant workers and everyone...which can be expensive. Just be a little more conscious about how you spend money and enjoy the things that really matter....like your little sister making a collage (yes, she is young enough to be my daughter!), a friend's Christmas card in the mail (even without a limerick), the smell of the tree, hope that things can be better. Man, I am such an idealist....well, not really, but you have to read more.