Snug in the living room of their very old near West Chicago two flat, we celebrated Christmas as the Smiths had celebrated their entire lives. Each family member had drawn names to avoid draining each other’s wallets. Each person only received one gift. Each giver had a limit of $20 on their gift, and it had to be either handmade or second hand. To add a bit of fun and mystery, the giver left a clue on the outside of the gift, a riddle of some sort. The recipient of the gift read the clue aloud and had three chances to guess what was in it before opening the wrapping paper to find out, and the process had everyone’s rapt attention. Raised a family of seven, sometimes eight when their parents took in a child who needed a home, and their father was a school principal. Christmas, for them, was never about shopping. It was about connecting. They got more for Christmas than any family I’ve seen before or since.
Over the semester I’ve been doing a Faith Into Action project for my Justice Matters class. This project has entailed purchasing the Better World Shopping Guide and using it as a reference to make every purchase. The author of this guidebook has evaluated most major companies on the basis of their ethics toward the people, planet, animals, and communities. [To access an online version of the book, please click this link: http://www.betterworldshopper.org/] Throughout the semester I’ve become more aware of the cost of consumerism to the planet and the people on it. It’s not a matter of how much you spend it’s a matter of how you spend it. It’s possible to find goods manufactured by companies with environmentally and socially sound practices.
Because it’s the season of giving, and so many of us are broke and feel like responsible consumerism is too expensive, I thought I’d address this in today’s blog. If you’re concerned about the planet and your holiday shopping, here are some ideas I thought of:
If you have the funds to spend, shop like crazy! But buy less—focus on the quality of the gift and the ethics of the companies involved and don’t worry about how many gifts you get for your money. Remember each dollar you spend is an investment. And if you run short of money, glance down the page at some of the ideas for people who are struggling financially.
§ Shop at local retailers.
§ Buy from local artisans and craftspeople
§ Buy second hand items in good condition
§ Wrap your gifts in recycled papers printed with water based ink. Or the Sunday comics J
If you shop online, consider these resources for socially and environmentally responsible chocolate, coffee, clothing and other gifts:
§ Equal Exchange Online Store:
§ Coffee and Chocolate:
§ Chocolate:
§ Coffee (local to Boston):
If you don’t have the money because you are one of the nearly 10% of people who is jobless:
§ Give the gift of your time—offer to help friends and family with household projects in any way you can, offer babysitting services to families with young children.
§ Instead of feeling badly that you don’t have money for a gift, take a few minutes to write a note, card or email to people you wish you could buy a gift for. Share your favorite memory of a time with them. Tell them how much you love them—because isn’t that what you’re most hoping to convey with a gift anyway? Why not tell them directly? I bet they’d love to hear it J
§ Buy second hand items in good condition
§ Ask for paper bags when you grocery shop and wrap gifts in those. It will save you money, and you will definitely be using recyclable wrap. Decorate the bags if you like—the creativity and beauty are good for the soul.
§ Consider making a holiday ritual around connection rather than consumption. It’s possible that the gift people most need this year is YOU!
Stay tuned for a word on holiday potlucks later this week!
