Uh-oh. That day is coming. Which one? The one that so many Americans are out there for -- swarming the malls -- jamming the roads -- so that they can buy-buy-buy things that they think others want or should have or that they just have to get because someone is on their Christmas list.
Last week on National Public Radio's Morning Edition, a commentator talked with an economics professor. Question: why do we do this -- put ourselves through almost tortuous gift-procuring in a short month of time. What would happen if we didn't? How is it that we have a retail economy that often (or not) doesn't turn a profit until so-called "Black Friday," the massive shopping-day-after-Thanksgiving? (The local newspaper reported that people were lined up outside of a Denver Toys-R-Us before its 6 a.m. opening, and a photo showed a woman's shopping cart overflowing within half an hour of the opening. Kind of makes you want to throw up, doesn't it?)
The economics professor suggested that we might turn our attention from this annual glut of giving to the novel notion of giving when the mood strikes, or planning to spread it over the year. Think about it -- when does a gift have great meaning? When it comes out of the blue. When it comes not because it's supposed to, as in Christmas, but because the giver cares enough about you and saw something that practically had your name on it. When it truly comes from the heart.
Might there conceivably be less just-plain-junky stuff bought just because you couldn't not give Aunt Margaret something? Heaven knows that I ran up against something like that, until I got divorced and lived through a number of low-income years. It became quite clear that the only people that I strongly desired to give Christmas presents to were my children. So I would use about $60 and choose their presents. (One of the wonderful things about having no credit cards is that you have no Christmas bills hanging over your head all the following year. You really have to think about your gifting.)
Of course, if there is less of the junky stuff purchased, then we have a true trickle-down effect: less demand incurs less manufacturing and less of all the steps between manufacturing and retail. Is that going to affect American manufacturing all that much? Look at the tags on your presents. Tell me how many were actually made in the United States (or in whatever country you're living in, unless you live in Korea, Taiwan, China, Thailand...). Unless you consciously purchase items from people or businesses who you know made them, chances are your dollars, after being creamed off the top by the retailer, the trucker, the importer, the exporter, go overseas...reduced to pennies for the actual maker of the product.
What if more and more of us chose to leave the Christmas season gift-mania behind? I realize this seems quite Christian-oriented, but considering that the Christian obsession with gifting has infected the Jewish Hanukkah observances -- and maybe other religions' -- I think it's an appropriate focus. What if we chose to give authentically? When the heart says, give. I imagine some will end up not giving anything, because that is where their hearts are. But I feel that others will feel freed of a tremendous burden -- emotionally and financially.
Who knows? There may be a whole different take on giving when obligation and duty and guilt are removed. Maybe the heart can be fully engaged, instead of the brain trying to keep track of how far down the list of names it has gotten. When the "Season to Share" list of donors in the local newspaper is every season and all of the year, we will experience fully embodied compassion that doesn't take a break for 11 months. And all the non-profit agencies that work to keep together the bodies and souls of many neglected people will experience a steady flow of aid, rather than feast and famine.
What happens to an economy dependent on the glut of year-end spending? Dare I say that if Christmas gift-selling is what keeps some stores in business, perhaps they should examine more closely what they ar selling and why. If their corporate existence depends on the sale of truly unneeded items purchased in a seasonal gift binge, then is their corporate existense justified? Are they creating beauty or creating trash?
What would happen in an America that no longer had this glut of spending for Christmas? Religions could take back and resanctify the stories that they traditionally celebrate, for one thing. Christians could stop bemoaning the rampant commercialism of Christmas. The December solstice could be celebrated for its true gift of returning sunlight...to the Northern Hemisphere. The Southern Hemisphere could celebrate that gift in the more appropriate month of June. People could discover authentic gifting. Children would not longer be told to "put it on your Christmas list and we'll see what Santa brings." Parents would have to be truthful and either purchase the wanted item then or just say "no."
Heavens! What would we do with Santa Claus? Kind of tough to ask Mr. Nast to uncreate the charming elf. Oh well, he will become the fable he really is and no longer be the threat held over children's heads to behave well.
Balance of trade might be affected -- after all, we wouldn't need to import so much useless junk. (I was in a Hobby Lobby several weeks ago, and I couldn't believe the carefully created towers of absolutely ugly knick-knacks that they think people will buy -- and I assume that people do buy them or they wouldn't be stocking so much.)
If you have made it through this hopefully thought-provoking tirade, I suggest that you visit the Center for the New American Dream and investigate their discussion archives. In November, people were talking about "Our Money Culture and the 'Never Enough' Mentality," and there were some very interesting posts, particularly one on November 6.
In the nature of a P.S., I'm planning to put the January issue up during the week between Christmas and New Year's....just in case.
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