Today, since we are now past Halloween, I present a selection of the top 10 most relevant holiday-themed posts from our blog, staying true to our year round focus on anti-consumerism, waste reduction, and joyful alternatives that are low cost or free.
Here you will find low-impact celebrations like Buy Nothing Christmas and solstice rituals instead of the usual commercial excess. I prioritized a mix of timeless classics and more recent entries from our 17 years and 8 months preaching the simple life on the net.
Here they are, listed chronologically. Click on the URL below to see the post.
Happy Holidays, everyone.
Let the peace and calm begin.
Here you will find low-impact celebrations like Buy Nothing Christmas and solstice rituals instead of the usual commercial excess. I prioritized a mix of timeless classics and more recent entries from our 17 years and 8 months preaching the simple life on the net.
Here they are, listed chronologically. Click on the URL below to see the post.
- Why I Am Having A Buy Nothing Xmas (December 9, 2011)
My personal manifesto highlighting global inequities (e.g., 80% of humanity on less than $10/day) and positioning non-shopping as activism, with alternatives for true giving.
URL: https://notbuyinganything.blogspot.com/2011/12/why-i-am-having-buy-nothing-xmas.html - Buy Nothing Day 2012 (November 23, 2012)
Elevates Buy Nothing Day as an anti-Black Friday "holiday" with overconsumption stats (e.g., 70% of U.S. GDP from spending) and creative, debt-free ideas like zombie walks or community picnics.
URL: https://notbuyinganything.blogspot.com/2012/11/buy-nothing-day-2012.html - No Christmas Gifts, Please (October 9, 2015)
Advocates declaring a gift moratorium to reclaim holiday simplicity, sharing reader stories and suggesting solstice-focused alternatives to escape the shopping pressure.
URL: https://notbuyinganything.blogspot.com/2015/10/no-christmas-gifts-please.html - Simplify The Holidays - Buy Nothing Xmas (November 28, 2016)
Builds on Buy Nothing Day success with tips to de-commercialize the season through sharing, creativity, and resources from the Center for a New American Dream for stress-free celebrations.
URL: https://notbuyinganything.blogspot.com/2016/11/simplify-holidays-buy-nothing-xmas.html - Rise Above Consumemas (December 15, 2017)
Critiques the shift from Christmas to “Consumemas" and promotes zero-buy rituals like natural art-making for a sustainable solstice.
URL: https://notbuyinganything.blogspot.com/2017/12/rise-above-consumemas.html - Facts On Holiday Waste (December 25, 2021)
Shares stark stats like 25 billion pounds of annual U.S. food waste and $800 average gift spending, urging a "Buy Nothing Zero Waste" approach to end the cycle of dissatisfaction.
URL: https://notbuyinganything.blogspot.com/2021/12/facts-on-holiday-waste.html - No Gifts? Not Necessarily A Bad Thing (December 21, 2022)
Celebrates declining gift trends (from $1,300 in 1999 to $800 in 2020, adjusted) as progress, linking it to better communication and charity growth, with ideas for handmade or need-based exchanges.
URL: https://notbuyinganything.blogspot.com/2022/12/no-gifts-not-necessarily-bad-thing.html - The End of Black Friday Madness (November 29, 2020)
Reflects on pandemic shifts ending in-store Black Friday crushes, proposing permanent alternatives like mindful non-shopping to avoid debt and chaos year-round.
URL: https://notbuyinganything.blogspot.com/2020/11/the-end-of-black-friday-madness.html - A Prescription for a Minimalist Christmas Might be Just What You Need (December 17, 2024)
The doctor is in! A Peanuts-inspired remedy for ditching debt-fueled extravagance, favoring simple joys like hot cocoa gatherings or peace vigils over "perfect" gifts and decor.
URL: https://notbuyinganything.blogspot.com/2024/12/a-prescription-for-minimalist-christmas.html - Reverse Christmas (December 2024)
Examines the post-holiday returns frenzy as a symptom of overbuying, encouraging preemptive "reverse planning" to match gifts to real needs and minimize waste from the start.
URL: https://notbuyinganything.blogspot.com/2024/12/reverse-christmas.html
Happy Holidays, everyone.
Let the peace and calm begin.
Thank you for the summary. I spent over an hour reading all, especially the responses. Good to see that there are so many kindred spirits. Yet I am still concerned that it may be a drop in the ocean. Sometimes I take a peek at this facebookpage: https://www.facebook.com/DumpsterDiveKing. This is what is trashed before it was ever sold. And this guy is just one of many. In my country shops have to send it back to HQ, but I see the pallets full in the stockrooms at work, at the same time the new loads waiting for space on shelves that are still full.
ReplyDeleteIt doesn’t have to make sense - it only has to make money. This fact has caused humanity so much grief, and it will be the end of us if we can’t figure out how to make it stop. The whole thing is sick to the extreme, bordering on insane, or just pure evil. But there are so many that are fighting back by living simply and free from the system as much as possible.
Delete- Gregg
Thank you for taking the time to put all of these together. We have never been much into the consumer aspect of Christmas or any other holiday and focus on experiences, food and being together. It's sad that so many people still cannot see the issue with all of the consumerism.
ReplyDeleteI have a friend who always wondered about people. “Why can’t they see it?” he would wonder over and over. The good thing as I see it, is that more and more people are seeing it, and once you see it, you can’t unsee it. But can we reach a critical mass of awareness in time to avoid collapse? That remains to be seen. Or not seen...
Delete- Gregg
Winter holidays just seem like pure connotative hogwash lately, and this is coming from a 40something born on the 22nd of December. So much of what the hypnosis of "the season" does, is just a flat out insult to nature and going dormant in general. Let me freakin' hibernate! (...ya know what i mean??) -E.V.
ReplyDeleteAnother solstice baby! I was born on December 20th, so have had a lifelong attachment to winter solstice. It is one of my favourite times of year. Since I am flogging old posts here, I would like to recommend our winter solstice post from 2018 which begins,
Delete"As the northern hemisphere approaches winter solstice, it is once again time to honour natural rhythms, slow down, rest, and go within. Winter is the segment of the seasonal cycle for introspection, sharing, and spending quiet time simply being.
Read more here - https://notbuyinganything.blogspot.com/2018/12/winter-solstice-time-for-being.html
I am totally prepared for a long winter’s nap. It is time to recharge, reassess, and reflect.
- Gregg
It's awesome to know of someone else who gets it! Christmas stuff is just the opposite of what it means to hunker down, and that is just...how would one put it...spiritually displeasing. And I love that illustration..absolutely hibernating with the bears and foxes like the introvert I am -E.V.
DeleteSo much of modern life is… spiritually displeasing. The holiday season is only the grossest example of many.
Delete- Gregg
Great summary of all your thoughts! I had many of the same thoughts as I walked through the grocery store last night, past the large display of Christmas and Hanukkah items. It’s only mid-November and the crazy has begun.
ReplyDeleteI intend to maybe buy a few used books for gifts this year. And a bottle of wine or two for loved ones. That’s it…easy and cozy. :) Peace, Erin
Books always make great gifts. Better every year, as things go. Easy and cozy is the way to go.
Delete- Gregg