Recently I wrote about US government spending on war (Just
a Minute). Today I’m thinking
about the buying and spending mania that starts to pick up just after
Halloween.
I bypassed “Black Friday” store sales the day after—and in
some cases the afternoon of—Thanksgiving, designed to help businesses put their
earnings in the black. And I won’t be shopping online on “Cyber Monday,”
either. I know I’m not the only
person who’s fed up with these tactics to entice us to spend. Twenty years ago, Adbusters Magazine
organized Buy Nothing Day,
encouraging people to refrain from purchasing for one day – a full 24 hours – on
the last Friday in November, which is generally the busiest shopping day of the
year in North America. This year,
I’ve learned about two other activities to counter this shopping frenzy:
Cider Monday - Shelf
Awareness reported that on the Monday after Thanksgiving, often called Cyber
Monday because so many people shop online from work that day, The Toadstool Bookshops in New Hampshire
are inviting people to Cider Monday. They’re offering free cups of cider and “promise
no crashing websites, and our 'servers' won't be overloaded.” Other bookstores in the Northeast are
doing the same; maybe there’s one near you.
Giving Tuesday - #GivingTuesday™ http://community.givingtuesday.org/Page/FAQ
is a campaign initiated in 2012 to create a national day
of giving at the start of the annual holiday season. In my community, the Lopez
Community Land Trust is a partner in this initiative that celebrates and
encourages charitable activities that support non-profit organizations. Maybe there are #GivingTuesday™
activities where you live, too.
Am I a Scrooge?
Do any of you participate in alternatives to the spending season?
No,You are not Scrooge but the fairy of beautiful ideas. Thank you for sharing it.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Jeni.
ReplyDeleteThis is very encouraging. Thank you. We abstain from black Friday's madness altogether. On the Saturday following, however, we did walk to the downtown of the small town that we live in and spend money in our local artisan market. These are all creations made by people who live in our town: woodworkers, quilters, potters, etc., and it is a joyful experience to support them by purchasing some of our Christmas gifts there.
ReplyDeleteYes, Laura, local markets are great options for gift-buying, too. We have one where I live as well, and it’s a good place to find high quality, one-of-a-kind items, usually with a “story” and often made by people we know. Plus, the money from those sales stays in our communities - a win-win-win. Glad to know your town provides this opportunity for shoppers and artisans.
ReplyDeleteYes! I love buying from our local bookstore, and from local artists. Looking forward to the next craft fair and the Chimera auction finale. In fact, I'm finding it hard not to be judgmental of folks who still use Amazon as their default when they have other choices (in books especially), even though I used to be an Amazon 1-click junkie myself. :) I LOVE "cider Monday"! Brilliant.
ReplyDeleteSo many lovely ways to buy locally and do good, right? Your participation makes a difference, Gretchen.
ReplyDelete