As soon as we finish giving thanks to the First Nations for giving us their land a few centuries ago, we begin our journey toward Christmas. We are inundated with deals, ideas, sales, offers and just about as much advertising as our minds can handle. The€
concept of Buy Nothing Christmas is a spin off from Buy Nothing Day - October 23rd this year - otherwise known as Black Friday, the busiest shopping day of the year where malls are crammed with anxious shoppers eager to horde in on Christmas sales. Ah, the joys of Christmas shopping. Long lines, trying to find that last parking spot, the credit card debt buildup, the stress of figuring out what to get the ones you love [the disappointment?].
Buy Nothing Christmas is not about buying nothing - excuse the name. It’s about spending more time with the ones you love instead of lining up in big box stores and falling victim to the marketing ploys.
But if that’s not enough, why not do a little less shopping in an effort to save the planet. Ready for a rant? Now, I’m not really that guy who has joined Al Gore’s flock. But if have bought into his gimmick [hell, he could even be right!] then why not drive a little less, stop that car running so long just to heat you up [in the cold obviously] and think of how much of the environment goes into the presents under your tree.
