Part II: Read how other New Dreamers are spending Buy Nothing Day
(or the rest of their holiday season)
How Will You Be Spending Buy Nothing Day? |
Submitted by |
| We're RVing to our son in NC for the holidays, taking the entire family with us (so even though its an RV, it will save 3 cars full of people - hmm - maybe it will actually SAVE gas!). I'll be sitting for grandchildren on Black Friday, enjoying the outdoors if possible, and telling stories and playing games indoors if not. | Gae Johnson - Manassas, VA |
| Our church will try Bill McKibben's $100 Holiday approach and families are invited to see how much they can make and share to celebrate a meaningful instead of "thing-ful" holiday | M. Woodruff - Charlotte, VT |
| Not buying as much for the holidays. We are enjoying are time together with less pressure on gift giving! | TM |
| Giving gifts of time together. | VWG - Oregon |
| There is no way I'll be seeing the inside of a crowded shopping mall the day after Thanksgiving. Nope - my 3 year old daughter and I will be enjoying the Aquarium of the Pacific instead. | Karl Bruskotter - El Segundo, CA |
| We've been celebrating Buy Nothing Day for decades now -- ever since our daughter Virginia called our attention to its existence. Even before that time, we made an effort to buy locally produced items from small, independent, local merchants. Alternatively, we have in recent years bought gifts online from such sites as the Rainforest Site or the Child Health Site. Gifts like Mercy Corps' "Goat Kit" offer an opportunity to actually give something useful to someone who needs it. Primarily, we have attempted to buy more responsibly, but we have also made an effort to buy less. This year we will have a potted LIVE Christmas tree -- one we can plant in the back yard in the spring! Enjoying good food (some of it grown in your own garden!) and good company and good memories at the Holidays is far more rewarding than worrying about quantity, dollar value, and one-upmanship in the frenzied quest otherwise known as "Christmas Shopping"! | Susanna Patterson - Stillwater, MN |
| i will not be buying any gifts on friday or any other day. instead my husband and i will spend the day getting some spruce tree branches (tips) to make homemade wreaths for family and friends with no harm to the trees which grow back even fuller. also, i will continue knitting hand-made gifts for family and friends. i have wanted to do something like this for years as, while i love giving gifts to family and friends, i have, for many many years, resented the big push by stores, and by our soon-to-leave president (not a moment too soon) to "shop, shop, shop" as a cure for everything. i started picking up yarn at yard sales, rummage sales and yes, some small amount from regular stores back in june, and have been knitting since then. my gifts are all just about ready and so there will be no "shopping" this year. and i feel so much better about it, as all the gifts are hand-made and truly come from my heart. may you all have a truly happy holiday season spent with family and friends. | Marie Louise Morandi Long Zwicker - Sullivan, ME |
| I stopped giving/accepting holiday gifts about 8 yrs ago, w/the exception of an occasional small remembrance (a candle, etc.) or something for kids who usually got cash or gift cards. All kids I know are now grown up so I don't have to participate in the frenzy at all. I may buy something for myself this year - a new energy efficient clothes washer/dryer (my dryer's been broken for 4 months & hanging clothes to dry takes a lot longer in winter). The washer is on it's way out too. I will, however, buy a lot less clothes for myself this year -all washable & wearable. The rest of my holidays I plan to spend visiting w/friends, spending time w/pets & doing do-it-myself projects around the house like painting walls & using the only holiday decorations I already have & not buying anything new as I have plenty. If I go anywhere, I'll bring a "gift" of food or drink for all to enjoy. | Karen - Las Vegas, NV |
| I am making soap for the family. Sage cedar for the men, lavendar vanilla for the women, and eucaliptus for tha pets. | DorothyLee - Springfield, OR |
| I quit buying gifts for Christmas years ago. Now the holidays are full of time with friends, parties and getting outside and doing sports. I never understood how people could spend so much time in a mall and buy so much junk they don't need. | Cathy - Orlando |
| Last year we decided our family had enough stuff, so we bought a carload of sleeping bags and took them to the people sleeping on the streets in our downtown San Diego neighborhood. We had a small whiteboard and the sidewalk surfers (so one gent told me they dubbed themselves) wrote notes to each of our kids and grandkids. We took a photo of each of them that were willing (a few declined, but many were enthusiastic) with their notes and framed those in inexpensive frames scrounged from Goodwill. We wrapped those in our customary funny-paper wrapping and that's what our relatives and friends got for Christmas. Yes, we even did it for the young grandchildren, though each of them got our usual gift of a book and tape as well. The response was great and this year many of the group will develop their own similar plan, which we'll share on Christmas, along with a family meal. | Catt - San Diego, CA |
| We're skipping Black Friday by leading a hike that we call "Skip the Sales and Head to the Trails". We're taking a local family outdoors club on an easy hike in a nature area. | Wendy - Southern CA |
| In response to black friday, I regret that I did not NOT shop, but that is because my friends who are crafts people held their annual open studio. I supported local (hence US-made) craftspeople by visiting & buying some of their handmade clothing, which are both functional & works of art, for myself & as holiday gifts (hats). And one top made by a young designer from Prague who could not make it over this year for the event. She usually doesn't--these people do not make much money. Times are hard all over. Yes it's important to not consume needlessly, but we can also choose wisely when we do consume, which I try to do. When the economy is doing as badly as it is, it's important to spend if you can, again wisely & not needlessly, until it stabilizes. Then in more prosperous times one should save money, as well as continue to practice moderation in consumption to guide our marketplace toward a less consumption-heavy economy. | Elizabeth C - MA |
| I don't go on big shopping sprees through the holidays. I like to shop after the holiday and stash things away all year whenever I come across a good buy. We are surely downsizing this year. I always like to give homemade baked goods and also will be giving the gift of www.41pounds.org this year. The kids are getting bigger now (8 & 11) so we will be helping with local food drives and volunteer work. Focusing on spending quality time with family and friends, making memories of giving (and receiving) this year. | Dawn - Midlothian, TX |
| I would like to give away some of my own favorite things, like my sister likes a scarf I have and I want to give it to her, since she likes it. | Karen MPLS |
| Buying things for my children that they can USE instead of plastic toys | Amy |