I remember the sheer joy that Christmas morning was when I was a kid. My sister and I would go wake up my parents at some ungodly hour and the gift unwrapping would begin. This year, there will still be excitement, but as we've all grown older, Christmas morning has become more about spending time together and the gifts have grown fewer and more meaningful. Similarly, the time has come for American holiday consumerism to leave behind its new stuff-obsessed youth and rediscover what the holidays are about.
Our annual spending spree was born in America as advertisers and marketers set to work creating secular observances for the religious holiday in the early 20th century. By the 1930's the success of Coca Cola's famous Santa ads had shown the value of marketing to children. As the economy grew throughout the rest of the century, so too did our association of Christmas with buying presents.
I remember becoming aware of what my parents would do to give my sister and me the gifts we wanted. I began to feel guilty about their sacrifice for me, and I began to return the favor to the extent I was able. As I did, the material stuff showed itself for what it was, and the well being of our family became most important. I hope that we as a society are ready to recognize the impacts of our consumerism and realize what is really important.
The people who make the newest toys, the trendiest clothes, and coolest stuff are not Santa's elves. In many cases they are people living in sub-human conditions on the other side of the world. This week's episode of Meet the Bloggers discussed this topic in some detail. One of the segments in the show featured scenes from the film What Would Jesus Buy. Two facts from the film stuck out to me. First, some of the people making the stuff we buy are paid $0.13 per day. $0.13 per day is too poor to brush your teeth. You use your finger and the ashes from last nights fire to try to keep from loosing your teeth. The second thing the stuck out was that we in America will spend an estimated $100 billion on holiday shopping this year.
I point this out not as a 'shame on us' for being so wealthy, but rather to suggest that $100 billion is some serious buying power, and if we could spend it responsibly, we could buy enough holiday cheer to cover the globe. So here is the plan:
1) Take the time to know what you are buying. In the digital age, resources abound which detail how and where things are made (see below).
2) Use the 'do unto others as you would have others do unto you' rule in deciding who to support, except think of it as 'do unto your children.' If you buy goods made in sweatshops, you are investing in that system. If you buy goods containing nasty chemicals or an excess of packaging, you are tainting your children's future -- not to mention the present for the people who live near pollution sources.
3) Don't believe the nonsense that $0.13 cents per day is $0.13 cents more than people in the developing would be making if they didn't have that job. The argument offends the most basic understanding of and commitment to human rights. There are companies out there who pay their workers a living wage and still make a profit. If people bought only from those responsible companies this year, all companies would pay a living wage next year. Let's make that happen.
4) Spread. The. Word. This only works if we all do it, and get our friends and loved ones to join in. Now, are we really going to halt sales of irresponsibly made products? Of course not -- but if you can buy even one or two gifts using the resources below, and get your friends to do the same, we will be sending a serious message to manufactures that we are growing up and taking responsibility for our actions, and that they had better grow up too.
Web Resources:
www.ethicalshopping.com
Gift Ideas:
1) The above resources have memberships and shopping guides that help consumers to make wise use of their dollar votes. Giving a guide or a membership can be a great gift (and not to mention, a not-so-subtle hint as well).
2) The green pages above are a very extensive catalog of responsible businesses. There is a zip code search feature, so you can find and support people in your area who are doing business the right way.
3) Make a donation in the name of a loved one. You can do this to support any organization you want. The organizations above accept donations, as do various programs through the UN. You should also take a look at www.donorschoose.org, and www.globalgiving.org.
Happy Holidays!