I’ve been thinking long and hard about holiday shopping. I haven’t actually started it, and I think that is for several reasons. In a time where people are worried about keeping their homes, paying the utility bills, and filling up their tank, I wonder if we shouldn’t all skip the gift giving this year. I realize that has consequences on the economy itself, with excessively lower retail sales. But, will so many people living outside their means, will we continue to perpuate this habit?
Haven’t we already lost the true meaning of the holidays, and in particular Christmas? I remember growing up, it was all about Santa Clause & the gifts he would bring. If you didn’t get what you really wanted, you denounced Santa and ignored those gifts you did get. Ok, maybe not all kids did/do that, but I’ve seen it happen many-a-time. As a kid, I didn’t stop to think about what Christmas really meant until I was leaving middle school / entering high school. I grew up Catholic, so the true religious meaning of Christmas was always in the background, but I never really “got it” until my teenage years.
A few years ago my mom told me how her and my dad would break their backs trying to get everything ready for Christmas. They would max out their credit cards, stay up until 4am putting together toys and wrapping presents, only to be woken up by me and my sister at 5:30am! No wonder they always looked like hell on Christmas morning. Knowing that my parents maxed out their credit cards to make us happy makes me feel extremely guilty. I’ll probably want to do the same once I am a parent (when the tater-tots are running around) , but that doesn’t make that guilt go away.
View of 34th Street in the Hampden neighborhood of Baltimore. A play on 'Miracle on 34th Street'.
I intend on focusing on sentiments this year – focusing on sending holiday cards, expressing my love for friends and family. I’d take a hand written, heart-felt note, over a random commodity any day. For immediate family, I will hand make a majority of the gifts. I’m determined to keep my actual expenditures on typical holiday gifts to a minimum. I whole heartedly enjoy making things for others, in hopes they appreciate the time and love I put into it.
For those who are living under a rock these days and haven’t been to Etsy.com yet, do it! All items are vintage or hand-made. You can find some great pieces at pretty amazing prices. And, you are supporting artists and craftswomen/men, not a big box chain. I also encourage as many people as possible to buy local. There has been a huge orangic/local food movement, but this should apply to most commodities. If you happen to live in the Baltimore area, check out Buy Local Baltimore for those individuals and businesses who participate and depend on the community buying locally. If you don’t live in Baltimore, I’m sure a google search of “buy local” + your city will result in something similar (I hope).
What are your plans for gift giving this holiday season? Did you spend less this year? Are you making any of your gifts by hand? Have you bought locally?
