Christmas Shopping 2008

Usually by this time of year all I can think about is Christmas. According to the calendar there are 12 days until Christmas Eve. But really, nothing could be further from my mind.

There are only two indications that it's Christmastime around our place: 2 tiny wreaths printed on either side of the word "December" on my calendar, and a card from my parents on our bookshelf.

When we go into a shopping centre there are some decorations available for purchase, and sometimes even decorations on the walls. But there isn't Christmas music playing on the radio, there isn't snow falling, we didn't have a visit from Santa on the last day of class... Even the weather is working against us remembering the season.

I am not complaining, though. Being removed from the traditions and hype of Christmas has been really refreshing for us. There is no holiday rat race here. Althought there are lots of shopping malls, I don't feel the same pressure to have to spend, spend, spend. This is the first year I can remember not hearing "X number of shopping days until Christmas!"

For the past few years, Darren and I have been trying to reduce the amount of buying we do in relation to Christmas. Again we are thinking about the role that purchasing gifts plays in this holy time of year. Being outside of our culture has given us the ability to analyze more as outsiders and develop a balanced perspective on this holiday.

We've had some help. About a month ago Darren and I watched the documentary "What Would Jesus Buy?" While enjoying a laugh at some of Rev. Billy's antics, along with some genuine headshaking, the message of the documentary was a good one. Then Darren and I independently came across the Advent Conspiracy within the last few weeks. Immediately it resonated with something inside us. We decided to support it on the spot. As if that weren't enough, the Meeting House series "Don't Drink the KoolAid" we started listening to today began with a message entitled "Lie #1: Christmas is for Giving".

It seems that from every angle instead of being bombarded with the message "BUY!", we're being confronted with the reality of how this holiday has become another way to keep the great capitalist machine working. And the more we think and talk about it, the more Darren and I want to divorce Christmas from consumerism. So that's it, no more Christmas presents from the Conleys.

You might be thinking: "Sure, Larissa. That's easy for you to say. You're not getting togther with my family this Christmas. No one is necessariy expecting gifts from you from across the globe. And you don't have kids whose friends will ask them what they got for Christmas when they return to school in January."

You're right, and I'm exaggerating. In fact, this year I did participate in my family's "each of the 4 sisters buys for one sister" and "all the sisters purchase a joint gift for the parents" programs. But the gifts Darren and I chose were ones that also help people in need at the same time (a la Toms shoes, but different organizations; I can't give away the secrets until after Christmas!)

And I've got it easier than the average person in that my family has been trying to "downsize" Christmas for a number of years. This year I received one gift from my parents: a fabulous handmade calendar, and there's one more coming from one sister. But that's it, and that's more than enough!

I realize that altering a tradition can be sensitive. We're not sure how to breech the subject with Darren's family or what their reaction will be. To be honest, Darren and I aren't exactly sure what the next few Christmasses will look like for us in terms of gift buying and giving. But we do know we'd like to increasingly be consuming only what we need and giving away more of our excess. This is true in all areas of our lives, but particularly at Christmas.