Put Your Wallet Away

   The newspapers are all carrying articles now about the outlay of cash "needed" for Christmas. They're quoting stats that tell the reader , for instance, that as a country, Canadians are already spending 121 % of their average household income annually. Apparently, if you ask the average Canuck when they expect to finish paying off the tally they run up on their plastic, they'll tell you they think it will be taken care of by February. George Boelcke, author of "It's Your Money! Tools, Tips & Tricks to Borrow Smarter & Pay It Off Quicker" will tell you that the average Christmas spending spree is not actually paid off until July. Kind of dismal reading.
   Put those bright and cheery articles together with the "hoildayed-out" ennui that many experience at Christmas, and the idea of finding a different way to handle it all begins to seem more and more appealing. I came across an alternative today. You'll find it here, at a website that details a national initiative begun by a group of Canadian Mennonites. Its name "Buy Nothing Christmas" makes it sound like a definitely Scrooge-like approach, until you read a little further. Then you begin to see lists of possible alternatives to the shopping mall frenzy, many of which are charming and nothing at all like the bah humbug! spirit you might have thought to encounter. They range from making a calendar for family members, with family photos for each month, to fair trade teas and coffees for those not quite ready to literally buy nothing. The latter suggestion makes your purchase an actual contribution to sustainable family businesses in third world countries, and gives you a gift that will be used until it's all used up, rather a gift that might end up just contributing to clutter. The list of alternatives includes the idea of giving to a charity in someone's name, like you can do at Canadian Food for the Hungry International. Check out their online catalogue for gifts that range from a goat or a pig for one family, to hospital equipment or motorcycles for village health workers.
   Be sure to check out the "Giving More by Giving Less" section for some really great alternatives to excessive consumerism. Among other things, they suggest coupons for some of your time. Since time is money to so many, this can be a present worth more than you could ever afford at the store. A coupon that promises a whole afternoon of your time, to spend in the garden or going for a hike or any other activity you and the recipient both enjoy can mean a lot to the person receiving that coupon. When I was a teacher, I always had my students make up coupons to give to their parents, for Christmas, but also for Mother's Day or Father's Day, and I never failed to get a lot of positive feedback from the parents, who really enjoyed "cashing in" those coupons. The coupons could be for something as simple as a breakfast in bed some morning, and could be tailored to fit the abilities of the givers. They could just pour some cereal in a bowl if that was their limit, but they had to sit and talk with Mom or Dad while they ate, and then clear away the dishes after. So many of the kids felt really good about giving a gift that couldn't be bought at any store by anyone else, no matter how rich they might be.
   There are a lot of possibilities to consider, especially if the current style of runaway consumerism is leaving you feeling less than festive.