Unitarian Universalist Fellowship
of the Mendocino Coast
Spirituality Essays
Ethical Holiday Consumption
(December 2005)
Many of us are bothered by the ugly splash of materialism and
consumption we Americans seem addicted to . . . that goes
haywire in December. We're only 6% of the world's population,
but consume 30% of the earth's resources. Aren't the holidays
supposed to promote spiritual connections, family, serenity? Do
we really need all those toys, diversions, opulence?
For many of us, the traditional holiday customs of gift-
giving puts us in a quandary. We want to share our love and
caring with gifts for our loved ones, yet are horribly turned
off by the commercialization, the "it's-Christmas-so-you-have-
to-give-something" expectations, the retail frenzy and insanity,
and the inevitable most of us can ill afford. Whatever
spiritual meaning the holidays might hold gets compromised by
our culture's push for materialistic gluttony.
Here are some ideas that might help soften that annual
dilemma:
Postpone Christmas. Give a card that states that out of a
desire to disengage from Christmas commercialism and ritual
expectancies, you'll give them your holiday present on {some
arbitrary date} . . . when it'll have much more meaning and
value for both of you.
Give a gift of your time. Make a coupon that promises a
gift of your time . . . in the form of animal or childcare,
helping them with a house project or garden work in the Spring,
making them dinner, food shopping, teaching them some skill, or
something else that they could really use help with. Your time
with the gift recipient shows personal caring . . . and a plus:
it'll likely deepen your friendship with each other when you're
working with them later.
Give an intangible gift. Rather than their 10th sweater
or some electric gismo that winds up on a shelf, be creative:
give dancing/art/craft lessons; give a certificate for a
massage, hair stylist, etc.; give tickets to the theater,
cinema, or the Botanical Gardens; or invite several friends
together to a movie, play, dinner, or other treat that you all
go together.
Make something. Can you draw, sew, paint, knit, do
woodwork or other craftwork? No matter how less-than-perfect it
is, a hand-made gift or other personal item that you give will
show a lot more caring, and probably be more highly valued than
most store-bought items.
Give a contribution in their name to a needy
organization. What groups or organizations do you both
support? . . . help all three out with a check to the
organization. As a plus, many organizations will then send
their magazines or newsletters, which will be a nice reminder of
your gift all year long. Possible candidates (you can usually
find membership costs / details on the internet) are NARAL; People
for the American Way; Tikkun Institute; truthout.org; UUA (and
our Fellowship, of course); Habitat for Humanity; or our local
Food Bank, Children's Fund, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, or the
Botanical Gardens.
