The hottest gift this Christmas season may be the one that is not given.
Adbusters.org, a grassroots anti-branding group, is offering vouchers on its Web site granting exemption from gift giving duties. The idea is clear - material goods can only go so far toward promoting a healthy relationship. The true meaning of the holiday season is time shared with loved ones, not with a representative product.
"Buy Nothing Day" began a dozen years ago as a campaign to rescue Americans from the notion that the day after Thanksgiving, "Black Friday," must be set aside for shopping.
In the last decade the message has gained strength and support. Even though Adbusters has not been able to purchase commercial time to get their message out to the masses, it has spread through society. Since there is a necessary aversion to advertisements, the event has passed on through word of mouth from a wide variety of people.
The goal is simply to make people consider the effects of their spending both personally and globally.
First of all, the spending that occurs on the obsessive level that causes "day after Thanksgiving" shopping sprees can result in credit card debt.
Second, some people also assume their devotion is best shown through material possessions and distributions. The longer weekend is a perfect chance to spend time with family or other loved ones. For those who spend the year away from the people they return to for the holidays, it should be a chance to create personal memories, not exchange gifts that cannot be special for the millions who receive them.
While consumerism in small doses can be a special experience, there is also the notion of international relevance. Goods that are mass-produced overseas can be made under terrible conditions, with workers being exploited for slave wages and an excess of working hours. By raising that question, Adbusters hopes to raise awareness of those conditions, possibly shifting consumption elsewhere or improving those conditions.
Adbusters offers a handy checklist to assist with purchasing decisions. The list asks if the item is necessary, how long it will be useful for and other questions designed to make each present actually mean something. Personal service gifts are also encouraged, as is anything handmade. The best gift is meaningful time for the creation of memories, and for that there is no substitute.
Unfortunately, Buy Nothing Day will never reach its full potential, as people will never stop shopping. However, by piercing the market just enough to educate people, it will be a major victory. The proactive nature of the project to teach and not to ridicule has grown greatly since its inception. The concept of educating consumers and challenging the conventional construct is necessary in these times of wanton spending.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
