Second, I want to advise that this inspired me to take a different path for my oldest (7 y-o)and niece (9) and nephew (7). This year I will open $4/trade ING stock accounts for them and buy them each 1 share in Disney/Kelloggs or similar kid-friendly stocks for BD and Christmas. Not only is this a good learning opportunity, but the money will be there when they are 18 v. having given toys/clothes they will have long forgotten. Our kids still believe in Santa, which is a magic of its own and something we will $$ support until it passes. But it does get expensive. Kids do compare at school and it would be hard to explain why Santa leaves “one toy” here and more at others. Thankfully my son is too gracious to ask — I hope he doesn’t wonder if he was “as good” as other kids. (Santa left more last year, but only one toy was remembered! I was saddened and a little shocked by that when revealed a couple weeks ago.)

Keep up the good work J.D. and Co.!

I, for one, will put up my tree for two weeks prior to the day and treasure it every moment that it’s there because it won’t have time to become a fixture in the living room from Halloween to New Years.

We actually caroled the Mall of America with Reverend Billy a few years ago, and it was clearly an activist/Adbusters type of event, not a traditionally religious one (not to mean there were no religious people there, but it was advertised through activist channels.

Yes we may spend $450 billion on Christmas each year and it may cost $10 billion to get clean water to everyone on the planet. Unfortunately most of the $10 billion dollar goes to corrupt officials pocketbook and the clean water never happens. But if you get a producing/consuming cycle going, they can get their own clean water.

I wonder how many people are put off by the “religious zealot” impression he gives, and whether that hurts his message.

Actually, I think he recently ran for mayor of NYC? He’s a great guy, with a great message and makes lovely music. Thanks for writing him up!

You can see a terrific video for it at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xc8RIQRvZPU&feature=related, and the movement (with which I have no affiliation) has a website, too.

One quick fact: we spend $450 billion on Christmas each year; it would cost $10 billion to get clean water to everyone on the planet.

Christmas is not above money; it’s about love, and always has been.

Sufficed to say, the conditions in these factories are not just “poor,” they are abhorrent, and that is not a rarity. Replace the word “slavery” with “near-slavery” if you feel it’s less an exaggeration.

I am a long-time lurker and I love Christmas, spending time with family and friends. Living in Brisbane, Australia it’s usually stinking hot (+30 degrees Celsius). Our 4 kids who are aged between 2 and 12 will be playing and fighting in the pool. Using empty plastic sauce bottles as water pistols.

We have the same problem here with stores and malls starting the Christmas shopping season earlier and earlier each year, it started here a few weeks ago. This has made the older children quite upset, which was surprising to me (or maybe I don’t give them enough credit). I believe it is the conflict between the horrors on the news and TV programming in general interspersed with happy cynical Christmas advertising. For example a news item about a woman in South Australia who let her newborn baby starve to death is followed by an ad break that kicks off with a Coles supermarket Christmas food shopping ad. A very sad coincidence, I live in a country with no 99ers, unemployment benefits don’t get turned off, there are no food shortages, and there are comprehensive social welfare networks. Sorry gone of track here.

This Christmas we have decided to support a charity that provides goats, cows, and school supplies to less fortunate people around the globe. There will still be a myriad of useless plastic toys lying around the house on Boxing Day (when traditionally it always rains heavily), but maybe this can be the start of something more in keeping with the spirit of the season.

Bying “most any item” in the USA stores is NOT “cooperating” in “slavery”. That is hyperbole.

Here’s a report of slavery in the USA:
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/slave-labour-that-shames-america-765881.html
Should we all stop buying US food?

RE: your original comment #30 that “No one loses” with the current global manufacturing environment is irresponsible.

I see at least two primary “losers”:

1) The environment – given the lack of regulation with many of these gov-business arrangements, pollution and its effects on local populations is in many cases massively devastating. Have you not heard of Bhopal? Seen these recent images from China?: http://www.chinahush.com/2009/10/21/amazing-pictures-pollution-in-china/

2) The developing world – although cheap goods can benefit the lifestyle of local populations in some ways – it is not always a net gain. Mostly it is a gain for those who are already relatively well off, while the poor remain poor but suffer the new costs of “development”. I lived in a remote village in Ghana that relied on farming for food, and saw crop yields fall and entire plots of land die due to the amount of plastic bags that would blow in from the nearby village and get embedded in the fields. I live in Asia now and have yet to go to single beach that does not have immediately visible plastic bags and bottles floating along – which greatly impact fishing yields. Not to mention the primary means of disposing trash in these places is burning it. So sure, cheap TVs and cell phones “elevate” the standard of living – but feeding your family and avoiding toxic chemicals in your air and food are nice too.

I’m not anti-globalization – I live and work in Asia for a reason – but to pretend that the current situation is “win-win-win” is simplistic and irresponsible.

… and the adults in my family do a yankee swap for Christmas and we love it

One thing I would say about that though … When I was a kid, we made Christmas lists of things we would like to have and we would always get one or two or three things from the list but we NEVER got ALL of the items on our lists. Fast foward 25 years – my niece and nephews appear to get everything on their lists and then some. They are so lucky to have 2 sets of grandparents and two aunts/uncles (not me, I spend $20 on each and that’s it) who either can afford to spend a lot or do so anyway (ahem, that’s aimed at you middle sister who doesn’t read this blog anyway). It’s fun for them, but an almost total waste – the kids don’t really appreciate it and it makes it tough to find gifts for them.

I mentioned “survival instinct” as the explanation for people’s reaction, which tends to be knee-jerk. Protectionism, while misguided, is a rational reaction given the information available to the average worker/consumer. I was just attempting to explain to Betamax where this “buy American” comes from; he seemed to think it stems from jingoism, I feel it has to do more with a perception of immediate self-preservation, not a grasp of complex economic issues.

There are other possible rational responses to the growing income disparity and ballooning trade deficit, but they require a different set of information that is not readily available to the public. I’d venture “stop getting into debt to buy all manner of useless crap & start saving money”, but who knows.

I’m not against a global economy by the way, I’m just against the way we’re positioned into it–borrowing from China to buy Chinese goods. Odd. That’s why I offered the example of Germany prospering from globalization while maintaining a high standard of living for its working people.

My extended family does white elephant. Bring something fun- wrapped- choose numbers- pick in order- you can choose one from the table OR one from a gift already opened. We roar with laughter and the atmosphere is great. All feel welcome no matter what the financial situation is. We go to our “we need to get rid of this” pile and choose fun things from there.

As for Black Friday. I go every year. How else will I get all of the things I have been saving for all year for the house on 50% off? :>)

The thing I resent the most, though, is that I never get to give my kid things, because I can’t limit the amount that comes from relatives to anything like a reasonable level and I can’t bear to add anything else to the pile.

I would *love* to give back just 1/10 of the emotional bullying and guilt-tripping that gets piled on us when we dare to suggest lower spending expectations, less travel, and a lower volume of stuff. But then I’d regret it. So they win.

I guess I was raised by anti-consumerists:

we give gifts in my extended family, but usually just something hopefully needed, limited to approx $10 per person. I give a bit more to my BF and to my parents and children, but most of it is stuff like PJs and mittens in addition to 1 or 2 coveted toys. (my BF got me an axe to cut firewood last year–yay!) Everybody needs stuff like this, you just have to think about it and ask around!

I do like to spoil my parents, though–I got them the DVD set about the National Parks last year–but hey, I’m grown up and I can afford it, while they’re retired and living very simply.

However, some of the commenters are a bit ridiculous. “We dont buy anything for anyone”, like one dude said is just as bad as the people who max out their credit cards. Moderation is key with anything. Find something special for your loved ones. It doesnt have to be expensive, just make sure its wanted. If you dont know someone well enough to know what they want, then dont get them anything.

Also, a bit on the commentary about the “slavery” overseas. American companies are sometimes no better in how they treat people. Blanket statements like “Buy American” are the problem. Stay informed and buy from responsible companies, domestic or foreign. There is nothing wrong with importing/exporting. The US exports the most, in terms of dollars, of any country in the world. Its just that we also import a ridiculous amount of stuff.

Lets try to keep a level head and be informed before we make overreaching statements. I’m not pro-globalization, but at the same time, its not the evil people make it out to be.

I was so thankful when my brother first raised the idea of not buying gifts for each other and our spouses and we’ve since expanded it to other adult family members who similarly feel like they don’t need any gifts and would rather not feel obligated to buy. But like I said, I love to buy gifts and I just did so on an international trip, but I’m sending them out now not waiting until Christmas.

My husband and I both feel no joy is knowing we must buy his mother a holiday gift. And last year we sent her the obligatory holiday gift and she complained that we did not send a gift for her husband. So now we know we must buy both her and her husband a gift. It doesn’t even seem to matter what it is, but we must do it.

The giver gives what the giver wants to give. The recipient graciously accepts whatever the giver has given (and then is allowed to do whatever he or she wants with said gift, so long as it is done politely and in good taste). The recipient has no obligation to give a gift in return, and any gift given does not need to be of the same value etc. of the original gift. Gifts are given from caring and accepted with the same.

It sounds like you’re hitting that exactly, with an added charitable bonus.