Buy Nothing Day

An Alternative to Consumerist Holidays

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. It’s such a shame it’s followed by the consumer mania of “Black Friday.” The holidays have been so overrun by consumerism and the marketing machine that they can become a rat race of shopping, stress and busyness. To me that feels more like an anti-holiday.

From Thanksgiving to New Years’ Americans generate 25% more trash than other times of the year. Given the fact that our consumerist culture is hugely wasteful year-round, these holiday numbers are truly astounding.

o   The equivalent of 30 million trees are used for wrapping paper, most of which is non-recyclable.

o   Miles and miles of plastic ribbon will be thrown away.

o   25 – 30 million Christmas trees will be purchased, with most of those winding up in landfills.

o   Returns are responsible for 5 billion pounds of landfill waste and 15 million tons of carbon emissions each year.

o   30 – 40 percent of all food produced in the U.S. is wasted and those rates are highest during the holiday season.

o   Packaging makes up about 30 percent of our waste each year and has skyrocketed with the surge in online shopping. The amount of packaging thrown away during the holiday season is mind-boggling.

Alas, while Americans may be the biggest holiday waste generators, similar surges in all types of waste take place in nearly all countries that observe Christmas (about 160 or so from Canada and the UK to Singapore and South Africa).  

I checked out of the consumerist approach to the holidays in my early thirties and have never missed it. In fact, I now participate in the annual Buy Nothing Day that is an alternative to Black Friday. Buy Nothing Day, a day of protesting consumerism, is now observed in over 35 countries. The first Buy Nothing Day was organized in Canada in September 1992, "as a day for society to examine the issue of overconsumption." In 1997, it was moved to the Friday after Thanksgiving, known as Black Friday in the U.S., which is one of the ten busiest shopping days in the United States.

It's worth noting that years of studies show stress levels and depression increase during the holiday season. So does credit card debt. Some recent studies show that more than half of Americans report that feeling wasteful during the holidays makes them less excited about the festivities and traditions.

For centuries the adjective “black” was applied to days on which calamities occurred. It wasn’t until the blast-off of consumerism in the 50’s that the term began to be applied to the day after Thanksgiving, manic shopping and retailer profits. Given the harm it does to planet, personal finances, and anxiety levels, I still observe the new Black Friday in its original sense, as a calamity.

This coming Friday my plans include running Olive in an agility competition and sharing a meal, conversation, and the Oregon versus Oregon State “Civil War” football game with family. I certainly do not intend to step foot into a store or buy a thing. That, to me, is a great holiday.  

Here is a really good article on how to have a more Earth-friendly Thanksgiving celebration.

P.S.

I just gotta give a shout out to the outdoor retailer co-op REI.

Since 2015, REI has closed its doors on the day following Thanksgiving and encouraged employees and members to get out into the great outdoors instead.  This has become known as the "Opt Outside" movement. Last year, REI decided it would make the movement permanent and turn Black Friday into a paid holiday for all of its employees.

This is one reason why when I do need to buy something REI is a go-to.

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Christ During Christmas Class

Just a reminder, I’m offering a Christ during Christmas class starting Nov. 28^th. Here’s a short video description.

Christ isn’t Jesus’ last name! What better time than during Christmas season to explore Christ consciousness (rather than the other “C” word, Consumerism?)!

Registration link -- https://www.cylviahayes.net/product/the-christ-class/