Looking for inspiration in your quest to de-commercialize the holiday season? Then look no further than Jo Robinson and Jean Coppock Staeheli’s classic book, UnplugThe Christmas Machine: A Complete Guide to Putting Love and Joy Back into The Season.
Here’s a short excerpt from the book:
The one concern that united virtually all the people we’ve talked to is a yearning for a simpler, less commercial, more soul-satisfying celebration. There is a universal wish to end the year with a festival of renewal that rekindles our faith, brings us closer to the people we care about, and brings lights and laughter to the dark days of winter. We want to ward off the commercial excesses of the season and create an authentic, joyful celebration in tune with our unique needs and desires.
Unlike other book contests, where I have given away a brand new book mailed to me from the publisher, this book was skillfully procured from my local Goodwill thrift shop! I was actually reading this as a library book when I came across the Goodwill copy, and thought to myself that it would make the perfect Non-Consumer Advocate giveaway. It even has a hand written note in the front from the original owner!
To enter the contest, just write in the comments section about what you’re doing to de-commercialize the holidays. The winner will be chosen at random, please enter only once. The contest ends on December 9th at 12 A.M., Pacific time zone. Good luck!
Katy Wolk-Stanley
“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.”
{ 83 comments… read them below or add one }
← Previous Comments
I have always shopped Goodwill and thrift stores for the holidays. There is a big fall festival in this area the first two weeks in Oct. and hundreds of yardsales. When my children were small, this was where I bought Christmas gifts, from those yard sales. We couldn’t afford more. We had four kids living on less than ten thousand dollars a year income. I would pray over those yardsales for weeks before just to be able to find clothing and gifts for the kids.
Sometimes I feel guilty because my daughter has picked up my “cheapness”. We can afford better now. But I hesitate to spend it. I only buy sales or thrift stores. And many times I am too cheap to pay what the thrift store wants! LOL. Do you know that some Goodwills are charging six dollars a piece for jeans (or more)? My limit for used clothing is a couple of dollars. Thank God for yard sales.
When I do buy NEW Christmas gifts now, I try to hit the half off after Christmas sales or really deep discount sales. And the gifts have to be useful. I won’t buy fluff. Flash lights, tools, food, warm blankets, smoke detectors, decent shoes, etc are all ok. But fluff is something I just can’t bring myself to waste money on.
I guess because we had so very little in the decades past, I just can’t spend in a wasteful manner now. It bothers me. I do feel guilty that my daughter and sons watch their money so closely too, but it is a skill that will serve them well. They don’t waste money. They weigh each purchase, and are probably considered tightwads, but they learned it at home.
Remember that festival with the yardsales I told you about? I have a box of Precious Moment statues under the bed that I bought a few years ago for $65. I am still giving Christmas gifts from that box. My MIL is getting one for Christmas as are my neice, daughter, and SIL. It will probably last me 2 more years for Christmas gifts. And I have a bedspread wrapped up for myself from hubby for Christmas that came from a yard sale the first weekend in Oct this year. Old “cheap” habbits are hard to break even when you don’t have to be that frugal any longer.
I’m with you about Goodwill being over priced! I just can’t make myself pay that much for a used pair of jeans when I can go the outlet mall and get a brand new pair for about $15. But then I feel guilty because I know I’m just feeding the consumer wheel. Honestly about 75% of my closet was gifted to me by friends who outgrew their clothes or no longer like them.
Just because you HAVE the money doesn’t mean you have to spend it
Keep your cheap habits because that’s a good habit to have!
I am giving several handmade gifts this year. I just recently started knitting, and it gives me a chance to think about what someone might really want and use, instead of just going out to the stores and hoping I come back home with something for everyone. I’m also giving more long lasting gifts, like magazine subscriptions for people that I know would enjoy then.
Kiva loans are a great gift. I also like the virtual gifts that you can send at http://www.farmafricapresents.org.uk.
You make a donation to FARM-Africa, choose the gift you want to send – cows urine is my favorite – and the person you send it to will receive an email movie about the gift and its use in Africa. The best thing is that you are also helping farmers in Africa build a brighter future for themselves and their families. I love all of the other ideas too – especially the dressing up box. I’d love to do that for my nieces.
My husband and I are completing some much needed renovations on our house, and decided that we have spent enough $$! The improvements are our gift to each other. My favorite uncle and I just agreed not to exchange gifts this year, and I am (with their permission) “regifting” some unused kitchen accessories to my sisters-in-law, which I know they will enjoy using.
We play Secret Santa with all the people who come to my Dad’s for dinner. We take something that we either made or from resale shop, etc. (useful but not new – unless homemade)
Other than that we give to Heifer International and our local food bank.
It’s too late for this year, but the day after Christmas I’m going to try to talk my extended family into doing some sort of secret santa so everyone buys and recieves only ONE gift. None of us need, or really want, anything. I’m hoping everyone will go along with it, wish me luck!
Every year I try to cut back a little more. We are giving experiential gifts to our grandchildren, taking my grandson to a couple of train shows, taking my granddaughter to a performance of the Nutcracker. The rest of their gifts are used books purchased at public library, Goodwill and one new one each purchased at Borders clearance and an educational game for each, also purchased at Borders with discount coupon. My mother is also getting books, purchased used and Borders clearance, CDs made by my husband. Our daughters and spouse and fiance are getting gift cards to restaurants. I did buy a couple of items such as candles and wine(consumables, no clutter) to go with gift cards. I am regifting a small family scupture to our oldest daughter and family. Our decorating is a small artificial tree purchased years ago(I would no longer buy artificial for environmental reasons). We have switched to LED lights to conserve energy. A few greens, holly and red candles scattered through the house completes the decorations. During the year if I find things at the Goodwill that will work as gifts, I buy them and put away.
This year, my family have all agreed to give only practical, consumable items for Christmas. I am buying the food for the meal, and we are all chipping in to buy my cousin a case of toilet paper (her request), ordering a load of firewood for my grandma who has only wood heat…stuff like that. These gifts don’t require hours of shopping, and won’t end up being one more unwanted item shoved in the back of a drawer somewhere. We know they will be used and appreciated, and especially this year, with money so tight, practical gifts seem the way to go.
Chilly here in Portland!!
One thing we do is to get giving tree tags from the kids’ school (The kids pick their own) and give to needy kids on their own “turf.”
So, shopping means we’re shopping for someone else, locally.
The school also has a canned food drive that is also a good, local way to give. Not as many people have taken the tags. Most of the ones are taken by the teachers and staff.
We’re teaching the kids while they’re young (12, 9, 6) to get by on less and give to others. This year we doubled up on giving tree tags.
We’re trying to scale back the gift buying but I still think it’s fun to have some surprises to open. The trick is to find something that the person will love and use. We try to find one or two gifts for close family only and shop at craft fairs or local shops, avoiding malls or big box stores as much as possible. Portland has so many great local artisans. I figure that way at least we are supporting someone else’s livelihood (making their holiday better in the process) and finding unique gifts that will be treasured.
I realized after my other posting I forgot about the charitable giving we do. I filled a shoe box with toys for a child(sponsored where I work). I also donated pet food for the local animal shelters through my employer. Our community has an “Angel Gift” program. We will pick a charity from that to donate to. We also give to the local food bank, environmantal groups, hospice and Heifer Intl.
We bought blessing baskets (check out blessingbasket.org). This is a local purchase for us too. We are filling them with local and homemade consumables (food) and soaps made by our retired farmer neighbors and whatever the kids want to make. Handmade cards this year due to a wonderful art class we took. This not only keeps the kids busy and away from commercials but also keeps us away from CCMC (cheap crap made in China). I am also going to spend time everyday focusing on the real meaning of the season. I’ve already heard about the neighbors 40 inch TV, wii and that’s only the beginning I’m sure. Merry Christmas everyone. I enjoyed your ideas.
What a great giveaway! I’m happy to share my thoughts in any case as this is a big topic around our house right now. Last year we said we were going to scale back Christmas big-time, and it still got away from us and cost way too much money. This year, it’s Round Two. So far, I have spent about $40.00 for our two children, with most of that being spent on toys and books at our neighbourhood thrift shop. In addition to their Santa gifts, my husband is making each of our boys a train-shaped piggy bank, and I am knitting each of them a pair of mittens and a hat. They also always get a book. I actually found a saying on a message board a few years ago that we follow, which is that everyone should get: Something you want, something you need, something to play with, something to read.
We’ve also put a stop to adding new decorations to our home this year. We will make some new ornaments with our kids and use what we have otherwise. I did, however, score a package of LED tree lights at the thrift shop on the weekend for $2.50, which we will use to replace some of our older, less-efficient bulbs.
We’ve also agreed to give gifts of charity to our siblings, and will probably add some homemade baking and knitting to those gifts.
I haven’t set foot in the mall, and don’t plan on it! Oh, that’s a lie. We will be going as a family to give a toy for the toy drive, and the collection box is in the mall.
My mother-in-law is moving to Michigan to keep her job with an insurance company, while leaving my father-in-law in Ohio. We’re going to “borrow” one of their bridge sets when we visit next week, and we’re wrapping it up and giving it to her with a request to be taught to play bridge — and a promise to visit during the week while she’s alone in her studio apartment.
My sister is a poor college student, so I’m going to cook her some frozen meals out of my leftovers over the next couple of months as our present to her.
My mom asked me to make her cloth napkins out of an old table cloth for Xmas — I’m going to emboss them with a holly stamp in one corner, so that they’re a little bit more fancy than she was expecting!
Please take me out of the contest for the book. I had paperback swap credits and was able to get the book with my credits. It was mailed today!
This year we asked friends and relatives to only do gift exchanges amongst the kids. Some relatives were shocked and said “well, we’ll be getting you something anyway.”
I like to give to others with less. I save items for Operation Christmas Child Shoe Boxes…… I made 90 boxes this year hoping for more next year
I don’t know if this counts, but most of my kids presents come from Ebay. I figure it is part of the whole “reduce, reuse, recycle’ thing.
We cannot afford gifts for everyone, so most of our friend receive tins of goodies (the tins being from the local thrift store).
I also make meals to give to our friends. We give lasagnas and pot pies for our friends to either eat or freeze. We could give gift cards for restaurants, but how nice is it to have a meal you do not have to cook, and you don’t have to drive to get it? I would LOVE a gift like that.
I think a gift means “I care enough to give you something I would want for myself.” I spend hours making things for my friends, not just “shopping” for them.
As adults we have the power to buy what we want for ourselves.
My friends know that what I give them took more than a check being written, or a credit card being swiped.
I care enough to spend my time for them. They appreciate that. And that is why we are friends. They understand I am not being “cheap”. I am giving what I have, from the heart.
My husband is forgoing any gifts for himself in order to help a family in need. Any money that would have been spent on him we are spending on them instead. Additionally, we limit gifts to our kids to one toy, one book, one item of clothing. My son is getting a telescope that I found at Goodwill.
small edible gifts
Sherry, I love this idea!
I would love to win this!
As far as decommercializing the holidays…we’re still buying loads of presents. However, we’ve given a lot of thought to them in order to ensure that we’re only giving meaningful gifts, many of them experiential. We’ve also made sure not to go overboard for our six-month-old. She’ll have more fun with the boxes, anyway!
I love the idea of a giveaway that came from Goodwill! I wonder if this is the book my husband told me about that he heard about in a seminar…
While everything on my gift idea lists are items that would be bought in stores, we only give about one to two items per person in our family, so that keeps the craziness down. Basically, I just try to be extra picky about what gets on my schedule at this time of year. I find that if I choose activities that focus around our faith, then I can find some joy in the season as opposed to just resenting all the demands on my time and energy.
My family doesn’t send Christmas cards or consistently exchange gifts, so Christmas isn’t terribly expensive.
Due to insufficient funds, I won’t be travelling or seeing any family this Christmas. I plan to bake gingerbread and sing carols to myself instead. =)
We have gotten to the point where we no longer give gifts. However, this year there is a grandchild, which is tempting to start again. We are spending this season focusing more on advent than on Christmas.
I would love to read this book. If I don’t win it, I’ll see if I can get it from the library.
As for a non-commercial Christmas, we keep it simple by only buying gifts for our son. Santa doesn’t wrap gifts, so that saves on buying paper. For gifts from us, I use paper bags from the grocery store (I collect a few throughout the year when I run to the grocery store unexpectedly without my reusables) and I use the ribbon I craft with because I can re-use it.
My son is young , we do not have TV and I don’t get any catalogs so we don’t have any “I wants” in our house. This makes it easy to keep things simple. We give one thing he wants, one thing he needs, one thing to eat, and one thing to wear. When possible we make our own gifts. Last year DH built a small two-man rowboat for DS. This year he is building a sensory table.
I got a lot of my gifts from thrift stores, and I didn’t get a ton of stuff for everyone. Luckily since we’re relatively newly married most people understand.
We’re getting each other gifts this year, but like last year we’re going small. Last year we had just bought a house a few months before and this year we’re going to Hawaii in February, so we’re not doing anything huge. I like the idea of experiential gifts and I’m already thinking that next year I want to do something like that for us…a fun concert or something we can remember, not another “thing”.
Oh man, I’ve been out of town and am just now catching up on all the blog posts I missed. I’m so glad there’s still time to enter.
This is probably going to sound terrible, but I don’t buy presents for most people. The little kids in my family already have more toys and more “stuff” than they could ever know what to do with, and I live in a different state, so I just stopped sending presents. I refuse to add to a Christmas pile of presents that actually end up in the closet under the stairs STILL WRAPPED because there were just too many to get through and they lost interest in opening more. Can you believe that?! Anyway, I send gift cards to everyone that I still have to exchange with (the in-laws) because that way they can get what they want, and I don’t have to buy anything with excessive packagine or pay shipping. I personally think even the gift card thing is dumb – because we’re just sending them money in exchange for the money that they sent us – but I haven’t been able to talk my husband and his parents out of it yet.
For the guys I work with – I bake them goodies. They give me homemade jam in exchange, which I think is just the cat’s meow!
The big thing was talking with my dad & brother years ago and requesting that our Big Gifts to each other be a donation to a cause that we both support. My stepmom’s traditions involved a lot more stuff-giving over the holidays, and after a few years of presents-for-the-sake-of-presents, this has been a great compromise for us.
The little thing is reusing gift bags! The overall impact isn’t that huge, but I love pretty wrapping, and when you have a whole bunch of people in on the arrangement, the bags can get traded and reused for years upon years.
This is the first time we have ever done this by ourselves. My husband was active duty and now retired, so our entire marriage we have donated through a base organization. We will still do that this year, but this young woman is really struggling, but wants no handouts. This way, she won’t be able to turn anybody down, because she won’t know where it came from
My mom subscribes to the Food Network magazine. She had an offer to send a gift subscription for something like 5-10.00, so she sent it to me. I love reading the magazine, but would never have spent the money on a subscription. I write down the recipes I like and then pass it on to my library, as they have a magazine exchange table.
I do subscribe to a Diabetes magazine and had the same offer, so I sent the gift subscription to my local public library.
I really like the magazine gifts, as there are people would would love to read a certain magazine, but cannot or will not buy them
← Previous Comments