The holiday season is supposed to be about quality time with loved ones, practicing compassion and generosity toward your fellow humans, and for some, religious connection and rituals. However, ever since Coca-Cola invented Santa Claus, it seems like the “holidays” are really just a time where we’re pressured to overconsume so CEOs and shareholders can line their pockets while we buy weird bubble bath kits for our step-moms. Personally, I won’t be a part of this repugnant culture any longer, and that’s why I’m rejecting seasonal consumerism by embracing rampant consumption 365 whole days a year.
Just the other day, I was at a local boutique, and I noticed the space was swarming with chaotic energy as an influx of shoppers rushed to pick up tchotchkes in order to simply check boxes of their gift lists. It was a nauseating display, and I would have left if I weren’t on a mission to buy myself an artisanal glass water carafe for $70 because I actually spend tons of money on luxury items all year round.
Holiday consumerism also generates so much waste. Think about all the plastic that comes with buying random bullshit like keychains, nail clippers, playing cards, and for what? To fill out some stockings by the fireplace? It’s disgraceful. That’s why I buy myself a useless trinket at least 50 times a year, but spread out evenly over 52 weeks. This way, I’m not contributing to the overwhelming post-holiday landfill bonanza. I’m just producing little bits of garbage at all times, which is so gradual that it doesn’t even count. You think one piece of soft plastic from the Sillybandz I decided to buy last March is the tipping point? Get real.
Of course, like any political action, my resistance comes at a personal cost. Because I am never not spending money, I don’t have it within my budget to drastically increase costs come December. For this reason, I am unable to provide material gifts for friends and family during the holiday season. I’ve tried explaining this to my sister, saying I am rejecting consumer culture, and she’s all like, “But I’ve never seen you repeat an outfit,” and I’m like right, exactly. Some people will just never understand what it means to take a stand
So to anyone else out there who spends tons of money all the time and doesn’t wait for “Black Friday” to go hog wild on acquiring commodities, stay the course! If we keep this up, the holiday season can recenter around what it’s really about: the exposal of dark family secrets!
