Forum Post: Occupy Christmas/Occupy Black Friday!/Buy Nothing Day!
Posted 12 years ago on Nov. 21, 2011, 4:47 p.m. EST by aaronwayneodonahue
(48)
This content is user submitted and not an official statement
http://churchofatheism.webs.com
There are a lot of seasonal labor jobs in my city of Eau Claire, WI. Many of these jobs depend on the 4th quarter for work as much as giant corporations depend on it for profit. However, for all the commies and the greenies and the true-meaning-of-the-holidays-ies you might want to consider ways in which you can construct or re-invent cultural practices in your own life from the various political, economic, and social justice views that you have. So, what cool things do you plan to do with this opportunity? Buy local? Buy nothing? Adopt an illegal alien named Roger? Donate? Occupy random things around the neighborhood? Protest Black Friday at the stores? Anyone have any really fun or creative ideas?
http://churchofatheism.webs.com
Personally, I'm going to be "re-nailing" an effigy of Jesus to a cross again on the court house lawn. (Kidding!) If you're a religious Christian, I've heard of cute practices where people will make Jesus a Birthday cake and for some (liars) that's all they will do. Sort of sweet, I suppose. Ideas, Ideas, Festivus is always fashionable, too. Kwanzaa has already given the holiday season a lot of serious thought, and it can be adapted to a broader audience. Channukah is nice, I suppose, but some worry about getting trapped into 8 days of gift giving. Epiphany, Boxing Day, Yule, Saturnalia, etc.-- occupy it all and consider ways in which you could improve upon the traditions. Take from each what you want and discard the rest.
Here are some suggestions:
1.) Buy local
2.) Be frugal
3.) Make gifts
4.) Donate money to a charity
5.) Buy Green
6.) Volunteer with friends and family
7.) Put up a Tree of Knowledge
8.) Don't buy anything
Whether you are trying to preserve the "true" meaning of Christmas or trying to make the season meaningful to you, don't let credit card debt ruin it.
I am planning to spend as much as I can tolerate on AMERICAN made products. I will not be using credit cards, and will be avoiding the mega-corporations.
See my shopping guidelines at http://bit.ly/vof9WH . No ads, no profit, no agenda but to get Americans to use their consumer power to make jobs while screwing the mega-corps and banks. Read the page and, if you like what you see, spread the http://bit.ly/vof9WH link far and wide using e-mail, twitter, face-book, etc.
We CAN change the face of Corporate America if we simply THINK about how and what we buy!
Love it!
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I'll be buying whatever wherever.
Feel free to not consider morality in your purchases. I can't force you to be a good person or to even give a small sh*t ever about anything.
Thank you. It won't be much though.
It's a trap of a holiday. I suggest ideas, but I'll likely pick the weakest suggestion of 'be frugal' too. There's just no way I could show up at my in-laws without gifts. Well, no, I could, but they'd be disappointed. They'd just figure it was because my wife and I were broke...which we are. Sheeeet, we are in a ton credit card debt, not to mention college loans, and the mortgage. We couldn't afford last Christmas, let alone this one. I think a lot of Americans are in this position, especially the retired. I used to fundraise for a company that fundraised for the Republican party, and I heard all the time from retired people that they use any discretionary money they have towards Christmas! They plan their finances all year just so their 20 grand kids, or whatever, can have some stupid trinket from Taiwan. This shouldn't be the only socially acceptable way to communicate one's respect or affection for their friends and family. It's sad that this holiday, which should be a joyous season, makes a lot of people on small fixed incomes feel inadequate. They just get in a panic once their obligations start having children, and they want to meet their obligations. Unfortunately, they can't. Not with expensive gifts, anyway. Not without killing themselves in the process. And, as far as Christmas being about Jesus....It hasn't been for a long time.
I know exactly what you are saying. Years ago my wife and I told our 6 and10 year old boys we were going to have a $10 limit on spending for each other. My boys got the old man a full suit of clothes(and it was a nice one) from the local second hand store. We then went grocery shopping and spent a bunch on groceries for the local food shelf. We let the boys pick the food they would want as if it was for them. The food shelf worker said," oh my, we don't see cap'n crunch too often. In my extended family we play a dice game. No one feels any pressure to spend money. Last year their was a war between a few of us trying to steal a jar of homemade raspberry habanero sauce from each other. It is a lot of fun that way. Half my family is underemployed right now, so I expect a lot of home made stuff, or a personal effect, that was grandpas, or something like that. Charlie brown had it right when he said Christmas was too commercial. That was in 1965!
I proposed a "let's not" for Christmas (due to the finances of part of the family), and got a compromise instead: drawing names and getting presents for one rather than 6. It's a start!
One of the presents I'm giving is a kiva loan.
Sweet. We used to draw names too. It is a lot of fun to pick out something for one person, instead of dreading what to get for a slew of people. This holiday has gotten too out of hand by the merchants and the advertising bs.
I think being original and personal with gifts is more important than cost and giving to the needy is important as is visiting elderly relations or neighbours ?
It's about Jesus and good works if you make it so ,so make it so. Merry Christmas :)
Exactly. Well, obviously I'm not interested in the Jesus part, but it's great if others are. Speaking of Jesus and Occupy Wall Street, check out how many times 'usury' is mentioned in the bible: http://www.tentmaker.org/lists/UsuryScriptureList.html
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