bah, humbug, etc.

[freckles_and_doubt]

'Tis the season. Bother. Last year I copped out on maddened gift exchange with friends because I was broke. This year I'm going to cop out again, on the grounds of geo-political ramifications and general frenetic busyness, but this time I think it's going to be pretty much a permanent statement of principle.

As before, I love you all. If I wasn't frantically working I might have done something about buying presents before this, but I haven't. Today was reasonably representative of the last month in that it was the kind of day that is only survivable by resorting to the chocolate stash, to which I had no actual time to resort. Much though I love you all, the thought of wading through shopping malls with a list at this late stage fills me with dread, horror, despair, exhaustion and rage.

Even if I wasn't frantically working, though, I think this whole Christmas thing bears examination on the grounds of socio-cultural wossname. We are in a worldwide recession, brought about by the Godzilla of rampant and uncontrolled capitalism lurching destructively around the globe. The Christmas season has become emblematic of spending, to the point where I can no longer distinguish my impulse to give my friends presents from the conditioned impulse of the Christmas consumer. This narks me off and creates a need to reject the whole thing with hauteur and a curled lip, particularly given that we're in a worldwide recession and no-one has spare cash anyway.

I have surveyed my need, and found it righteous. Therefore, I shall give no presents to anyone except family this year, and ask friends to count me out of their lists likewise. Statement valid for further Christmases unless explicitly void. I shall express what remnants of Christmas spirit I can scrape up through the medium of the Boxing Day gathering, at which I shall endeavour to be festive.

(And don't anyone give me the "but Christmas spending helps retail to survive the recession!" argument. That's the kind of fuzzy thinking that got us into this mess in the first place.)

Comments

[bend-gules.livejournal.com]

Being broke puts Christmas in perspective!
I too hate the retail frenzy, and have for awhile, at least as a grownup. I particularly dislike the sense of guilt & obligation that gift-giving can generate in me.

For family, I've opted to either give ethical gifts (via Oxfam) or make small things like Christmas ornaments. I figure there's always room for one more tree decoration, and if you don't like it, you can pass it on. One bag of beads and wires = many many many dingle-dangly things.

This year Robert has made a great vat of Lord's sauce, which yields great returns on the cost of its ingredients! Most of our friends are foodies who will enjoy it.

However, I realise we have the luxury of the time to make these things, and I feel fortunate in that regard.

[wolverine-nun.livejournal.com]

I read that as "quilt and obligation" which had me temporarily befuddled :)

[egadfly.livejournal.com]

I salute most of these sentiments, festively.

Festive BAH! to mandatory guilt-induced giving.

Festive PAH! to thoughtless consumerism.

Festive PTOOI! to anyone over the age of about 14 who expects a "gift" and thinks less of someone who doesn't choose to give it.

Total enthusiasm for you going your own way, gift-wise.

However, a small niggle: Much as there is to criticise in our economic system, it's a bit one-sided and simplistic to blame the recession on "the Godzilla of rampant and uncontrolled capitalism lurching destructively around the globe." This is the same capitalism that delivers quite a lot of material benefits that everyone seems happy to enjoy during the good times. If lefties bounced through boom times chuckling, "Thank goodness for Godzilla, whose rampant urge to turn a profit has produced these lovely dvds and effective cancer treatments and affordable good-quality clothes," I'd have more time for the complaints.

[extemporanea.livejournal.com]

Capitalism is fine if it's a sensible, well-regulated lizard. The problem I have is not with capitalism per se, it's with the uncontrolled, rampant, Godzilla version whose giant stature is ultimately about a selfish refusal to consider anything but the profit. Profits are great, unless their pursuit tramples other things underfoot.

[egadfly.livejournal.com]

The challenge is to work out what "well-regulated" means. It's very hard to devise rules which rein in the destructive greed while not encumbering creativity and productivity. Capitalism as we know it has tended to err on the side of rampant/unregulated, and overall has worked pretty well for participants like you and me. (Not so well for your average Somalian or rainforest.)

Fundamentally the problem is with human nature, or at least human nature as it is distorted when faced with opportunities for large-scale profit. And it's specifically the relatively unrestrained pursuit of large-scale profit that has brought so many benefits - along with all the problems.

I'm not saying it don't need fixing, just that the bad may be harder to separate from the good than one would wish.

Gifts

[first-fallen.livejournal.com]

Only the kids I know are getting presents, most of them hand-made. The rest of my family (and friends) will have to make do with the warm fuzzy feeling that comes with giving to charity.

[(Anonymous)]

Ooh I'm torn. Basically I totally agree with you on the "boo consumerism!" front, and I too am veryvery low-key on the Christmas giftage these days. *However* I'm not sure I agree with the blaming of current economic woes on rampant consumerism; I think that's rather fuzzier thinking than the idea that spending boosts the economy. (Not just saying this cos I is a retailer...) But I am far too tired to get into an economic argument now. Bah humbug, anyway, but yay mulled wine and Christmas pud.

scroob

[egadfly.livejournal.com]

Extemp actually blamed "rampant ... capitalism", which ain't the same as rampant consumerism. I agree with you that the current economic fun&games aren't the specific fault of consumerism. There are much better candidates for blame amongst the other elements of contemporary capitalism.

Whether it's economically good or not to buy stuff you don't strictly need in the current climate is debatable. However I would think the rational thing for individuals to do is to look out for their individual interests, which should mean conserving their resources around now.

[(Anonymous)]

Agreed, I am never a fan of unnecessary spending and especially in these times of doom etc etc. And agreed, the phrase was "rampant capitalism" but it did seem to be rather closely connected in the overall thought to consumerism... but yes.

I need chocolate. Actually I need a nap, but chocolate is more readily available...

[(Anonymous)]

PS Sorry for the stroppy and not very logical comment, extemp. Bad day.

[extemporanea.livejournal.com]

Not a prob, seriously - I read it and thought, "sensible lady, I'm definitely too tired to get into an economic argument", so didn't. It also wasn't that stroppy, and fair enough in that I think through these issues in fairly organic terms which are not easy to explain concisely. It's more that capitalism, consumerism and Christmas are expressions of an underlying problem which I haven't defined at all well :>.