Dreaming of a Small Christmas

This great image came from Krissie in Australia, but it seems quite appropriate to the US this year. Krissie’s words remind me of my mom, whose idea of decoration was a pot of branches and red berries by the door, tied with a red bow and spotlighted. She loved that her neighborhood in New York’s Upper East Side was decorated with just tiny white lights everywhere, some garland and red bows. No tinsel, no glitter, no animated lights or inflatable Santas. She taught us that understatement can be dramatic and elegant. Not to mention saving money and time and cleanup on over-the-top decorations!

Okay, yeah, I’ll admit it. I do like the sparkle and glitter of the holiday, in small doses. One of my favorite memories was a gift my grandmother gave me – my very own tree. It was a small, maybe 2-foot, silver artificial tree with pink and silver glass balls. It was the only thing in my life that I can ever remember liking that was pink. I spent hours decorating that tree, putting the balls on, then taking them off to do it again. But I was like, 6 years old, okay? She was a salesperson at a local department store and I actually think the tree was one of their decos that they gave away to employees.

The other cool thing that my mom did, was no Dec 25th madness. We kids each got one gift to show our friends. Then, she combined thrift with an opportunity to teach us kids about delayed gratification, we went for a shopping spree all day Dec 26th, including lunch out. She showed us how we could get more toys for the same budget if we waited for sales, and avoided the frantic shopping scene in favor of creating a new personal tradition for our family.

But the whole US economic downturn/consumer culture’s got me thinking. I read on one blog that the author was cutting back this year, partly in response to tight finances, but also using the crisis as an opportunity to recalibrate and scale back their family’s overspending. She said she was working to teach her kids the difference between a want and a need. This author actually got a comment that she was being unpatriotic, that she owed it to our society to spend all you could to stimulate us out of our economic crisis!!!

It feels awfully, awfully like being on a treadmill. Our economy is some 70% consumer driven, what does that mean? Can it really mean that most of what we make is something we don't really need and can live without? Can it really be that the only way we can make jobs is to give in to manufacturers encouraging us to buy more than we need or can afford?

But if we don’t shop, they tell us, there will be layoffs. Toymakers and auto workers and department store clerks will lose their jobs. Gee, what if instead of laying some peole off and others keeping 100% of their jobs, what if we all work a few less hours, earn a little less money, buy fewer wants but still all our needs, and spend the newly gained time thinking, or socializing, or creating, or appreciating? That might be the biggest “small Christmas” ever.