On the other hand, Occupy Christmas

The whole Occupy movement has started to occupy everything so that they occupy nothing, and the holidays are not spared. The Canadian magazine Adbusters, credited for releasing the first spore that became the viral OWS meme, has been advocating “Buy Nothing Day” for the past two decades, a response to the obscene consumerism of Black Friday in the United States. However, the idea of boycotting holiday gift shopping is touching a nerve now because of the global recession. The past few years it has been acceptable, if not chic, to recycle presents — as long as nobody found out. Secret Santas and Kris Kringle office exchanges are usually the repository for one’s unwanted goods, and this is obvious because you wouldn’t really spend P500 on a desk calendar (that is, in the age of desktop calendars). Bad, useless Christmas presents make up a multi-billion dollar industry each year, and the regifting of them does not reduce the waste.

There is always another way, however: Just opt out of the whole loop. Small pockets of society have sprung up asking friends to not give gifts at all, and indeed take back the meaning of Christmas (you know, peace, love and Jesus). We do not suggest you go that far and actually buy nothing (see YStyle Gift Guide), but let’s try to put a little more thought into gift-giving this year. The best thing you can do is to buy local, even handmade, from independent artists, designers, crafters and bakers who are guaranteed to make unique items with a lot of heart. One of my more memorable Christmases was one where my roommate and I threw a party and required that everyone make their own exchange presents. Out of an old tie I made an iPod sleeve — and called it a TiePod — while my roommate drew a piece of art. Giving became a creative challenge of self-expression, not how much you could spend at the mall (also, I was living in Brooklyn at the time, so crafty things were all the rage).

Whether you like it or not, you’re going to be receiving a fair amount of junk this Christmas. Now do you perpetuate the cycle of recycling crap presents? Is your bodega already filled to the brim with these ugly things, on the ready for the next occasion? Nip it in the bud. It’s difficult, and even hella rude, but you can just say no.