I should confess right up front that I am definitely, absolutely, positively 100% in the ‘Out’ camp. (Yes, I am a Scrooge.) My kids get plenty during the course of the year. We don’t really celebrate Christmas, and Chanukah is also really de-gift-emphasized. And, finally – I am lazy. After years of scrounging for just the right gift, scrambling to create festive occasions, well — I decided to opt out a few years ago, and haven’t ever regretted the decision.
I’m not totally anti-consumer, though. While I’ve cocked an eye at the Fred Meyer early-morning sock sale (I do love me some bargains) and don’t much mind crazy deals on electronics from the brand name stores, if I’m going to buy something — I’m going to buy local.
Which explains why this avowed “don’t leave the house on Black Friday” will be venturing out at some point to New Seasons to get the turkey she wants to roast (to make up for the carcass she doesn’t get when she’s a guest at someone else’s house.) I’ll be grabbing my coupons for next week’s Choose Local event while I’m at it. (Choose local starts November 29th and runs through December 7th.) And then, I’ll be dropping by MacForce.
See, they’re having a Black Friday Garage Sale. My daughter’s old G3 laptop has been acting up; it’s time to see if it can be fixed, or if I need to consider a replacement. If I have to spring for something else? I’ll check out MacForce. Or FreeGeek. Or Craigslist.
What shopping choices are you making this holiday season? Are they influenced by the sour economic climate? Do you make conscious choices about where you’re buying from? Or is this the kickoff to some well-deserved rewards for having survived the year thus far?
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Even though my pocketbook needs all the help it can get this year, economic constraints Still can’t get me out in the madhouse of Black Friday! With panic/anxiety disorder to deal with, I’d probably just end up getting arrested anyway, lol!
Hopefully, the coupon books for next week’s Choose Local event will be available at the New Seasons in Hillsboro. With as little money as I have to spend on the holidays this year, I’d still rather buy local. And failing that, buy fair trade. Not having a decent budget is really no excuse for spending what I do have unwisely or in ways that hurt our local economy or the planet in general. As long as I have anything available beyond a mere survival level, I need to do more than simply hunt the biggest bargains.
I’ll only be purchasing one gift a piece for the other four in my family, and then gifting something handmade by me in addition to that. I want to be sure that the gifts that I buy are of value, not only as gifts for my family, but as gifts for our local economy as well.
Cynthia
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I’ve only done the Black Friday early-AM craziness once, a few years ago, to obtain a monitor and a hard drive. I’ll be hitting up Costco in the next couple of days since they have a 3-day coupon for something I need, but other than that it’s just another day for me.
Everything I buy this year, except for my kid’s legos is going to be local and handmade. We are lucky to live in Portland with so many artists and artisans!
I’ve never done the before the crack of dawn shopping outings post-Thanksgiving and don’t intend to ever do them.
Whether it’s music, chocolates, handbags or other items, most of the gifts my friends and family will receive from me will be from local artists/artisans. I’ll probably have most of my items bought before mid-December, but I’m definitely looking forward to Crafty Wonderland’s Holiday Sale at the Convention Center on 12/14 for some last-minute items. (I always forget someone regardless of having an organized list.)
Buy Nothing Day all the way!
You might have heard somewhere that I did not shop.
Thanks for posting the Choose Local link — I knew there was probably something like that going on, but didn’t have the info.
Well, we’re guilty. We bought some bread for post t-day sandwiches and then some flour and sugar for “left-over veggie meat pie” that will be made tomorrow.
oh, and some beers!
To those upset ’cause they bought stuff like bread or groceries – I don’t think that’s the issue, is it? I know I was thinking about it as a ‘go bezerk buying stuff for the Christmas holidays’ occasion.
(I know others look at it as a change to save money buying what they’d normally already buy, but I’m betting retailers will be coughing up tons of discounts this holiday season to lure you out of your cash…)
I never do the day after Thanksgiving thing, but I do remember a Christmas in the late 70s when the economy was tanking. The stores kept dropping their prices every day during December, trying to get shoppers to part with their money. I had a decent job, was single, didn’t spend much money on rent and had some bucks to spend. I ended up buying my mom nine gifts (all substantial pieces of clothing and jewelry) for something like $150 total. I was getting $50 sweaters for 10 bucks. It was insane.
My mom had been a single mom for the previous 10 years or so and had struggled with making ends meet for two younger kids. She never bought anything for herself. But she loved Christmas and usually went overboard with gifts.
Well, when faced with over a dozen gifts for HER, she burst into tears. She said she had never gotten that many gifts at one time in her life.
Now, obviously Christmas is not about the number of gifts you get but it was a pleasure to see her so easily pleased for an amount that seemed — even then — not outlandish. And I couldn’t have done it without the great deals that year.
I love the idea of Choose Local week, and would love to support it… if the coupon books are readily available as they’re supposed to be. I just stopped by New Seasons (on Division) and not only did they not have the books, but the person at the Solutions Desk (where the books are supposed to be kept) didn’t seem to know what I was talking about. Sad.
I grew up in a family that was all about local/handmade crafted gifts, but married into a family that’s the opposite. I tried adding homemade to the mix at their house one year and got blasted for it. This year, I’m working on a strategy to avoid the consumer-crazy in-laws altogether.
A.L. – thanks for the mention re: Crafty Wonderland! Will be searching for info online.
And MizD – when my kids were small and we were super poor, I used to hit the 50% off sale at Value Village. I’d buy things that could be re-purposed into gifts. An old wooden gameboard sanded down and turned into a handpainted checker board; a doll hutch turned into a jewelry box; sweaters turned into hats, scarves and mittens, etc. Teacups turned into candles; canning jars used for layered cookie, brownie and soup mixes…
Once my finances improved a bit, we still continued giving each other at least one handmade gift each year. It’s become a family tradition. And for my extended family, some of whom are dedicated consumerists, handmade gifts are the only ones they’ve gotten from us. My nieces and nephews still talk about their gifts – and my kids who are now 18 and 20 still have the majority of things that I made for them. Some of those things are now 15 years old, lol!
Holiday blessings to all of you!
@Cynthia – Here’s the Crafty Wonderland site. They typically hold an event the second Sunday of the month at the Doug Fir, save for their big holiday event, which has 125 vendors signed up.
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