'Tis The Season...For Less, Not More

The flurry of advertising on TV and in the last vestiges of newspapers around the country is amazing this time of year. Who knew there was still so much appetite for stuff? Well, I guess the advertisers knew (or hoped), but still, it was surprising. I guess Americans are a bit like drug addicts when it comes to buying stuff...and now that we've had a forced "dry spell" due to abysmal economic conditions, well, we're ready to get back to 'normal'....but wait, what IS the new normal these days anyway?

I was recently in Florida helping my mother move to Arizona. She's essentially trading hot and humid for hot and dry - so it's not a big change from that perspective. But she is also paring down and going from a 2 bedroom apartment to a 1 bedroom apartment. The process of helping her go through her belongings and decide what to keep, what to give away, what to recycle and what to simply toss was a very eye-opening experience. For every drawer and closet door we opened, I imagined a similar drawer or door at my own house...and I thought about how much stuff I've accumulated over the years. I'm not a major shopper, but I still have more stuff than I need or can use.

As we were sorting through my mother's things, I said "Hey, Alex would probably really like to have this," or "If you don't want this, I wonder if Leslie would like to have this." It reminded me that re-gifting can actually be a wonderful thing - making use of items we no longer want. It's not actually re-gifting, I guess, since it belongs to someone who is giving it away - so it's perhaps the 'new' gifting?

We sorted and made piles - one pile of things was headed to a woman who was sending clothing to Haiti; another to my niece who appreciates nice scarves and interesting earrings; another pile to be given as gifts during the holidays - framed family pictures my mother was ready to hand on to the next generation. Some items were set aside as lovely gifts for family members - not with the intention of pretending they were new, but just new to them. Think of it as recycling and reuse rather than re-gifting - the new green holiday tradition!

For me it was also a good reminder that this time of year really shouldn't be about the stuff, but about the relationships in our lives we hold dear. In our family this year, we're forgoing all but small gift giving and instead spending time together.

And, for those of you who have family situations that are more challenging than you can handle this time of year, volunteer for a day at an assisted living facility or a food bank or a shelter. Give of your time and you have given a priceless gift.

This holiday season, share the love.

Happy Holidays from all of us at shopOrganic.com.