Dass Weihnachten seit langem zu einem primär auf Schenken und Konsum ausgerichtetes Fest geworden ist, bei dem es primär darum geht, viel Geld in die Läden zu tragen, um oft nutzlosen Kram zu kaufen und anschließend auf den Gabentisch zu legen, ist ja nun keine neue Erkenntnis – schon Loriot wusste dies in seiner legendären Weihnachtsfolge treffend darzustellen.
Und so wundert es auch nicht, dass es analog zum Buy Nothing Day [1] inzwischen auch eine Aktion gibt, die sich Buy Nothing Christmas [2] nennt und dazu animieren will, das Konsumniveau und die Schenkorgien zurückzufahren und Alternativen anbietet [3]:
This Christmas we’ll be swamped with offers, ads and invitations to buy more stuff. But now there’s a way to say enough and join a movement dedicated to reviving the original meaning of Christmas giving.
Buy Nothing Christmas is a national initiative started by Canadian Mennonites but open to everyone with a thirst for change and a desire for action.
Buy Nothing Christmas is a stress-reliever, and more people need to hear about it. You can change your world by simply putting up one of the posters (or make your own) in your church, place of worship, home or work. Be sneaky about it if you have to. The point is to get people thinking. It’s an idea whose time has come, so get out there and make a difference!
Ins gleiche Horn stößt auch die Christmas Resistance-Bewegung, die vor allem die kommerzialisierte Form der Festivitäten aufs Korn nimmt:
You know holiday shopping is offensive and wasteful. You know Christmas “wish lists” and “gift exchanges” degrade the concept of giving. You know Christmas marketing is a scam, benefiting manufacturers, stores, and huge corporations, while driving individuals into debt. You know this annual consumer frenzy wreaks havoc on the environment, filling landfills with useless packaging and discarded gifts.Yet, every year, you cave in and go shopping.
The relentless onslaught of advertising exerts constant pressure. So do the unified bleatings of herds of shoppers, who call you “Scrooge” if you fail to enthusiastically join their ritual orgy of consumption. Friends and family needle you with gift requests, store windows beckon with shiny colorful packages, the same “classic” holiday jingles are piped constantly through every speaker in town.
How can you resist?
Join the Christmas Resistance Movement!
The growing CHRISTMAS RESISTANCE MOVEMENT is joined in solidarity against the Shopping Season. For every 100 automatons who call you “Scrooge,” there’s a sparkly-eyed CHRISTMAS RESISTOR who supports YOU in NOT BUYING INTO THE HOLIDAY HYSTERIA.
Together, we boycott Christmas Shopping, Christmas decorations, Christmas cards, and every variety of Christmas Crap. We refuse to support the Holiday Industry. We show our love for friends and family by giving our time and care, not by purchasing consumer goods. We maintain the integrity of giving by giving spontaneously and from our hearts, rather than during a specified season.
You are not alone. Together, we can RESIST CHRISTMAS!