So it’s almost Thanksgiving here in the U.S., my most favorite of holidays for reasons like snuggliness and hugs and warm sweaters. Tomorrow I head to the Georgia coast, which means a few extra special things like late night talks with my grandfather when everyone’s asleep, knitting with my grandmother, long solo walks on the quiet beach, watching the sea for the dolphins that always come at dawn and dusk.
And if I’m extra lucky, it also means spending an hour or two walking around and taking photos of the Southern gothic beauty of the Christ Church grounds and hearing all the family stories I never tire of even though I know them by heart.
After all the food has been eaten and the football watched and the whiskey consumed and the naps had on Thursday, it will be Black Friday. There are many sites online with coupons for the shopping day to end all shopping days like here and here. Many sites that help you with your day after Thanksgiving bring-on-the-holidays spendiness.
But what about actually celebrating Buy Nothing Day instead? Not just participating in the no spending activities, but actually enjoying the day itself? What about taking a day to enjoy all the things around you that don’t cost money?
How many more shirts do you really need? In this world where we are lucky enough to be able to drive to the store down the street and choose between 30 different brands of peanut butter, why spend a day off fighting just to consume more? You could be listening to old family stories again, remembering them for when you’ll be the only one to recite them, or curling up on the couch with an old blanket and your favorite book.
What about choosing not to buy new new new, and enjoying the tiny wonderful things that are on offer nearby, at arm’s length, and for free instead? What about daring to enjoy what’s in front of you instead trying to replace it for a new shiny moment? What about daring to be okay with what you have instead of looking for more? These tiny notions of rebellion and resistance are where life is to be enjoyed, honored and fully lived.
