It’s hard to buy normal things for the household at this time. There are queues and queues of people and lines and lines of traffic. Time and parking spaces are scarce and everyone seems frustrated to some degree.
I’m now at a point where I don’t buy it.
The whole seasonal thing. I’ve always been one to ask why we do things and often that takes me in the opposite direction so I’m not clear why we do what we do at this time of year.
If people choose to celebrate because of their beliefs I totally respect that. But I’m not sure that what I witness on the high street has anything to do with faith of belief.
Then all I see is waste. Wasted food, wasted time, discarded wrapping paper, emotional frustration wasted on effort to do our best which often leads to failure. Wasted money.
And.
Stuff.
Stuff we don’t want, stuff we don’t need, excess and wasteful ness most if which makes me feel sad and disappointed. Yet people think I’m a character from Dickens and that I’m being miserable for not conforming.
I also find difficult the tendency that I encounter where people don’t respect what I believe about this time of year. It’s not miserable of me to dislike it. I’m an individual and I don’t enjoy the processes that other people do.
I try to do more for charity. Christmas cards from good causes. Spend time making a shoe box for a child that will benefit in another land. Enjoy the fresh air, friendship, family and open spaces.
I make things and recycle things. I donate.
Keep it simple and only do things that are relevant to me. Keeping the waste down.
I took this photo of Christmas rubbish a year ago.
Plantbased Health Coach & Recipe Creator
a blog by a multilingual lifelong expat/international, linguist, researcher, speaker, mother of three, living in the Netherlands and writing about raising children with multiple languages, multiculturalism, parenting abroad, international life...
The planet is our home; we need to be more responsible. Here's what I do.
Ugh, totally agree. Nobody I know actually NEEDS anything but I’m sure under our tree will be full of stuff. And enough food to feed an army for a month.
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It’s so frustrating. I just wish ‘stuff’ didn’t take over all the time.
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Stuff for the sake of stuff as well. Wish my family would just do away with it. It just puts pressure on everyone and people end up oohing and aahing over things they never even wanted. And then it’s all over in five minutes and you’re left with a pile of stuff and wrappings and TOO much food.
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Yep. Dismal.
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Hear hear! Thankfully we are away from all of it, we shopped last week for the few things we needed and whilst we celebrate the time of year the only waste will be empty bottle, and even they are returnable 🙂 Happy The Days are Getting Longer!
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I’m with you and Eddy Winko on this one. Some years ago my Mum said “this is stupid. Let’s just have an ordinary meal and token presents for no more than £10” It takes all the stress out of it and we don’t go near the shops this week if we can avoid it. We’ll drive to see her on Christmas morning – it’s quite a long drive, but the roads will be clear because most people are inside getting fat and drunk. Bah Humbug!
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Yeah! Sounds ideal to me!
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I totally agree.
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Tootsie, Liz!
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I meant ‘too true’! Not sure where the ‘tootsie’ came from lol.
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