Christmas shopping, the minimalist way

Christmas presents piled underneath a christmas tree.

It’s that time of year again. Where we get to see humanity at its best……and worst. We see people shower family and friends with joy, love, and gifts. But we also see people crowd the stores for the best deals on merchandise. They push, elbow, yell at, and occasionally get physically confrontational with strangers for the sake of acquiring merch for their loved ones. We see them wait on line for hours for the latest tech. All this pain and suffering for the sake of more “stuff”.

To make this Christmas better, let us first remember that it is “people” who are important not “things”. We may all be strangers to each other, but under God we are all bothers and sisters. We should be thinking of each other that way, and therefore treating each other that way.

Second, let us remember that life is all about people and experiences. With that in mind, give the gift of experiences to your loved ones. That is, give them the gift of activities they might enjoy. Perhaps even something they have never done before.

Need some ideas. Here are some:

  • A dinner date
  • A Swedish massage at the local spa (my fave)
  • A night on the town
  • A movie
  • A wine tasting tour
  • A Theater show (Broadway, or off-Broadway)
  • Seats at a sporting event
  • Concert tickets
  • Casino trip (I don’t condone gambling……but just saying)
  • A sporting experience (white water rafting, kayaking, hiking, water skiing, sailing, tubing, bicycle touring, sky diving, etc)
  • A vacation

Let me also add, that if we are going out to shop, be cautious. It’s “The Wild West” out there during this season. Also, shop local; support your local small businesses. The least we can do is make sure the enormous amounts of money we spend for Christmas go toward stimulating our local economy, which in the end, goes right back to us.