December Thoughts

When I was younger, little brought me more joy than the holiday season. I loved the time off from school, time with family, and the piles of gifts under the Christmas tree. Now, at the beginning of December, the most festive thing I have done is gone to see Last Christmas and spend a couple of nights at Christmas fairs. Christmas, at this moment, doesn’t hold the same allure that it once did.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m counting down the days before I get to go home and see friends and family, but I am beginning to dread, of all the things, the gifts. I have spent a lot of time recently learning about sustainability and how I, as an individual, can be more eco-conscious and the idea of receiving gifts I don’t like or have no intention of using is becoming a stressor I never expected to have in my life. I already have a larger than average carbon footprint (5 long haul and 6 flights under 4 hours in the past year have large contributions to this footprint), and receiving things I will not use is incredibly wasteful. I have no real need for new clothes (which generally are at the top of my Christmas list) and, as a student abroad, small gifts I would have to transport to the UK and back again just seems unnecessary. In fact, other than books, there’s nothing I really desire. But after the fiasco of transporting magazines and books back from Italy earlier this year, even those don’t seem like a worthy investment until I settle officially in one place.

Ultimately the only present I really want this year is the presence of people I care about. I still do a great deal of window shopping and online browsing, but I find it increasingly difficult to validate any purchases (especially clothing) until I personally can afford to buy products that don’t contribute to human rights and environmental health violations. I feel a much larger weight on my shoulders this holiday season as the issue of climate change continues to be highlighted in the media and this, I am sure, is the biggest contributing factor to my changing feelings this holiday season.

So now I ask you to think about what you really want this year. Think about what others want and what they would make use of. Make this holiday season about the joy of being together and taking care of each other and the essentials of living rather than gifts that won’t be in use this time next year. Be thoughtful with your gifts, and tell others what it is you will really make use of.