Christmas Materialism

I totally feel this way too... there are so many people I could send it to - including my very own beloved and somewhat spoiled (compared to me of course! ;~) daughter - its a constant struggle! I miss not being able buy what I want to buy as gifts,.... but then I don't want them sitting in a corner, never used, either. I just do not "feel the love" with Gift Cards. Receiving is OK depending on how "close" I am to that person, but I don't feel as good giving them either. I love love love Cary Tenis - a philosophic advice columnist I've been reading for years on Salon.com . He puts in a very good word for the kids' POV:

Where, I ask you, are they supposed to find the values that you are talking about? Sure, parents can try to teach them these things. But kids look at their parents, and then they look at the world, and they go, What the fuck? They see the toys spewing out of the world's vast maws of plastic-mold technology, they see the microchips doubling in speed and know that in a year they will be faster and faster still, and tinier and tinier still, and more feature-rich too. They see the new dresses and the new videos, and they know they'll be changing faster than they can change their own clothes. And then they look at their parents, who seem to be moving in black-and-white slo-mo. How can they feel anything but pity and scorn? How can they have any confidence that their parents will even survive the acceleration? In fact it must frighten them that their parents seem so ill-adapted to the world that parents themselves have created.

And then we come along and we say, "I'm knitting you a sweater and I want you to be grateful for it." And they think, Are you out of your head? Are you nuts? Do you have any idea what's going on in the world?
This sentence is particularly funny because I actually DID crochet C. a black scarf several years ago. It was crazy lopsided, completely uneven. It was made from 100% Alpaca yarn though ( from my friends Lisa & Miguel's company) and it was made with LOVE. I don't think he wears it though. When he wore it working outside he would have a black ring of fibers around his neck if it was wet or cold outside. Truly- its the thought that counted in this particular case! ;~)

on this topic... This article was in the Trib today too. "What would Jesus Buy?" The movie is coming out this week. (From the same guy who made "Super Size me").
Among some regular retail outlets and online ( I'll have to do something for J and my neices & nephew) - these are two places I'll also be shopping this year:
Heifer and Project Peanut Butter