November 25, 2004
The Christmas Present
Over on From the Morgue M talks about how Christmas is a big deal in our cultural life. My family really gets into Christmas. It started when we were kids, with the hugest Christmas stockings. My mum made them herself and embroidered our names on them. They were the stockings of one seriously obese person with 5 legs. And for years Santa filled these up. Christmas morning became a contest of who could wake up first to rifle through the stockings. The first one up would wake up the others and we would all compare what we got in our stockings, even if was three in the morning. Then we’d go back to sleep for another few hours before getting up and riffling through them all over again.
If Christmas was at our house, we’d go to early morning mass (at 8am!). The family rule was that there were no presents exchanged before mass. So we’d hurry home after mass to exchange family presents; and with a decent sized family that’s one not insignificant amount of gifts (and wrapping).
Before sitting down to a big family lunch with the extended family, it would be time to exchange gifts with the extended rellies. This is where the perfect manners really kick in, because the extended rellies don’t always get presents right (especially grandma).
We don’t do the stocking thing anymore. However, we do still do the rest of the presents. Exchanging Christmas presents can be superb. It’s cool when you know you’ve got something for someone that they’re really going to love. And it’s fab when you get a present that is just fantastic. But, lately I’ve been really questioning the way my family (and many other families) spends Christmas. We spend so much money on thing we don’t really need, we wrap them up in copious amounts of wrapping and packaging. We spend hours in sterile shopping malls, standing in queues, stressing about how much we still have to do, how much we’ve put on our credit card and whether we’ve bought things that people will actually like.
There are better ways to spend Christmas. We could do things like:
- Making Christmas presents instead of buying them (this could also be most amusing, considering most of us lack any kind of artistic ability)
- Only buying presents from fair-trade shops
- Only exchanging presents that are second-hand or pre-loved
- Doing things for each other instead of buying presents (like I could spend a weekend doing my sister’s garden).
But, most of these alternatives still involve exchanging presents. And why do we need to exchange Christmas presents? Because I’d feel guilty accepting a present from them without giving one in return, and they’d be disappointed not to get a present from me?
Do we really need anymore stuff, even if it is from a trade-aid shop or second hand? Don’t we all have enough stuff, regardless of where it’s from? Let’s face it, no one in my family is poor. None of us really need any more stuff
I am frickin rich.
The second way to do it is to move towards a ‘give to people who need it more than we do’ Christmas. There are heaps of ways to do this, like:
- Using the Oxfam site to buy goats and chickens etc for people who need stuff way more than we do. And it’s useful stuff too.
oxfam Unwrapped - Pick a family member each and choose a charity that you think they’d support. Make a donation to it in their name.
- Put all your money together that you would have spent on Christmas presents and sponsor a child (or 2, or 3) for the year.
- Give the money to a local charity that works with families in poverty
- Send the money to someone you know someone working overseas in a developing country.
The important thing is that this is not a way to be a cheapskate. The idea is that you donate as much as you would have spent on Christmas presents (assuming that doesn’t put you into debt). It’s about finding a balance between running-up credit card debt and re-distributing your wealth so that some of it reaches people who are in poverty.
I think the way my family currently celebrates Christmas involves a circle of obligation, excess and waste. However, I don’t think this circle is unbreakable.
Far from it. It’s just that it needs to be broken in the right way and replaced with something that’s not going to evolve into another cycle of obligation, excess and waste. This year I think every family should devote some of Christmas day to agreeing how future Christmas’ are going to be spent. It’s worth remembering that changes don’t need to happen all at once, especially for those of us that have family members who would resist any change. It can be a process of incremental change, perhaps starting with each person buying a present for just one other person, before moving on to not buying presents for anyone.
These places can give you some more inspiration:
Adbusters
Buy Nothing Christmas
Simple Living
Posted by Cal at 11:30 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack (0)
November 21, 2004
The War on Drugs
The Independent reports that 'Blair makes war on drugs the election battleground'.
Apparently this 'war on drugs' is going to involve new legislations to compulsorily test those arrested for minor crimes, and Police will be allowed to prosecute people for possession even if the only drugs found on them are in the bloodstream. Councils will be able to evict tenants who allow their properties to be used for even casual drug use.
This new 'war on drugs' is part of Blair signalling to the country that he's not soft on crime. I fear that this new war on drugs is just going to end up like his war on terror, because it’s based on a fatally flawed premise.
All of Tony’s proposals seemed to be aimed at the wrong people. He’s targeting people who use drugs, rather than the people who create and supply drugs.
I’m can see how drug propagation and distribution is a criminal justice issue, but drug use is a social issue that tends to have its greatest impact on the health of individuals.
- Where are the plans to limit the suppply of drugs
- Where are the plans to limit the demand for drugs, and
- Where are the plans to limit the problems that result from drug use?
If Tony really wants to do something about the use of drugs, he needs to look at the social and health factors. Why do people take drugs? Is drug-taking actually a problem if you never break any other laws while under the influence of an illicit drug? What treatment is available for people who want help to reduce their drug-taking? If you evict someone from their council house for smoking pot, how is that going to do anything to reduce that person’s use of drugs? How will being able to prosecute someone for having taken drugs encourage people to approach health and treatment services for help if they need it?
Prosecuting people for possession even if the only drugs found on them are in the bloodstream, smacks of a moral judgement about people who take drugs rather than a judgement based on justice or health grounds. I fear Tony’s new war is just another example of him embarking on a moral crusade to crack down on ‘evil-doing’.
Posted by Cal at 08:45 PM | Comments (8) | TrackBack (0)
Good mates are fricking cool
When I was 19 I moved into a flat with a bunch of guys and girls. These people became my nexus for some of the most important periods of my life. We did a lot of our growing up together. For 'growing up' read copious amounts of alcohol, drugs, crazy parties, bounced cheques, dodgey food and 'Top Gun'. I can't imagine having a better year as a 19 year old. And a 20 year old. And a 21 year old. You get the picture....
At some point though, I decided I needed to go and do my own thing, and I needed to do it without this gang. Over the past 4-5 years I haven't seen much of them. Apparently, I became an 'elusive mystery monkey'.
This weekend, we hooked up in Amsterdam and it was wow. I always think of these guys as they were as 19 year olds and this weekend I got to know them again, but as 28 year olds. They are the nicest, most genuine and sincere guys and I'm so stoked that we're still mates. I also realised this weekend how much these guys looked out for me when we were crazy kids; I don't think I really saw it at the time.
So, here's to good mates, who have seen you at your very worst and who let you see them at their very worst and who will always be around whether you live close to them or not. I looked forward to knowing them at 38.
Posted by Cal at 01:33 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)