I've gotta be honest, I've never been a fan of the commercial side of the Holiday Season. Christmas, Hanukkah, it doesn't matter, I hate them all equally. I'm not a fan of shopping, crowds, shopping in crowds...you get the picture. Compounding this is my hatred of trends, fashion, must-haves, marketing, people being sheep...
That's the big one right there. And if ever there were a year to separate yourself from the herd this is it. With all that's going on in the world; the occupy movement, class warfare, evil corporations, however you want to put it - do you want to fund that? Stop and really think about where your money is going. Do you want them to have it? Do they really need that multi-million dollar bonus?
Heck, keep thinking. Was it made in America? Is the company in America? Do they take care of their employees? Do the employees have health insurance or are they scheduled for 34 hours a week so they're not full-time?
Oh yeah, baby, I'm asking you to be uber-socially-aware this Holiday Season. I'm asking you to give up the commercialism and instead take up some homemade activism. Make shit. Make cookies, cakes, ornaments, greeting cards, wrapping paper, gifts. Buy only homemade, handmade, homegrown gifts. Make Etsy your friggin' homepage if you have to. You got me?
Here are a couple of links -
Handmade natural soap by Olive & Oud
Awesome jewlery from The Bitchy Waiter
And you can always visit the band page and buy some local music \m/
Rock on! I'll keep bugging you about this. I promise :)
-HH
Showing posts with label Holidays. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Holidays. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 30, 2010 Deck The Halls With Lots-O-Nothin'
My friend Linda came today and took a big box of Christmas decorations off my hands. Why, you ask? Because I'm not Christian and I don't want to celebrate Christmas anymore.
As a child I celebrated Christmas. You know, the whole "Santa Claus has nothing to do with the birth of that other guy" thing. I'm not saying it's a secular holiday...I'm typing it. At least that's what it was to me growing up. We weren't celebrating anyone's birth, we were celebrating the big fat guy coming down the chimney and leaving us gifts.
When I moved out to live with my then-boyfriend now-husband we didn't put up a tree or anything. He was a firefighter at the time and he'd always work on Christmas. My mom and I would go to my brothers and...celebrate Christmas. Even though he didn't have a chimney, it was obvious there was no Santa and we weren't celebrating anyone's birth. But...whatever.
Then, for a number of years, I was lucky enough to be involved in a Christmas show at The Spinning Wheel Inn in Redding, CT. I stage managed for a few years and was in the show for a few more - so Christmas became a big part of my life from October until the New Year. I'd go out for the tree, the gifts, the whole sha-bang. Even though, like I said, I wasn't celebrating anyone's birth.
During those years we hosted a few Christmas parties, and they were headbanging indeed. And if you take any advice from me this holiday season let this be it.
Make shit.
Ain't nothing like a homemade gift, I say. And these parties had homemade at the heart - homemade ornaments, to be exact.
I'd cover the table with newspaper, provide glue, glitter, pipe cleaners, felt, straws, corks, beads, sequins - you got the idea. And we'd all get trashed and make the best fucking ornaments you'll ever see. One year I had a giant penis atop my tree adorned with Satan Santas and spider Santas and Sam Adams Santas. Fantastic!
Ain't nothin' like seeing adults fight over glitter.
Some folks were more creative than others, some afraid to even try. But everyone would eventually find their way over to the table to make an ornament and, no matter what the friggin' thing ended up lookin' like, I was always thrilled to put it on my tree.
So, when I was packing it all up to give it to Linda, I put aside all the homemade ornaments and kept them. Why? Because I won't be putting them on a tree. I saved them all because I don't have the heart to give them away. Our friends made them for us - and even though I've given up the holiday - I'm keeping my friends.
And that's what it's all about.
Bang on, my peeps!
-HH
As a child I celebrated Christmas. You know, the whole "Santa Claus has nothing to do with the birth of that other guy" thing. I'm not saying it's a secular holiday...I'm typing it. At least that's what it was to me growing up. We weren't celebrating anyone's birth, we were celebrating the big fat guy coming down the chimney and leaving us gifts.
When I moved out to live with my then-boyfriend now-husband we didn't put up a tree or anything. He was a firefighter at the time and he'd always work on Christmas. My mom and I would go to my brothers and...celebrate Christmas. Even though he didn't have a chimney, it was obvious there was no Santa and we weren't celebrating anyone's birth. But...whatever.
Then, for a number of years, I was lucky enough to be involved in a Christmas show at The Spinning Wheel Inn in Redding, CT. I stage managed for a few years and was in the show for a few more - so Christmas became a big part of my life from October until the New Year. I'd go out for the tree, the gifts, the whole sha-bang. Even though, like I said, I wasn't celebrating anyone's birth.
During those years we hosted a few Christmas parties, and they were headbanging indeed. And if you take any advice from me this holiday season let this be it.
Make shit.
Ain't nothing like a homemade gift, I say. And these parties had homemade at the heart - homemade ornaments, to be exact.
I'd cover the table with newspaper, provide glue, glitter, pipe cleaners, felt, straws, corks, beads, sequins - you got the idea. And we'd all get trashed and make the best fucking ornaments you'll ever see. One year I had a giant penis atop my tree adorned with Satan Santas and spider Santas and Sam Adams Santas. Fantastic!
Ain't nothin' like seeing adults fight over glitter.
Some folks were more creative than others, some afraid to even try. But everyone would eventually find their way over to the table to make an ornament and, no matter what the friggin' thing ended up lookin' like, I was always thrilled to put it on my tree.
So, when I was packing it all up to give it to Linda, I put aside all the homemade ornaments and kept them. Why? Because I won't be putting them on a tree. I saved them all because I don't have the heart to give them away. Our friends made them for us - and even though I've given up the holiday - I'm keeping my friends.
And that's what it's all about.
Bang on, my peeps!
-HH
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