Shopaholism?!

Some claim that the more we buy presents, the more we feel guilty of the time unspent with the ones we care. This was suddenly true with Lucas. He felt that during the past year he had been selfish and focused on himself, rather then on his family and friends. And this was influencing his behavior in shop now. He was looking around and thought that one present was not enough for his daughter and son, his children deserve more. Therefore he returned back to get one more, as all the others were buying so many presents too.

Lucas returned back home with bags full of shiny presents and extra plastic bags from all the lovely shops. His wife commented his bags with saying - "I hope you left something for the others too". Lucas stopped and felt ashamed - he had been lured to buy things, shopaholism had attacked him. In the midst of changing his thinking and behavior, he faced a setback. Lucas thought that the sustainable thinking would have been rooted in himself already, but this was not true.

If we are not careful, anyone of us, can be lured to buying unnecessary gifts in unrecyclable packages. Being sustainable requires more thinking and listening to the real needs. It is easy to be lured. In the end, our sustainability is measured at the counter...

Green consumption

This year I have been very conscious about my own impact on climate change and overconsumption. Luckily I am not the only one as some toy companies have woken up and changed their package designs, more immaterial gifts are available and many people have decided to give only things that are truly needed. All this is not what the market would need to get the economy improving, but this is what we - people - need and the future needs. Good for us!

I have been lucky to avoid all the running around shops in panic, as I have planned my Christmas well in time. All of the presents have been bought or done by myself with a clear thought behind of them. The meals are prepared together well in time with local products. Even the decorations and wrappings are done from recycled materials. My Christmas feeling is peaceful and happy as I have had the joy of enjoying the longer planning needed for sustainable Christmas. Sustainability needs more thinking but is in the end also more rewarding.

It is surprisingly few people that really think about what is essential in this holiday season. Going back to my earlier Blogs I like to add a waking short video to my favorites. Have a look at 1.5 to Stay Alive
maybe it will bring the meaning of Christmas into a totally different light. Rewarding Christmas to all!