The second time I took the 'Four Kinds of Christmas' quiz on www.fourkindsofchristmas.com I came out as 'Shopper'. I was a bit alarmed, as I sometimes like to think of myself as above all that material stuff. But whenever anyone compliments me on an outfit I tend to launch into a tale of where I bought it and how much of a discount I got (thus justifying the purchase), or who bought it for me (thus exonerating myself)... So, yes, I am pretty enthusiastic about shopping. This is not something of which I am proud.
It's a commonplace to say that Christmas is 'too commercialised'. It's hard for me to conceive of Christmas without Christmas shopping. The adverts start in October and bombard us non-stop for many weeks. We make lists: decide who needs a gift, who should receive a card, and how much it will all cost. The shops become steadily more crowded and the consumer frenzy sets in. I have to say, although this all sounds like hard work, I really love it. I love spending hours thinking about the kind of present someone might like; surfing the web for ideas; spending whole evenings on Pinterest. I'm disappointed when the Christmas shopping is over. Having said that, I could have done without the 6.55pm dash of shame to Tesco just as it was closing last Christmas Eve because I'd forgotten a few crucial gifts. I was literally running full-pelt down the chocolate aisle throwing random items into my basket just as the announcer declared: "The store is now closing. Please make your way to the checkouts..." Never again.
There are things we can do to kick against the consumer frenzy, of course. We can send someone in the two-thirds world a goat, or school supplies, or clean water, through charities such as Oxfam, in exchange for a card we give to a friend. This makes us and them feel good. We have been generous but have not given someone else more stuff they don't need. This is very worthy, but you can't easily gift wrap it. We can set price limits, agreeing a sensible budget with friends and family so that we don't all overspend, or agreeing only to give presents to children. We can be really creative and make presents, giving people the gift of our time and effort along with homemade cakes or a hand-crafted gift. One year (before I was married - I would never get away with it now) I decided only to send e-cards, and chose ones produced by 'Shelter'. The short animation email ended with a request for a donation to Shelter. I said to myself that I was saving trees and money and raising the profile of an important charity. Unfortunately, the impression I probably gave to my friends was that they had to pay for their own electronically generated Christmas card.
Glen Scrivener argues that the 'Shopper' seizes joy in the present moment while ignoring the price that will be paid tomorrow. The danger of the Shopper approach is that all that shopping leads to overspending and debt, not to mention the environmental cost of all that wrapping paper, card and plastic consumer goods. To paraphrase the traditional maxim: eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we pay. The challenge for people like me is perhaps how to show our friends we love them, and celebrate Christmas with joy, with creativity and thrift. Not two words that usually go together.
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