In line with all of the changes that have been going down in our lives (pretty much changing every aspect) my family and I are having Un-Thanksgiving today. We are changing things up and making today our own little anti-holiday holiday.
Families should be thankful for each other and everything they do have everyday. There should not be a need for a specific days of the year where we are forced to purchasing or consume useless and unnecessary “stuff” that is not good for us, our community, our country, animals or the environment as acts or proof of familial love. There is nothing intelligent or good about being gluttonous or wasteful. People should not feel the overwhelming need to go through yearly repetitive acts to prove what a great or perfect family you are or have. It is not love. It just does not mean anything of substance and is all very narcissistic.
As a family we do not believe in supporting superficial consumerist holidays invented by greedy marketers that focus on having or eating specific things. Ever been to a turkey farm? Ever bothered to check and see what is done to the turkeys or all of the hormones and steroids put in them? Ever bother to read the history about how Americans decimated and killed the natives who were here long before us who actually took care of this land rather then systematically destroying it? No, most people don’t want to think about the ramifications of their purchasing decisions. No, most people don’t want to think about the realities of history of what humans do to each other.
We have made it a specific point to NOT eat any turkey today. We have made it a point to celebrate, appreciate and love each other in the small everyday ways, through simple actions, small gestures of love and kindness, like hugs + kisses and doing little things that we can do with one another everyday. Sitting and having coffee chatting about geeky things, playing a game of Tetris 2 or Megaman 2, hanging out and listening to good music. These are the little things that matter, they are the things that make a real family. Not gorging yourself on a 25 lb preservative ridden sick turkey, not wolfing HFC laced cranberries from a can, not sitting and smiling like a fake at family members who you don’t want to be around, not having to house hop from divorced parents house to divorced parents house in order to make everyone else happy…except for you. Stop doing things that make you unhappy & concentrate on living a meaningful existence everyday. And if your family can’t understand that…oh well.
Six Ideas to Avoid Living Superficial Lives on “Holidays”
- Send people cards (recycled or electronic) out of the blue randomly when you are feeling appreciative of them, NOT on holidays.
- Commit consistent non-random acts of kindness everyday, hold the door for someone, call a friend and tell them you love em, help someone out when you see the opportunity because you CAN because it is who you ARE.
- Eat something that is healthy for a change, turn the product over and read the label, buy something in a smaller quantity that is higher quality.
- Use your imagination to make up your own holidays, don’t wait for some uncreative marketing DB to make one up for you.
- Don’t buy something useless or disposable, instead take the time to create something beautiful for someone else whom you care about.
- Don’t bend to the will of others or buy into pressures from family to participate in consumerist culture, instead create your own culture one that nurtures you and those who you love.
