Notes from Day Seven: A conspiracy to destroy Christmas
I confess. I want a new computer for
Christmas. My IBM Thinkpad is still running
Windows XP. It protests when I check
websites, download files and play music. On
the other hand, I am composing this article
on it, and it will, I am sure, send it to the
Interrobang in a little while.
In a fit of pre-Christmas desire, I did something I have never done before. I joined an early morning line at the local Walmart to get hold of a new Toshiba laptop advertised at $268. An early present. But the store had only five units and they went to some of the first people in line.
I felt like I was turning into a brainwashed participant in the commercialization of Christmas. Somehow, going to an early morning opening at a big-box store seemed like an endorsement of the corporate agenda to have all of us shop till we drop and max out our credit cards in preparation for Christmas. Parking myself in front of the TV later that day did not help. I watched the 2003 film, The Corporation. For those who haven't seen it, the documentary, among other things, warns viewers against becoming mindless consumers.
Still, I will have to replace my computer soon, hopefully this month, and I will buy some Christmas presents. But is there a way to step away from the crazy shopping that tempts us each Christmas?
A few years ago, several Christian pastors decided to do something. They decided not to try to get everyone to stop buying presents, but just fewer, maybe even just one less. They noted that in the U.S. alone, consumers spend $450 billion a year at Christmas on things that are not all that wanted. In the end, the buying and giving of unneeded gifts often leave the giver and receiver feeling empty. These pastors asked, what if just a modest fraction of that spending went to take care of people in trouble?
They started something called the Advent Conspiracy. In case you have never been in a church around Christmastime, "Advent" is the name for the month or so before Christmas when Christians try to step back and look at how they are living and what changes God is asking of them.
The Advent Conspiracy (AC) movement is a "conspiracy" to destroy the traditional, consumerist Christmas we have become used to. And on the more important positive side, it is a movement designed to put us in touch again with the teachings of Jesus, whose birth is celebrated everywhere on Christmas day. It promotes especially his core teaching (along with "love God") to love our neighbours, to care for those in trouble. AC advocates spending less on ourselves and giving more to the poor.
What does this look like in real life? For one thing, the Conspiracy has received donations from thousands of people and churches. With that money, it has provided wells for people living in parched areas in Liberia and Nicaragua.
Secondly, instead of buying and receiving an oversupply of gifts this Christmas, we can, the organization's website says, give each other time. It encourages us to make time "to love our friends and family in the most memorable ways possible … Time … no matter how hard we look, can't be found at the mall." Maybe this year we can take time to hear from an Occupy protestor what she was hoping for. Maybe we can take time to chat with the Salvation Army volunteer collecting donations in the Masonville Mall, asking him how he got into volunteering.
AC encourages people this year to spend more time on our relationships. And that can translate into some good things. Like spending a little more time over a coffee or drink on campus with a friend, taking the time hear how a friend is feeling after a tough loss, a disappointment, a success or some unexpected change. The possibilities are endless. And, as the AC website suggests, this can be a lot more rewarding than receiving a sweater that's two sizes out.
I still hope to get my computer replaced soon. But maybe this Christmas I can also reflect the care of God by giving to something good and by giving time to the people around me. And along the way, I may get a fresh understanding of Christmas as a gift from God. At its best, Christmas is a celebration that God was born as human — giving himself and his time to us — to live with us and to address our toughest needs.
Editorial opinions or comments expressed in this online edition of Interrobang newspaper reflect the views of the writer and are not those of the Interrobang or the Fanshawe Student Union. The Interrobang is published weekly by the Fanshawe Student Union at 1001 Fanshawe College Blvd., P.O. Box 7005, London, Ontario, N5Y 5R6 and distributed through the Fanshawe College community. Letters to the editor are welcome. All letters are subject to editing and should be emailed. All letters must be accompanied by contact information. Letters can also be submitted online by clicking here.
In a fit of pre-Christmas desire, I did something I have never done before. I joined an early morning line at the local Walmart to get hold of a new Toshiba laptop advertised at $268. An early present. But the store had only five units and they went to some of the first people in line.
I felt like I was turning into a brainwashed participant in the commercialization of Christmas. Somehow, going to an early morning opening at a big-box store seemed like an endorsement of the corporate agenda to have all of us shop till we drop and max out our credit cards in preparation for Christmas. Parking myself in front of the TV later that day did not help. I watched the 2003 film, The Corporation. For those who haven't seen it, the documentary, among other things, warns viewers against becoming mindless consumers.
Still, I will have to replace my computer soon, hopefully this month, and I will buy some Christmas presents. But is there a way to step away from the crazy shopping that tempts us each Christmas?
A few years ago, several Christian pastors decided to do something. They decided not to try to get everyone to stop buying presents, but just fewer, maybe even just one less. They noted that in the U.S. alone, consumers spend $450 billion a year at Christmas on things that are not all that wanted. In the end, the buying and giving of unneeded gifts often leave the giver and receiver feeling empty. These pastors asked, what if just a modest fraction of that spending went to take care of people in trouble?
They started something called the Advent Conspiracy. In case you have never been in a church around Christmastime, "Advent" is the name for the month or so before Christmas when Christians try to step back and look at how they are living and what changes God is asking of them.
The Advent Conspiracy (AC) movement is a "conspiracy" to destroy the traditional, consumerist Christmas we have become used to. And on the more important positive side, it is a movement designed to put us in touch again with the teachings of Jesus, whose birth is celebrated everywhere on Christmas day. It promotes especially his core teaching (along with "love God") to love our neighbours, to care for those in trouble. AC advocates spending less on ourselves and giving more to the poor.
What does this look like in real life? For one thing, the Conspiracy has received donations from thousands of people and churches. With that money, it has provided wells for people living in parched areas in Liberia and Nicaragua.
Secondly, instead of buying and receiving an oversupply of gifts this Christmas, we can, the organization's website says, give each other time. It encourages us to make time "to love our friends and family in the most memorable ways possible … Time … no matter how hard we look, can't be found at the mall." Maybe this year we can take time to hear from an Occupy protestor what she was hoping for. Maybe we can take time to chat with the Salvation Army volunteer collecting donations in the Masonville Mall, asking him how he got into volunteering.
AC encourages people this year to spend more time on our relationships. And that can translate into some good things. Like spending a little more time over a coffee or drink on campus with a friend, taking the time hear how a friend is feeling after a tough loss, a disappointment, a success or some unexpected change. The possibilities are endless. And, as the AC website suggests, this can be a lot more rewarding than receiving a sweater that's two sizes out.
I still hope to get my computer replaced soon. But maybe this Christmas I can also reflect the care of God by giving to something good and by giving time to the people around me. And along the way, I may get a fresh understanding of Christmas as a gift from God. At its best, Christmas is a celebration that God was born as human — giving himself and his time to us — to live with us and to address our toughest needs.
Editorial opinions or comments expressed in this online edition of Interrobang newspaper reflect the views of the writer and are not those of the Interrobang or the Fanshawe Student Union. The Interrobang is published weekly by the Fanshawe Student Union at 1001 Fanshawe College Blvd., P.O. Box 7005, London, Ontario, N5Y 5R6 and distributed through the Fanshawe College community. Letters to the editor are welcome. All letters are subject to editing and should be emailed. All letters must be accompanied by contact information. Letters can also be submitted online by clicking here.
