Holiday crafting and shopping...

I've been busy. Sick kid, sick mama, traveling, sick kid, and now the holidays are upon me. Oh how the holidays are upon me! My family has had a rule for 12 years that we make all of our holiday gifts, so I have crafty fever and not enough time in the day (especially since SOMEONE refuses to nap, or go to bed before midnight!) to get it all done. I've got a stack of things to make, and a few little things I want to buy... but do I? I've spent a lot of time this year thinking about how and where I spend my money. I have tried not to buy anything I don't need, and think long and hard about how and where the things I do buy are made or processed.
And now, the season of shopping is upon us. I love christmas and solstice and this season of giving and loving. But I'm not a huge fan of the consumerism that is attached to it. I love that my family has a rule of making gifts, although we still need to think about where the base supplies come from. We told everyone in our family that if they were buying Ruby a gift, we preferred no plastic and not made in china (and a few other requests) and that please, please, please, not to buy her more than 3 gifts. Heck, Baby Jesus only got three things, and it's his birthday right? (well it is for those who celebrate a christian holiday!) We are trying not to raise Ruby as a mass consumer, so we choose to buy locally made, organic, and used whenever possible. Still it's so hard, when I see toys, or clothes or what have you that would make her smile and giggle or just look adorable. It's hard not to BUY BUY BUY. I have to force myself to stop and think, really think about where it came from, it's impact on the world and the people who made it, where it's going to end up.

What about you?

Comments

[larissa]

Hi Korin,

Merry Christmas! As to your question, well before Sebastian was born I thought I'd make organic baby food from local carrots, he'd have only wooden toys, etc. And then it was HARD having a kid! Shocking I know, I was so naive. :-) And I decided not to be so hard on myself.

We get all our power in our house from wind power, we don't drive a car, and we do some other significant things for the environment. Those are important to us. I shop a lot at the Bins and most of Sebastian's clothes are pre-owned. But we do buy things, and we enjoy them. He has a few Cars items because Lightning McQueen brings him joy.

Sometimes (infrequently) I long for that dream of a life where he could be a totally natural baby, naked in the sun with natural stuff all around him, but it is not in me to provide that. We are city people and it's just not who I am to not buy things.

However, we have a toy box for him and he's only allowed to have toys that fit in there. When it overflows we have to get rid of some things. That keeps us honest. And most of those toys are used, from Village Merchant or another thrift shop.

I guess it's all mixed together for us. And I try not to berate myself, because God knows I don't need more pressure.

I hope we can see you again soon! We'll be at Tandem tomorrow....

Larissa