Buy Nothing Campaign

Check out Hong Kong Land's guide to the hottest Christmas gifts and then have a good eyeroll. Luxe Gifts for Her, Him and Baby. I think they mean to say Rip-Off Gifts for Desperate Social-Climbing Couple Firmly Entrenched in Middle Class Hell And Their Baby Who Doesn't Know Any Better But Will Grow Up To Be The Same.

In my opinion, giving is always better than receiving except where Chanel is involved. Even the cash-strapped or miserly can participate in gift-giving through the Buy nothing this Christmas campaign. It's established by the Canadian Mennonites who I am not familiar with. Are they like Amish with electricity? Their site has a lengthy list of alternatives to buying gifts:

Give Linux for Christmas!
I'd rather just be regarded as stingy/poor. No need to add geeky to the mix.

If you are skilled in a particular area, offer a lesson or class.
I'm not sure if anybody would want to attend a lecture on how to give an old person a sponge bath.

Give away a valued possession
What if it's already been given away a decade ago in the back of a car while a Boyz 2 Men song was playing on the radio?

Do something exciting and challenging together
Well Escape from Eluned is always a buzz.

Create a menu of various culinary delights (e.g., Tantalizing Thai, Mexican Fiesta, etc.) and have the gift recipient choose one of the options.
What happens after one of the options is chosen. Does everyone just sit around admiring the choice, saying "well done, good choice indeed".



We said so and we are your parents so go to sleep baby Jesus because Xmas day will be very busy. And by the way Joseph, we (meaning I, Mary) will be watching you carefully.

The best thing about the Buy Nothing campaign is that it leaves us with more money to indulge in self-purchases (what is the deal with the lawyer who is so desperate for staff discounts he has to moonlight as a Bloomingdale's salesman). Because the most rewarding gift is the one that you give yourself *nods sagely*. Um no...not daily in the shower, you sick twisted people.

Spirit Fingers is nominated the Best Asian Newcomer 2004 and Funniest Blog categories of the Asia Blog Awards (voting is only allowed once per day). Spirit Fingers - fighting for the rights of middle-class Canadian Menonnites who are lawyers by day and Bloomingdale salesmen by night.