Overwhelmed by the upcoming holiday season
Anyone else already overwhelmed about Thanksgiving dinner, Halloween and Christmas as this holiday season approaches
For my Australian Readers,
Thanksgiving is steeped in tradition and history, maybe something other than something you celebrate. Still, where I am from, Canada and the USA, it is a beautiful holiday when we sit down to give thanks for being around family and friends.
We don’t celebrate it at the same time of year as Canada’s Thanksgiving on the second Sunday in October.
Regrettably, the essence of USA Thanksgiving is often overshadowed by the frenzy of BLACK FRIDAY sales. In this consumer-driven era, the allure of saving a few dollars seems to outweigh the value of spending quality time with family.
For my readers around the world,
Everything happens in one season in Australia: SUMMER… we celebrate Christmas, the Wedding season, summer holidays, New Year’s Eve and public holidays. It’s when we spend the most out of the entire year, and so I am always planning and preparing ahead of time before the season really gets started so that what I want to do or create happens and let everything flow as it may. So it is the one season where most of Aussie’s spend the most money and do the most things out of the whole year, which means it impacts our bank accounts a lot, to say the least.
Last year, I wrote an article about rethinking before falling into the BLACK FRIDAY sales trap. Now, it is called “READ THIS BEFORE SHOPPING!!!”
In that article, I discussed the importance of shifting our mindset from seeking a 'good deal' to embracing an eco-friendly approach. I am deeply passionate about this shift because I believe in the power of our collective action. As a community, we have the potential to combat global warming more effectively than relying solely on corporations, governments, and international organisations. I highly recommend reading it again or for the first time to help you make a shift if you are looking to be more eco-friendly this season.
Your MONEY is how you VOTE for change!
I have also mentioned this in another article, but it is true. If we stop shopping at big box stores like Big W (Walmart), Kmart, Target where all the clothes and toys are rip-off ideas from actual toy makers who have put in years of experience into making a specific toy to only have it recreated for cheap to be sold to the masses like US that BUY IT because it’s AFFORDABLE.
I bought the original toy for Phoenix, and it makes a lovely sound when the balls run down the tree. A month later, Kmart recreated it for sooo much cheaper. This is me holding it today to showcase my disappointment. Ours arrived already made, and the Kmart one you had to put together didn’t sound very nice, according to the reviews.
That word AFFORDABLE is also a word that is used to manipulate us into believing we are getting a good deal when it just means CHEAP LABOUR!
I am 100% guilty of buying items at stores like Kmart! (I totally walked into today and out without buying anything and just took photos for this article) I am putting my hands up and saying that I am not perfect, and I know just like me you probably struggle with avoiding shops like Kmart.
The point of difference I want to make to you is this…. I know I am IMPERFECT with my shopping habits. I have created a conscious mindset when it comes to shopping.
When I do buy in a store like Kmart, I do so with the intention that I know I am going against my values by supporting a store I wouldn’t usually like to, rather than just buying because of convenience and to save myself money.
For example, in a store like Kmart, you can buy almost EVERYTHING YOU NEED to furnish your home, clothes your whole family, redecorate your entire kitchen, and give your child all the toys and equipment they ever desired today.
The problem with doing this all the time is that you and I are VOTING with our MONEY for them to KEEP ON creating CHEAP PRODUCTS that we will essentially put into the trash, if not months later but within a short period because cheap products DO NOT have longevity in the building of their products. The other problem is that the money you keep spending in Kmart tells them to keep creating more products at cheap prices, and they won’t stop.
Where I might buy an item in a store like Kmart, for example, I limit what I buy there, and for the most part, I get books, print photos or arts and crafts items.
I always try my best to do the following things to offset when I shop at places that don’t align with my values, and I am imperfect!
Buying secondhand toys, kitchen items, whatever I can find on Facebook Marketplace
Asking friends for kid clothes or borrowing a dress instead of buying new
Supporting brands that make toys or clothing that are certified B corporate or have a sustainability ethos to their business
Growing my veggies vs buying everything at Coles, Woolies or Aldis
Eating a plant-based diet the MAJORITY of the time
Upcycling pieces that have become damaged or unusable for something else
FEELING OVERWHELMED THIS HOLIDAY SEASON
That said, I am feeling so overwhelmed by the upcoming holiday because of all the things that we are influenced to buy to create these magical spaces for Halloween or Christmas. Instagram is just smashing out all these new decor ideas for your house already for the holiday season, and then you go to the stores, and they are stocking the shelves not with just Halloween stuff but also Christmas items. Which isn’t a bad thing because it’s fun to decorate and create a magical space in your home… I love seeing beautiful interiors that are themed for the season!
I know I don’t have to do anything, but I grew up with the spookiest houses on the street for Halloween, with beautiful Christmas trees and ceramic Christmas ornaments all over our house.
There is a massive part of me that enjoys creating magic spaces not just for the children to enjoy but also for myself to feel the magic of the changing seasons and get into the spirit of these festive seasons.
I get to develop how I want to create magic for my children in our new world. I wish my mom had kept all her ceramic Christmas ornaments, considered nostalgic classics.
To adhere to my eco-friendly mindset and create a magical space, I spend time and effort DIYing things for the house instead of buying them. I don’t always have time, but I manage to bust out a few craft projects when I do. So, my overwhelming feeling comes from the fact that if I want to achieve the magical space I envision for my house by making it eco-friendly with DIY crafts, it probably won’t happen. Only a few things can be potentially achieved. However, lucky for me, I love a good challenge, crafting and making spaces feel and look magical with upcycling pieces nowadays vs. buying stuff from the shops.
I have collected Christmas items over the years, but HALLOWEEN I have not started this tradition with my kids yet, so I lack enough time to prepare something for October 31st. Our neighbourhood does have a few streets that do decorate the outsides of their houses, but not our street. So you have to find the right streets to go trick or treating
Luckily for me, great upcycling Instagramers help you do this with toilet paper rolls, used paper, or other crafts to achieve quirky spaces that still look beautiful.
Versus will buy all these new items stocked on the shelf, screaming for us to BUY MORE even though we probably have enough from last year or don’t even need it.
With that said, buying to decorate is one thing, but buying for gifts is totally another thing.
Having the willpower NOT to buy items that are so affordable is HARD WORK! Today, with the economy at a low point for all of us, it has slowed down people's buying unnecessary items for the most part. But during the holiday season, we all start rationalising things differently to want to please others, ourselves, and especially our children.
But if I have learnt one thing as a mother of two now… kids don’t need toys to be happy or to have fun. You create that magic for them with simple things you probably already have around your house. For example, my mud kitchen was ultimately DIY, and in my last article, I used household items to make magic potions for them.
The simple act of buying fewer presents this year can totally lessen the impact on your consumer waste than you realise.
Looking for the item on the marketplace vs. brand new is a perfect place to start becoming more IMPERFECT with your purchases this holiday season. I hope by honestly sharing how I buy at stores I don’t want to support but do and how hard it is to be completely eco-friendly… I am trying my best.
I want to do a few eco-friendly Halloween and Christmas projects and will share my DIY versions.
But I am also planning Memphis's birthday party as well, which, lucky for me, my mom has handmade his birthday bunting banner, so there is no need to buy a plastic one as the one she made looks a million times better out of fabric, and it’s made with love.
By reading this, you can relate to how hard it is to be eco-friendly, especially with the upcoming season of MAJOR consumerism that will push you to BUY MORE and consume more and more than you need. This is my gentle reminder to question your shopping behaviour patterns and notice what you buy new and what you source secondhand and better yet DO NOT BUY AT ALL.
Could you devise a game plan to shift from buying new to secondhand? If you need tips or ideas, I am always here to help. Just hit reply on this email… I’d love to hear from you.
Other ideas:
Secret Santa: DIY craft, Op Shop Finds Only, Gift Books to everyone; gift cards are always a win for me. Even though so many people think they are impersonal, they are the BEST because it gives the receiver a choice to buy something they WANT rather than guessing.
I can speak all day and night on this topic so I will leave it here and get back to it in another article.
I hope this article makes you think and shift to help you not feel overwhelmed like I have been feeling and not so much anymore since writing this article.
Lots of love and light
Kim