Tag: consumption

It starts with you

Posted on by philipdodson

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People queue overnight to get to the shops today and in the UK we will spend over £4bn on the sales, and that is just 24 hours after unwrapping £billions of presents placed under a tree.

Many people then moan and say how ridiculous it is to spend all that money and the poor shop workers need a break too.

It starts with you, me and all of us.

If we think something is wrong or ridiculous, then don’t join in.

If no one went to the shops on Boxing Day, then the shops would close for that day next year and the staff could have a break too and we could all stop spending money on shit we don’t need.

We all have to be responsible and we can all make a change.

Or we can all do nothing, but don’t moan.

Gingerbread houses and the meaning of Christmas

Posted on by philipdodson

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So, just a week to go to the annual plastic consumption and food gorging fest that Christmas has come to be for so many in the rather laughable titled ‘developed’ world.

People consume more food in a few days than they normally would in two weeks, we spend more money than we often really have, we buy gifts that no one really needs and give them to people who already have more than they will ever need.

We then spend January going on detoxes, diets and trips to the local tip to get rid of all the plastic from last Christmas to make space for this year’s trinket downpour.

Somewhere before this madness and over consumption, there was a meaning to Christmas for most, and to me, it has never been about religion, it is always about spending time with the people who matter and having fun, taking a break from the day-to-day, switching off, having a laugh and doing things together with family and friends.

Today, my daughter and I spent time building gingerbread houses together and laughing as the roof slid off my house. That’s what Christmas means to me.

What does Christmas mean to you?