Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Happy Consumption-less Christmas

I recall Christmas Eves past, when I was a kid, as sleepless nights spent anticipating all the cool stuff I would get my grubby little hands on the next morning - from a stocking full of candy (and the obligatory orange) to a load of toys that would meet my most recent fancy. I remember studying the Sears Christmas Catalog to concoct the list of what I wanted the mother-load to include. And I vaguely recall the post-Christmas letdown as, having received all that great stuff, nothing seemed to live up to the hype I'd created leading up to the big day.

I don't remember exactly when it was that the anticipation dwindled. But, I know it is just in the last couple of years that I've ultimately become disgusted with the holiday as the ultimate reflection of American hedonistic consumerism. This year I completely boycotted.

It was my first ever consumption-less Christmas and it was fantastic. The weather was perfect for a late morning hike into the wilderness with my girl and her dog. We ate a simple lunch of summer sausage, cheese, crackers, an apple and a banana on top of a mountain as the wispy clouds whisked across the sky above us. It was the happiest of holidays and a blue-print for years to come.

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