Americans buy stuff. It’s what we do. We buy things we don’t need. It is a national pastime of sorts. We even have a name for it: retail therapy.
It is not the kind of therapy that heals us, though. Buying things that are not necessities gives us a brief high, like the effect of a cocktail, but unlike actual therapy, it doesn’t bring us lasting peace of mind or happiness. What it does is cost us money.
It is also bad for the environment — the land, air, and water that keep us alive. Much of what we buy is mass-produced using fossil fuels. Some things are actually made of fossil fuels, such as plastic.
We all know Big Oil is the ultimate climate-change culprit, but the choices we make every day add to the crisis. Something as simple as buying less and buying smart can help slow the impacts of climate change.
As we head into the holiday season, let’s rethink our shopping habits. What I have in mind is a holiday immersion into all things Martha’s Vineyard. We’ll have fun, spend less money, and what we do spend will stay right here in our community.
Lasting gifts, true gifts from the heart, include sharing our time and talents with loved ones. Here are some ideas to get you started:
- Share your skills and talents: Teach someone you love how to fish, or to tune up a bicycle. Share your home repair skills, sewing prowess, favorite Island recipes, or, at a Sharks game, your knowledge of baseball. Your niece will treasure that day at the ballpark much more than another gift-wrapped sweater.
- Savor the natural world: Plan a series of conservation walks, visit the Felix Neck Wildlife Sanctuary and the Polly Hill Arboretum, discover the State Forest, show someone how to plant a garden, give a native plant, join the annual Lobsterville Beach dune grass planting. Take a bike ride to Chappaquiddick. Get out on the water — rent a kayak or paddleboard.
- Embrace the arts: Paint a picture, write a story about a special friendship, frame a photograph, give the gift of an art or writing class, share a trip to the Featherstone Center for the Arts, or a tour of the art galleries. Buy tickets to a concert. The Island is a sea of talented artisans — let’s support them! There are artisan fairs and pop-up shops throughout the season.
- Plunge into Island history and culture: Share a trip to the Aquinnah Cultural Center, the African American Heritage Trail, or the new Brazilian Festival. Visit the Carnegie Museum, or spend an afternoon at the Martha’s Vineyard Museum. Take a tour of Campground homes, or visit the accessible lighthouses. Discover your own family history — spend time with your parents or grandparents, and write or record their Island memories.
- We all have to eat: Give a gift of dinner at a local restaurant, or a share in a community-supported agriculture program. Pick berries in season, and make jams and jellies, bake your special bread, or concoct fancy flavored oils. Visit the Native Earth Teaching Farm; cook for someone who is homebound. Buy clamming gear so a loved one can discover the joy of harvesting their own meal. Share an afternoon gleaning surplus crops with Island Grown Initiative to supply food for those in need.
- Offer relief: Babysit for friends so they can have a much-needed time out, or take their kids on an outing, cook, clean, or grocery shop for someone going through a rough time.
- Pamper your loved ones: Give a gift certificate for a massage, manicure, or yoga class.
- Thoughtful regifting: Who might enjoy something you’ve bought and never used? Consider letting go of something you own that someone has admired, or give family heirlooms to the next generation.
- Conscious donations: Make a donation in someone’s name, so long as it is to an organization you know they fully support.
- Support our local merchants: Instead of ordering online; the money stays on the Island and doesn’t involve more fossil-fuel-charged transportation.
- All that gift wrap: Think about wrapping gifts with old newspaper, leftover fabric, or reusable bags. Be creative! It’s crazy how much paper, ribbons, and bows get used once and thrown away.
Make a vow to decrease your plastic use. Some household stocking-stuffer ideas:
- Laundry sheets instead of a plastic jug of liquid detergent
- Beeswax bowl covers
- Bamboo toothbrushes
- Mesh produce bags
- Reusable coffee filters
My favorite gifts to give and receive are books and bookstore gift certificates. Books take us on adventures, right in our own homes. Once read, they can be shared with friends or donated to one of the library books sales. They keep on giving!
Consider shortening your gift-giving list. Let’s not forget what the holiday season is truly about — love.
I’ll leave you with this quote from Andrew Morgan, maker of a documentary about consumerism called “The True Cost”: “What if we started by slowing down and not consuming so much stuff, because it’s here, cheap, and available? It’s amazing how that process makes sense financially, it makes sense ethically, it makes sense environmentally.”
Enjoy the season!
