Holiday Shopping — Who Are We Advocating For?

A mid-holiday season rant…no, pep talk

Dear Reader,

Whenever the gifting holidays roll around, I find myself with one foot in the magical world of reverence for the season and another planted firm in resistance to the commodification of it all. At this high point of the holidays, this may tug at a familiar feeling for you too.

Growing up, my favorite holidays were the ones where exchanging gifts wasn’t part of the tradition, the ones celebrated by gathering over a meal, quality time spent with dear ones resting, cooking, and communing. For me, there is great pleasure in giving well — choosing thoughtfully and unrushed, a true “because this reminded me of you”. What you can find me ruthlessly unsubscribing from is any last-minute buy now before you miss out and it’s too late narrative.

While I still carry a torch for my dream of resurrecting an in-person Hina Luna shop, I admit to my apprehension, observing that the terrain of small business land is more volatile than ever. As many favorite small businesses bow out, mega corporations like Amazon make billions more. I applaud every new small business opening their doors for the first time and the established ones barely hanging on but committed to keeping theirs open. Our communities need you. Every purchase we make is affirming the actions and choices of the business we’re buying from — how they produce their product, the wellbeing of their employees, the quality of their work environment, the standard of their pay, the resources they use, the materials they source. To choose to buy something — anything — is to say more of this, please. So who and what are we advocating for?

Late-stage capitalism expects steady upward growth and requires an exhaustion of finite resources. It breeds an insatiable appetite by feeding the illusion that material consumption leads to more joy, pleasure and fulfillment (but we know these things can be accessed for free). A hungry audience demands more to consume which requires more to be made which makes for more to consume.

Commerce has existed for centuries and will continue to do so, but a question I ask myself as a micro business creator with a dream for more and as a human who consumes is, how can I participate in building a healthier system of commerce outside the confines of late-stage capitalism? A sustainable model includes safe working conditions and fair compensation for the people working in all stages of production. It includes the intentions, actions, and accountability of the business owner to offer quality goods made to last, and it includes the responsibility of the consumer to make the best choices they can.

Accountability is up to both the seller and the consumer. It asks both to making better choices, proportionate to their capacity. A wise someone close to me once said convenience corrupts and the longer I meditate on these words, the more their truth is revealed to me. In the age of Amazon, we’ve been trained to expect the lowest possible price with fast and free shipping. We want the thing, we want it now, but we don’t want to pay much for it. The truth is that shipping is never really free, it requires many resources and labor hours, and that quick-cheap-thing most likely means someone along the way was not compensated or treated fairly for their labor. Small businesses stand no chance of competing with corporate incentives. The loss of small businesses impacts not only the individuals who own them and who work for them, but it affects the wellbeing of our local communities.

The conversation of diverting away from the destructive natures of capitalism must include the subjects of wealth distribution, accessibility, and privilege. Aja Barber has impactful advice for us as consumers, which loosely sums up as “if you have the means to make better choices — meaning you are not in poverty and better choices are accessible to you — then make the better choice. Shop local, shop small, avoid fast fashion, buy from your farmers.” There is always the option to choose the best of what is available, and sometimes the best option can look like resistance if the alternative means compromising our values.

Some questions to tuck into your pocket that can support your thoughtful discernment —

Do you value goods that have a story? Meaning, you know where it was made, the name of the person who made it, the inspiration behind the design, where the materials were sourced. It makes me feel good when someone compliments something I’ve sourced from a small business and I have the opportunity to momentarily gush about where I got it and why I love it.

Do you value safe working conditions and fair compensation for workers and responsible and ethical production processes?

Do you value businesses/people who contribute a portion of their profits towards organizations and campaigns that you also support?

Do you value keeping money within your local community so that your neighbors may live well and thrive, which in turn creates a healthy community for you too?

If you answered yes to any of these questions then the way to live by these values when making purchases is to buy from small businesses and to purchase goods that are made by people making a fair living wage. Another part that is equally important — because we may not do it perfectly one hundred percent of the time and that’s ok — is to become informed on the big business you are buying from, including how they treat their workers, their impact on the environment, who or what resources they might be exploiting and who and what they donate to. Once you have the answers, the next thing to ask is — to quote Uncle Walter Ritte — now that you know, do you care?

And I suspect that you do, an awful lot, but perhaps you feel stuck by lack of time or money or just really don’t know where to begin. To wean off of the ultra-convenience of big businesses is a continuous, conscious re-commitment to those values above that you said yes to. This is an action step towards creating the world you want to live in.

Plan ahead. I keep a running list of good gift ideas in my phone notes which I add to any time I come across something unique and thoughtful. That way, I have a stash of inspiration for when a birthday or special occasion comes around.

Give yourself time. It’s hard to make good choices under pressure. Buying small also requires a little extra patience as items may be made to order or there’s only a small team and so shipping takes a few extra days. Planning ahead also gives you time to set aside the money needed to make the purchase so you don’t feel stressed about spending more than is sustainable for you.

Understand the true cost. Good quality isn’t cheap, nor should it be. When materials are sourced ethically and when the people producing are compensated fairly for their time, you can expect to pay more than you would at a big box store. But by paying the true cost comes the ease of knowing precious resources and people are not being exploited in the process. This goes for shipping too. Some big businesses can afford to eat the costs of shipping to offer it to consumers for free, but small businesses should not be expected to meet the same demand. Relatively speaking, considering the efforts it takes to get a package from one place to another, shipping is invaluable.

Buy less. The classic reminder of quality over quantity. Especially in the context of gifting, I find one really thoughtful fifty-dollar thing to be more special than five ten-dollar things.

Be forgiving with yourself but don’t lose sight of your commitment to your values. There’s a quote by Zero Waste Chef Anne-Marie Bonneau that goes something like, “We don't need a handful of people doing it perfectly. We need millions of people doing it imperfectly.” There is always the option to make better buying choices, and also, sometimes we fall flat due to an unexpected, immediate need or accessibility in the moment. And that’s okay. The intention is to weave our commitments to our values into our lives, make adjustments the best we can in the moment, plan ahead when able, and forgive ourselves when we don’t do it perfectly.

Lastly, Dear Reader, as the year comes to a close, many of us are reflecting on our deepest values in anticipation of the new year. With that comes clarity in deciding what to devote ourselves to and that which to resist for the sake of preserving our values. Resistance to participate in systems that don’t align with our values creates boundaries of protection around our wellbeing and personal energy. A topic I love seeing talked about more is the personal and societal tax of overworking, the collective response to which being a long-overdue surrender to the necessity of rest (looking at you, America). As human beings, we are all creative. As creative beings, there is an ever-elusive sweet spot on the spectrum of purposeful productivity and rest, a balanced place that inspires but doesn’t overwork. Whether you’ve already found your sweet spot or your quest continues, I wish you peace from the demands of the season. Quality time together and the sharing of something as simple as a good meal can offer more light and warmth to your heart than any ribbon wrapped box.

Savor the slow.