An Unincorporated Christmas
This year I've committed to spending zero dollars at big corporations for Christmas, and I've requested to my loved ones that any gifts purchased for me be purchased from local small businesses. I'm trying to spend my money more ethically in general, fueling fewer of the funders-of-fascism, and I didn't want the holiday season to be a massive exception. I'm not religious so Christmas, to me, is mostly a consumerist holiday with a side of family gatherings. I know my plan is still an embrace of consumerism. I'm not ready to surrender that notion all together. I want to support businesses that are often choked out by big box stores and online monopolies.
A surprising number of people are bothered by this. My husband was annoyed that I didn't want to buy the custom neon light he found on Amazon, but when I found a local business that makes custom neon lights he had no interest in it. The overall reception when I share this endeavor with people is a sense of underwhelm. Some people have made comments about how the corporations won't miss me. Others have just given a quiet "hm", a judgmental look, and moved on. I don't mind being judged; I just didn't expect that response to be so universal. It makes me wonder if I should just keep my shopping plans to myself, but I don't want to!
It's not that I'm looking for praise, but I was hoping that in telling people what I'm doing some of them would go "yeah, that's a good idea!" and make similar considerations. I definitely didn't expect it to unsettle anyone—who openly poopoos the support of local businesses??
I'm proud of my choice, but I wish it didn't feel so lonely.