Do you really need to buy that?

November 28th, 2008 is Buy Nothing Day in North America
November 29th, 2008 is Buy Nothing Day Internationally

Buy Nothing Day is all about not participating. People around the world are encouraged not to buy anything for one whole day to raise awareness about our consumerist culture.

These events occur as a response to the opening of the Holiday Shopping Season in North America, as they immediately follow the American Thanksgiving. Funny thing is, for Canadians, the Holiday Shipping Season starts as soon as Halloween is over. Places that stay open 24 hours likeWal Mart start to re-stock their shelves with Christmas decorations and gifts before midnight on the 31st of October. On November 1st, I found myself at the Eaton Center in Toronto, ON. for a Greyhound layover. The mall was already half outfitted in holiday garb and some of the stores had their staff already wearing Santa Clause Hats and Reindeer Antlers. This all starts to happen more than a month before Christmas and I know some people who have all of their shopping done before the season opens. It's so important to beat the crowds you know, get to the shops before they sell out of the newest video game console or the newest Hannah Montanna paraphernalia.

All of that flash takes away the meaning of Christmas. What's that you ask? There's another meaning to Christmas than gifts and egg nog? The answer is a very big yes! That's the day Jesus was born to save the Easter Bunny from the love-sick leprechauns in the North Pole.

Wait, that doesn't sound right, does it?

Of course, not everyone celebrates that Catholic/Christian Holiday, which is another good point to bring up:

Not everyone celebrates Christmas.

Holiday shopping is very exclusive of non-Catholic/Christian cultures. I wouldn't really know how children of the Jewish-Canadians, Islamic-Canadians or Hindu-Canadians feel when the calendar reaches November, but I doubt they feel welcome. I mean, when was the last time you saw Sears selling revolving menorahs or Chapters selling Qur'an box sets?

This same over enthusiasm happens with all 'special' occasions. The chances of a man forgetting Valentines Day are pretty slim now that as soon as New Years passes, stores bombard their shoppers with chocolates, flowers, pink and red all over the place. As soon as Valentines day is over, you better believe that stores move right along with selling everything Easter.

The fact that North America and the rest of the world have different Buy Nothing Day's says something about how Canada and the United States are cultures much more consumption driven than the rest of the planet. It's hard for us Westerners not to buy everything we want because, through media, we are made to want so much. I know people who go out and buy extra stuff the day before Buy Nothing Day so that they don't have to go without. I would wager that in order to match the rest of the world, North Americans would have to have a Buy Nothing Week.

And it would have to be enforced.

Adbusters Campaign

Additionally, I read this and though she made some really excellent points.