"In the United States, Christmas has become the rape of an idea." - author Richard Bachman

For the past few years I’ve been sending the below document out to friends and relatives (one of these years I should also not discriminate against foes in my sending! The first ones I can think of would be some famous politicians on the national and local scene). So if you, gentle reader, have already read this from being on my list of recipients, well – read it again! You might have missed the gist of it the first time.

Whereas the compulsion to shop for gifts at the holiday season each year is an unnatural and stupid act –

Whereas these gifts at this time have inflated prices to take advantage of the poor addicted-to-shopping souls –

Whereas most of what is purchased to be given as gifts is not something one would want for oneself, or certainly would not pay the price paid for it for oneself, but, indeed, is only purchased to fulfill some kind of obligation compulsion to another person for whatever the rationale may be –

Whereas most of what is purchased can be done without, is useless and unneeded, and has been for the 100,000 year history of Man –

Whereas most of what is purchased takes up space that could be better used in other ways and also collects dust, creates anxiety or conflict in the recipient since it becomes increasingly clear that the recipient would rather not have the item, but feels stuck with it as an obligation to the giver

Whereas the recipient feels guilty giving up the item for a white elephant sale, or having it end up in a landfill --

Whereas these useless gifts destroy earth’s resources in their manufacture and distribution –

Whereas the accumulation of such gift giving makes for more shopping malls and centers which take up more and more land out of production and/or destroying other species which share the earth with Man –

Whereas compulsive gift givers are driven into debt as would any person in an addicted state, requiring that they work more hours at useless and earth-destructive jobs –

Whereas shopping and buying such gifts cater to more and more misleading and dishonest advertising so that persons often get inured to public lying, and as an outcome tend to buy more and more as each year goes by –

Whereas often such gifts are used to "one up" a person in a relationship for a power trip – "I give you this and that so you should then do want you to." –

Whereas such gifts are wrapped in designed colored paper and tied with bows which destroy trees and other kinds of earth’s resources. This material is rarely used for a second time, and ends up being burned to give off more CO2 to further climate change, or to be buried in a landfill which is not a happy situation for the Earth Mother –

Whereas the basis for this manufactured compulsion by means of advertising is to help the rich get richer, and one knows that the richer the rich get, the more the environment suffers –

Therefore, I pledge to not feel obligated to buy anything for anyone during the holiday season or to partake of this insanity just because others are doing it, especially in relation to what may be given to me. On the other hand if I wish to purchase a gift for someone that I feel is appropriate and at least minimally earth friendly, I can do so at any time of the year and give it at any time of the year.