The holidays are rapidly approaching and everyone is getting ready to spend lots of money on Christmas shopping. Most people are familiar with "Black Friday", which is the Friday following Thanksgiving, which is known to be one of the best days to shop in the US. "Black Friday" has become such a popular day to shop for deals, it is now considered a holiday. It's become such a big deal, families barely get to celebrate "Thanksgiving" with their loved ones, it's now reduced to a quick meal, so people can get ready to work, or get ready to take part in the early "Black Friday" shopping sprees. So what if you do not want to participate in the "Black Friday" madness? There is another alternative, it's called "Buy Nothing Day".

"Buy Nothing Day" was founded in Canada by artist Ted Dave. It is also celebrated on the Friday following "Thanksgiving", yet works in a much different way. "Buy Nothing Day" is considered a day of international protest for society to address the issue of over-consumption. Instead of wasting time shopping , you get to spend it with your loved ones, instead of buying more things you do not need, you can participate in this movement which is not meant to just change our buying habits for just one day, but rather create a healthier lifestyle for ourselves and society as a whole going forward.

Still not buying into the whole "Buy Nothing Day"? Are you thinking, so what, we are consumers, and we like buying stuff, so what is the problem? The best way to understand the problem of over-consumption in our society is to watch this 20-minute video from the Story of Stuff's website. This gives an accurate portrayal of how our buying habits are not only out of control, they are negatively impacting us and our environment.

If you want to become more involved in the "Buy Nothing Day" protest, here are how a few ways others have participated in the past: walking through stores with empty shopping carts, publicly cutting up credit cards, or even walking through shopping malls with a blank stare, when confronted by someone, they then describe "Buy Nothing Day" and what it stands for. Other ways you can protest without making such a spectacle, is by hiking or biking that day. Instead of shopping, you could go out and celebrate the Earth and nature. Or you could make a stand by not using your cellphone, TV, computer, car, unplug all non-essential appliances, and turn off all your lights from sunrise to sunset. It is definitely hard to change these hardwired behaviors overnight, but if we all take part and become aware of the problem, together we can form a solution.

Wishing you all a happy and safe holiday season, surrounded by the things that truly matter in life!