Black Friday or Buy Nothing Day? You decide

The day after Thanksgiving is traditionally one of he biggest shopping days of the year, complete with news stories of predawn shoppers lining up in the cold. (Remember the trampling death at Walmart a few years ago?)

The alternative is "Buy Nothing Day," http://www.buynothingday.org/ an international day of protest against rampant, run-wild consumerism. Two years after the September 2008 world financial meltdown, the Global Financial Crisis drags on and the U.S. is still mired in (the aftermath of) the worst recession since the Great Depression. Although the National Bureau of Economic Research has declared the official end to the US recession, unemployment remains high (nearly 10%) and the foreclosure rate in Utah is still going up (note the appalling number of Legal Notices (a.k.a. foreclosures) in the newspaper.

With Thanksgiving ("the forgotten holiday") upon us, and Friday the beginning of the holiday shopping season, now is a good time to take a deep breath and reflect on what is really important to you. Some of us did much of our shopping at the Alternative Gift Market in Logan. It's never too late to give a meaningful gift to help the world (and reduce the pressure on the local landfill). Check out http://www.altgifts.org/. In Northern Utah shop at: Global Village Gifts, 146 North 100 East, Logan, UT 84321-4610; (435) 713-4347 http://www.globalvillagegifts.org/. "Global Village Gifts is a non-profit shop in Logan that supports struggling artisans in developing countries by selling their fairly-traded handicrafts."
Don't forget Logan's Gallery Walk from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Fri. Dec 03, 2010. Buy locally!

Yes, the economy depends on consumer spending to get back on track and create jobs but consider giving tickets to a music or dance performance, pump your $ into the local economy rather than buying this year's hot gift made in China. For a great deal on last year's hot gifts, just check E-bay.

Other gift ideas: 2 books by Greg Mortenson who is fighting the Taliban by building schools for girls in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Books, not bombs! His first book, Three Cups of Tea: One Man’s Mission to Promote Peace, One School At A Time, is an inspirational worldwide best seller and mandatory reading for all Army Special Forces. I just finished reading his second book, Stones into Schools, and highly recommend it. Both books make great gifts for women and men.If you and your family and friends have already read both books, consider making donations to the Central Asia Institute http://www.ikat.org/ in the name of a loved one. (Check the website to learn about ikat). Greg is speaking at Weber State October 1, 2011... but it's already sold out. I guess I'll have to wait for the movie which is surely coming (Sundance 2012??). 

Three Cups of Tea is also available in a young readers edition: Three Cups of Tea: One Man’s Journey to Change the World…One Child at a Time.

"Listen to the Wind, the children’s book, is told in the voice of Korphe’s children, and illuminates the humanity and culture of a relevant and distant part of the world while sharing a riveting example of how one person can change thousands of lives. Visit www.threecupsoftea.com for more information."

Also check out Pennies for Peace, "an international service-learning program," for kids
http://www.penniesforpeace.org/

Happy holidays!