39 crafting days til Christmas

I don't update my blog from work -- or at least, I've never done so before. Seemed like a good line to draw. But I'm all caught up and am only still here because Dean insisted on spending time in the after-school program to visit with his friends and sooo....

Lots of Christmas crafting love going on in blogville these days. I've been inspired by the numbers of people making real efforts to give mostly, if not wholly, handmade gifts, by those who are talking earnestly about giving (and wanting) less, and those joining the effort to avoid things made in China. I was intrigued to come across a movement to avoid buying anything on the day after Thanksgiving (traditionally THE shopping day in the US for Christmas). Read more about it and see what you think. We've always made it a point to stay at home on that Friday -- to revel in the mostly clean house, in the rush of relaxation that comes after any big event, to enjoy the riches of the fridge and larder all stocked with leftovers, to avoid the crowds and insanity of the world outside. Last year at about this time, I had an interesting conversation with a woman who worked at Sears. She was delighted that she had drawn the opening shift and had to be at work at 3 a.m. (you read that right) the day after Thanksgiving because it meant that she'd be able to get a parking spot. She explained to me that the people who had to be at work later in the day would have to arrive hours early just to circle the lot and find parking (unless they were lucky enough to have someone who would drive them to and from work that day). I was horrified -- I'd never thought about the impact of those ridiculously early opening times on that day on the people who work in those stores and malls. It isn't right. So I like the idea of declaring it a "no-shopping day," although I'm less enamored of the "resistance" efforts (I don't think the people working as security guards at large chain stores deserve to have to deal with people intentionally trying to gum up the works). But then, I'm not an extremist and you knew that about me already.