A Last-Minute Suggestion of a New Christmas Tradition

As I was doing some last-minute Christmas shopping the other night, I kept noticing all the toys on the shelves that we had bought for Meyer and Resha Kate last year or the year before, and I kept thinking about all of the incredible volume of toys that we own and about all of our toys that are missing or in disrepair. It seemed silly to me to buy new toys when we already own more toys that we can keep track of or keep in tact.

Maybe, instead of buying a bunch of new stuff, we should see Christmas as an opportunity to find and repair all of our old stuff. In addition to reducing waste and saving money, this tradition would symbolize (and be a literal manifestation of) rebirth and renewal—themes that are at the very essence of Christmas. Such a tradition would also allow those who celebrate the holiday to look forward to getting new stuff without participating in the cult of consumerism.

The Tinleys have already purchased plenty of new stuff for Christmas and probably won't have time to implement this tradition in any meaningful way this year. But for the next couple days, let's all think about ways to restore what we already have instead of flocking to malls and box stores to buy more stuff that we don't need.