T’is the season for gift giving, yet the folks engaged in Occupy Christmas strive to promote a different message.
As the Occupy movement continues to grow, it has taken many shapes and forms since the original Occupy Wallstreet protests. From Occupy  Walmart to Occupy Sandy to OccupySMS, Occupy Christmas is another movement under the occupy umbrella that aims to create awareness of the level of consumerism associated with the holiday season and encourage alternate methods of celebration.
In tandem with the Adbusters “Buy Nothing Day / Xmas”, Occupy Christmas launched on Black Friday, November 2011, post protests. Their message is to  boycott holiday gift shopping and, according to Kalle Lasn (Adbusters Co-founder) in an interview with the CBC, encourage people to take a harder look at what the holidays represent. They are not anti-gift, they just suggest a shift in mindset… a more  socially conscious approach to the season. See a good description of their mission here
Unfortunately, according to the Occupy Christmas Facebook page they have racked up little support to date. In a survey by the CBC asking “Do you plan to Occupy Christmas this holiday season” last year, of close to 2700 people who voted only 7.4% of voters said they would participate, with 91.6% stating they would not, and 1% stating they were undecided. Today, according to the Occupy Christmas Facebook page, they have 3500 supports – a number still relatively small compared to the other forms of occupy.
With less than two weeks of “shopping days” remaining, instead of hitting the malls and wracking up your credit card bill, why not take a few lessons from the Occupy Christmas movement! The community offers a plethora of excellent suggestions on how to give and how to celebrate the season. Here are a few suggestions:
Give to the Hurricane Sandy Gift Registry
Pinterest – Homemade Christmas Gifts
Some good ideas to Occupy Christmas
Making the Holidays more meaningful
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Written by
Jennie Phillips | @drchangelove