Today I gave a friend of mine a book. A gift, I said, but not a Christmas gift. I've decided to abolish Christmas this year, I said. All that waste of money, time, paper... Now , all but about 0.002 of my friends are Christian, so I'm going to lose a few. Heck -- I am just concerned about the state of our exploited and abused world. Not as much as that amazing Greta, but quite a lot.
Who is Christmas good for? I ask myself:
The turkeys ???? I rest my case.
Pine trees - mmm... I don't think so.
The amazon rain forests? Definitely not.
Maybe the traders, but they could trade on the internet anyway. Most of us punters BUY on the web. So that scenario is undergoing a huge somersault. The kaleidoscope started shaking a few years ago and now it is in a state of a major earthquake. Big players totter and fall, like Thomas Cook.
So, I've told my family I'm not buying gifts this year. Friends too, but am keeping that little bit of Christmas tidings for later. I might buy Christmas hampers for them if I can afford it, or even the food in the hampers without the packaging.
If a friend or their children need something, that's different. If someone needs their fifteenth warm scarf or tenth pajama set, I might consider it. Reluctantly.
This year I am obsessed by two things -- the state of our planet and the rough sleepers on our street. Would the young people curled up on the pavements prefer two weeks of a berth in a room somewhere, OR, one slap-up Christmas meal? I don't know the answer to that one? What would that bearded Arab who started a whole, world-wide religion have to say about that? He of the loaves and fishes (but not roast turkey, crackers and the Queen's speech.)
You can see how confused I am. There are so many huge buildings,vacant for ninety percent of time. Churches, temples, school halls and buildings during the cold holidays. Not to mention the absent foreign owners with their multiple empty mansions. We could even start with Westminster during recesses. We could throw all our extra duvets and warm clothes and Christmas jumpers in for good measure.
If the world needs to be saved, it cannot be done by the posturing idiots in the climate conference. They haven't grown up yet. Every one of us has to consider how we can help, what we can give up, to make the change. People action is the only kind of action, which seems tow work long-time.
Who is Christmas good for? I ask myself:
The turkeys ???? I rest my case.
Pine trees - mmm... I don't think so.
The amazon rain forests? Definitely not.
Maybe the traders, but they could trade on the internet anyway. Most of us punters BUY on the web. So that scenario is undergoing a huge somersault. The kaleidoscope started shaking a few years ago and now it is in a state of a major earthquake. Big players totter and fall, like Thomas Cook.
So, I've told my family I'm not buying gifts this year. Friends too, but am keeping that little bit of Christmas tidings for later. I might buy Christmas hampers for them if I can afford it, or even the food in the hampers without the packaging.
If a friend or their children need something, that's different. If someone needs their fifteenth warm scarf or tenth pajama set, I might consider it. Reluctantly.
This year I am obsessed by two things -- the state of our planet and the rough sleepers on our street. Would the young people curled up on the pavements prefer two weeks of a berth in a room somewhere, OR, one slap-up Christmas meal? I don't know the answer to that one? What would that bearded Arab who started a whole, world-wide religion have to say about that? He of the loaves and fishes (but not roast turkey, crackers and the Queen's speech.)
You can see how confused I am. There are so many huge buildings,vacant for ninety percent of time. Churches, temples, school halls and buildings during the cold holidays. Not to mention the absent foreign owners with their multiple empty mansions. We could even start with Westminster during recesses. We could throw all our extra duvets and warm clothes and Christmas jumpers in for good measure.
If the world needs to be saved, it cannot be done by the posturing idiots in the climate conference. They haven't grown up yet. Every one of us has to consider how we can help, what we can give up, to make the change. People action is the only kind of action, which seems tow work long-time.
