America. Containers at ports across the country, sitting. Big box stores unable to receive the goods from faraway places for us American consumers to enjoy our holiday celebrations.
Buy American, be patriotic. However, our spending patterns are inconsistent with this philosophy.
What if Santa Claus wasn’t inflatable, made of plastic and fossil fuels, consuming even more fossil fuels to operate, and was really St. Nicholas, the patron saint of gift-giving?
What if we didn’t order the latest plastic gizmo or plastic-encased item? That teaches each child recipient of these seemingly disposable items that putting them in a landfill or ocean after minimal use or easy breakage is OK.
What if we didn’t ever buy them?
What if we decided that this year we would fill our holidays with family and experiences in nature? What if we gathered pine cones and leaves and watched the geese fly across the sky and were reverent, appreciating the beauty of Mother Earth?
What if we thought that with each purchase and with each action, we personally can make a difference for our planet? What if we were conscious in our choices of clothing, of things? And this was how we decided we were teaching the next generation of humans?
What if?
Patricia Flowers Jacobina
Ligonier Township