Christmas has come and gone. While I did request nothing for Christmas this year from family, I forgot to mention it to some close friends of mine that I work with. Thankfully they only gave me little things that I could either regift, actually use, or easily get rid of without too much of a fuss. I do want to take a moment and say that one of my favorite unexpected gifts from a friend this year was a gift certificate to my favorite (and most expensive) coffee shop. I’m not quite sure why I didn’t think of that myself, but I am so happy that he did because I treated The Hubby and I to a really great cup of coffee before our trip to Missouri on Saturday morning. It was perfect. So for future reference, gift cards to coffee shops are great gifts for those coffee lovers in your life. And who doesn’t have a ton of those, right?

I really can’t say that I didn’t get anything for Christmas because I did, despite my pleas to the contrary. I do have to admit that other than the few friend gifts mentioned above, my mother and daughter are the only ones who bought me anything this year. (Well, The Hubby took care of stocking stuffers this year. So technically he did get me some things: socks, more socks, a toothbrush, some bandanas, and the obligatory kisses.) I was so proud of my mother because she ended up getting me two books, one of which I specifically requested. And my daughter went to a bead shop in Missouri and couldn’t pass up a bone bead that she promptly put in my hair as soon as she gave it to me. All in all, I consider it a huge success. Compared to years past, I got nothing for Christmas.

How do I feel about that?

I’m going to be totally honest here. Hold nothing back, right? For a nanosecond, I was disappointed. There. I said it. When the kids were opening up their presents on Christmas morning, I had a tiny twinge of sadness that I didn’t have at least one small present to open. As I said, though, it lasted an entire nanosecond and then it was gone. From that point on, I was so happy and relieved that our living room wasn’t quickly filling up with mounds of plastic, paper, boxes, and bows galore. I was so happy that my children were genuinely happy to be opening their two gifts that were under the tree - one from Santa and one from us. I was so happy to know that the money we saved will help us reach our goals that much sooner. The way I look at it, we are one step closer to the bus and finally getting on the road fulltime. And that is totally worth the absence of a present or two under the tree on Christmas morning.

What is the Story of Stuff?

From its extraction through sale, use and disposal, all the stuff in our lives affects communities at home and abroad, yet most of this is hidden from view. The Story of Stuff is a 20-minute, fast-paced, fact-filled look at the underside of our production and consumption patterns. The Story of Stuff exposes the connections between a huge number of environmental and social issues, and calls us together to create a more sustainable and just world. It’ll teach you something, it’ll make you laugh, and it just may change the way you look at all the stuff in your life forever.

Have you seen The Story of Stuff? No? What are you waiting for?

Go watch it.

NOW!

Stay tuned for my next post in which I talk more about “stuff” and the ways in which we plan to go about “stuff” removal over the next year.