Letter: Consumer Carnage Holidays

The following was written on Dec. 7, 2011 and
was published in the Brattleboro Reformer on Dec. 9, 2011.
It is posted here with the author’s permission.

Holidays are lethal. The undue stress of celebrating holidays wrecks the health of our little golden biosphere. Since the turn of the 20th Century when southern soft drink brands started using Santa Claus as an advertising ploy to increase soda sales in the northern winter markets, the lethal nature of holidays has been tearing earth’s resources asunder.

Oscar Wilde said, “Give me the luxuries, anyone can have the necessaries.” Even Oscar Wilde would agree today that consumer carnage holidays are a luxury we can no longer afford. The fact that too many of the holidays are religious-based means nothing in the context of people hell-bent on self-destruction.

You can’t help but see, with simple math and observation, that unbridled holiday consumerism, in all its many forms, has helped to endanger our planetary future, and the steadfast comfort, safety and security of our grandchildren.

Should we give up our consumer carnage holidays? Can we learn ways to celebrate without digging up and destroying our terrestrial assets? I’ll leave that to individual consciences. At least we can encourage more consumerism based on ecology friendly products that are not petroleum based.

We need to save us from ourselves to help keep our sea blue paradise ‘green’ for posterity. It is really the most important gift we can give to our children’s children.

Vidda Crochetta
Brattleboro