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Macomb, IL – I admit it. I like to shop. A lot. I am not sure where this comes from, because as a child growing up on a farm in southern Ohio, there weren't a lot of opportunities for shopping. My parents worked very hard and were mindful of what they bought. The wooden highchair my brother and I sat in once belonged to my dad and his siblings. At Thanksgiving this year my almost two year old niece used that very same high chair.
I grew up hearing good German aphorisms that reflected a mindset that when things were broken they were to be repaired not discarded. Phrases like "waste not, want not" and "a penny saved is a penny earned" lingered in the air.
By the time my own children were born, the United States was flooded with cheap and shoddily made stuff. So while my husband and I decided to use the wooden cradle that I had slept in as a baby for both our girls, most Americans were buying pack-and-play sleepers that if they were lucky would not fall apart before their children out-grew them.
As the holiday season fast approaches, I find myself thinking about what I want to give to my loved ones this year. Last year I told my girls that I was done buying them cheap plastic crap made in China. Both of them looked at me like I was insane. What in the world would there be under the tree if there their mama wasn't going to buy them more plastic toys to add to their already overflowing toy box?
Don't get me wrong, I can't completely embrace what consumer culture critics promote. I don't want to totally shun materialism and embrace simplicity. I know myself too well. I like nice stuff.
On the other hand, I am not going to do what retailers urge us to do - "shop til I drop."
Julie Ozanne, a marketing professor at Virginia Tech writes, "Both are extreme positions that miss the point that shopping and consuming can be both delightful and horrible."
Ozanne advocates a moderate approach one that she feels is more likely to change consumer behavior beyond the holidays.
She writes, "Be more mindful about consumption. Assess potential purchases. Pursue those that will truly bring pleasure and eliminate those that won't."
Mindful shopping. I like that.
In fact, I already do this to a large degree when I shop for food. I like to know where my food comes from, how it is produced, and who produces it.
Why not extend this concept to other things that I buy? After all, I am not simply buying stuff. I am participating in a global process that began long before I paid for an item.
Take the drinking glass for example. You can buy one for a couple of bucks at a box store. But, did you look to see where it was made? Did you think about the individual who made it? Did you think about how much energy was used to transport the glass from the factory to your house?
Thinking about the life span of a product or considering the interconnectedness between producers and consumers may make shopping seem overwhelming and daunting, but it doesn't have to be. This year Macomb is offering its residents an opportunity to become mindful, socially engaged consumers right on the downtown square.
For the next two weekends, from 4:00pm - 7:00pm on Friday and 10:00am - 4:00pm on Saturday, the West Central Illinois Arts Center, located at 25 East Side Square, will feature the wares of 13 very talented local artists. This is a wonderful opportunity to practice mindful shopping while purchasing a one of a kind gift for someone you care about.
In addition to supporting local artists you will have a chance to meet the people behind the camera lens, the paint brush, the potter's wheel, or the glass blowing torch. In the words of Thomas Merton, a Trapist monk and poet, "Take more time, cover less ground."
So as you do your holiday shopping this year, be mindful of the gifts you give this holiday season but also thankful for the individuals who create them.
Heather McIlvaine-Newsad is a Professor of Anthropology at Western Illinois University