In the season of MORE, what about LESS?

It’s that time of year.  A time of excess, buying, and spending.  But in this season of more, I’m here to make a strong argument for less.  Less personal debt.  Less stress.  Less “stuff” cluttering up our homes.  Less “trying to keep up with the Joneses”.

Americans are a nation of consumers.  We buy when we’re happy; we buy when we’re sad.  Recreational shopping has taken the place of spending time with friends and family enjoying real experiences.  Amazon delivers overnight and with the click of a button, we “add to cart” and all of our wants show up on our doorstep.  But at what cost?

How many times have we told ourselves that soon we’ll call that loved one and catch up.  Soon we’ll take more time with friends and loved ones.  Some day we’ll start that decluttering and purging process so that others aren’t left to clean up our mess.  We’ll work on letting go of some of the stuff that’s cluttering up our lives and holding us back and holding us down.  Some is not a number; soon is not a time.

This year, think about gifting an experience.  A zoo membership.  Theater or concert tickets.  Game tickets for her favorite team.  A “day out” with someone you don’t get to spend a lot of time with.  Because we don’t need more STUFF.  We need more connection.  More interaction.  More nurturing.  More joy.  And that simply does not come in a brown box…