My friend Jessie told me about the Hundred Dollar Holiday by Bill McKibben because she was reading it in preparation for presenting the material next week. It's a tiny little book about making Christmas more joyful by making it less commercial. The questions of presents for my children had already started so I read the book for ideas and inspiration for Christmas this year. Most of the book is the history of how Christmas got so commercial and why it can be more fun otherwise. The point of trying to limit all Christmas spending to a hundred dollars (or more or less depending on the size of one's family) is not to save money or stop waste but to make it more joyful. He makes an interesting point about how though the shopping season is extremely long, the time we celebrate Christmas is short. Once the presents are opened, it's over. He explains that when the focus is not on the presents, it is more merry and the celebration continues. This book is a nice, short read for both those interested in exploring the idea of a less commercial Christmas and those who are already living voluntarily simple.
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