Many years ago, seven to be exact, I decided my family was too focused on materialism, and decided to do something about it. I put our family on a “shopping fast.”

We didn’t buy anything for a year, and I came up with rules for us to follow. Buying books, medicine, and toiletries was allowed.  Clothing and toys was not. While it was hard at first, we quickly got used to it, and tried to focus on experiences over stuff. We did things together, instead of buying more items that would eventually be passed on to Goodwill.

Jon was reluctant at first, but once he saw how it was positively effecting the kids, he quickly signed on.

It was hard for people to understand we were doing this to shift our focus from the acquisition of materialistic items to the simple pleasures in life. While the purpose wasn’t to save money, we did, of course, save money. We got a lot more out of it than a bigger bank account. We discovered there was more to talk about than the latest “must have” jacket, boots, or toys. We went to Broadway shows, traveled, and the kids stopped asking for things.

We simplified our lives, had less to take care of, and just enjoyed being together.

Life felt easier that year.

While it’s been seven years since the shopping fast, and we’ve happily signed back on to consumption, I miss how easy certain aspects of our lives were that year. Giving gifts was simple: it was either books or baked goods, per the rules. The past few days, as I make our holiday gift list and work to check items off the list, I miss the ease of the “shopping fast.”

That year, December was more about spending time with family and friends, instead of what to buy them.

I mentioned this to my kids, who are happy we’re done with that.

“How many books do you think I want anyway?” Avi asked.

“As many as I want to buy you,” I answered.

“No one wants books, “she informed me, “People want good stuff. Fun stuff.”

“What isn’t fun about a book?” I asked her. She looked at me and rolled her eyes. My kids weren’t teenagers when we did the “shopping fast,” thank goodness.

While I’m not going to only purchase books for them, I do try to keep what I learned close to my heart. Most importantly, our lives will always be about the people in it, not the things we have.

Find meaning each day,

Dara

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