Part 3: And this is what I will do.

This is a time to be merry and bright.
This is a time of singing and laughing,
list-making and bank-breaking,
THEY'RE COMING!
and THEY'RE HERE!
Good smells and good cheer.

Trading sleep for memories
And sanity for family,
Hopes and little-kid dreams,
play out around the glowing tree,
As we nibble little gingerbread men
In our tacky Christmas sweaters.

...And it's pretty much the worst time ever to say
OH ALSO!
Ye glowing, cheery carolers!
Amidst your holiday hullabaloo
and spiked eggnog
and buying of last minute OH CRAP I FORGOTs,
please remember those faceless people we'll probably never see
(who are dying in factory fires as we speak)
and don't patronize x and y store.
(Possibly a, b and c store too, but I really can't be sure.)
Or maybe just buy from fair trade stamped places?
Or maybe just buy from thrift stores?

And oh dear, I fear I have confused us all.

So, dear friends, in summary,
I decided to write about this now as opposed to then--
because no time is a good time and now is just as good as any.
because I don't know what to do but I have to do something.
And because I won't do a thing if left to my own devices.

I am going to have a merry Christmas.
I hope you do too.
I am going to try and soak up joy and people and fun and memories
and CELEBRATE!
Because I believe 'tis the Season.
And because I have a lot to celebrate.

And when the parties have ended
and the gifts are unwrapped,
I am going to start digging.

I won't make some lofty pledges here,
but I do promise this--
I will look into five companies.
(maybe more...not less)
Companies I either love or think I should hate.
All companies I currently support.

I will see what I can find.
I will write them to see what they say.
And I will tell you what I learn.

I hope you will stick around to find out.

And in case you haven't caught it before,
Thank you for reading.



*Am I turning into a conspiracy theorist?