Holidays and the Recession: David Loftus

Our holiday situation isn’t much different due to the recession, though our general household habits are, a little. As I explained in my November 27 commentary regarding Black Friday, we largely gave up the practice of buying things for each other and our family and friends years ago. We have no kids and precious few relations who are children; and we live in a tiny urban apartment where space is at a premium. We have no consumer debt, and no intention of creating any.

As a nominally Jewish household, we pretty much bypass the entire Christmas thing altogether -- although yesterday we transported many heaps of wrapped gifts purchased by our Jewish co-congregants for children in the low-income housing tower near the synagogue; next week I may join staged readings of “A Christmas Carol” (and probably play Scrooge at least once) for retirement homes and the AIDS hospice in Portland; and on Christmas Day we will serve hundreds of hot meals to homeless and low-income families at the synagogue. But these events happen every year.

In years past, we often hosted a Chanukah party. Since I’m officially unemployed (have been picking up temp jobs while trying to effect a career shift), we’re on a tighter budget, so we will not be entertaining in that way, and we have been eating out less. We’ll spend the next two weeks quietly at home: reading, writing, and enjoying a little quiet time with our pets after the year’s and holidays’ projects have been completed. I’ll see my Mom and brothers for our annual get-together for several days of cards, board games, eating, and visiting in early January. The 2009 holiday season does not feel to me that it’s lacking in any way.