Resist the siren call of Black Friday

What's your gameplan?

I had a different post ready to go for today, but then I started noticing Black Friday marking and gift guides start drifting into my email inbox. I guess it’s that time already!

There are a lot of asks of us this time of year, from schools asking for donations and volunteer hours, to family commitments, to travel, to tax planning and annual year-end work.

I’m always looking for ways to take things off my plate, and it’s especially necessary (and hard!) right now. One thing I know I can do is bypass the consumerist delirium that seems to engulf the country every November and December. So that’s where we’ll start.

Here’s a new holiday tradition I’m hoping to sustain: my kids and I love dried persimmon fruit, which ripens in our area November-December. We started making our own dried persimmon from neighborhood trees — a festive snack with gift potential.

I’ve done some pre-work in letting family members know our preferences around receiving gifts, and I’m lucky that I don’t have a strong gifting culture in my extended family. If you need a refresher, here are two relevant posts:

• Why I don’t buy my kids toys

• Group brainstorm chock full of reader ideas for avoiding gifts

I’m sending this week’s newsletter almost as a counterweight to all the gift guides and sale hype emails I assume you’re also receiving. Consider this a gentle reminder that you can just…ignore all of it, if you want.

The House Machine Guide to Less this Holiday Season

Less purchasing: