50 Ways to Celebrate Buy Nothing Day

Black Friday (or, increasingly, Black Thursday, because Thanksgiving just didn't have enough commercialism trying to eradicate it) is looming. And while there is nothing inherently more wrong with buying something on that day as opposed to any other day, it's still a "holiday" worth protesting. If Thanksgiving is the last struggling survivor against the wave of consumerism, Black Friday is its evil twin: a symbol of everything wrong with how we buy stuff. 

Aside from the obvious problems such as people trampling each other, Black Friday glorifies our global-industrial trade of cheaply-produced goods that exploits and endangers workers, pollutes our planet, and crowds our landfills. And while these ethical concerns are going to exist any day of the year, Black Friday is an unashamed frenzy celebrating this destruction.

This is where Buy Nothing Day comes in. Founded in 1992, it is an international protest against consumerism, an alternative to Black Friday. It can be as dramatic as going to a protest or as simple as opting out. There are endless ways to celebrate it! My standing tradition since I was 17 is to spend the day after Thanksgiving at my Christmas job, bringing magic and fun to people in historic St. Charles (packing my own lunch, of course), but since that's not widely-applicable, here are 50 ideas to get you brainstorming. Enjoy!

1. Go for a hike.

2. Have some friends over to swap clothing, household goods, books, or anything else!

3. Watch a movie or play a video game you already own on a device that you already own. Invite some friends over to join.

4. Volunteer at a local food pantry.

5. Read one of those books on your shelf that you've been meaning to read for ages but haven't.

6. Bake some cookies and bring them to a neighbor.

7. Sit down and write an old-fashioned letter to one or many people. Tell them how much they mean to you, or a fun memory you have of them, or what you've been thinking about lately.

8. Be happy about how much you're saving by not buying anything.

9. Forage some acorns, autumn leaves, or interesting-looking branches to make an indoor decoration.

10. Take the money you would've spent on buying something for Black Friday and donate it to a charity. A monthly commitment is even better: steady income is one of the greatest needs for any nonprofit. 

11. Spend all day at the library— ours has all sorts of reading nooks, a fireplace to curl up, and endless magazines, books, movies, video games, and music!

12. Learn how to gift-wrap without using disposables. 

13. Find a Buy Nothing or Freecycle group in your area, and if there isn't one, start one!

14. Read poetry aloud.

15. Do a house project that you keep putting off.

16. Invite some people over and teach them a skill that you know, or ask someone else to teach you. 

17. Meditate.

18. Sit down and think about what you want your holiday season to look like. Set intentions so you don't get swept up in it all. 

19. Make use of a public area: a park, library, beach, hiking trail, historical site, or free museum. 

20. Use the Thanksgiving turkey bones to make broth.

21. Sit down and really listen to some music.

22. Rearrange your furniture to make your space feel fresh and new.

23. Take a long bath. 

24. Clean out your pantry and figure out a creative meal to make with the items you already have. Invite some people over to make a clean-out-the-pantry party!.

25. Take a slow walk around your neighborhood. Notice little details and take joy in them.

26. Find a place to volunteer. Invite some friends to do it with you!

27. Learn how to make something that you would normally buy, anything from salad dressing to dog toys to chairs. (The Internet is your friend for learning this kind of stuff!)

28. Think back to what you enjoyed doing when you were eight, and do one of those things today. 

29. Challenge yourself to use up, freeze, or give away all your Thanksgiving leftovers.

30. Get lost in one of these awesome anti-consumerist blogs: Zero Waste Chef, Polly Barks, Litterless, New Dream. 

31. Do something nice for a retail worker you know. Cook a nice meal or put together some snacks from your pantry and a couple bucks for a movie rental. Give it to them as a surprise.

32. Declutter your house. Make a huge "donate" pile. Post the most interesting stuff on Freecycle or the Buy Nothing Project.

33. Draw, paint, make music, or otherwise create art— just for fun.

34. Start your very own sourdough pet with the flour that's sitting in your pantry.

35. Have a post-Thanksgiving potluck— everyone brings their leftovers and trades them!

36. Learn origami.

37. Dress up in your fanciest clothes, including any jewelry that you never wear because it's "too nice," and break open that special thing you've been hoarding for a special day (chocolate, wine, a fancy tea that your sister-in-law gave you last Christmas). The special day is today!

38. Talk to your family about Christmas presents. 

39. Invite some friends and neighbors over to help you pick up trash in your neighborhood.

40. Light a candle, pick up a journal, and write down your thoughts and reflections.

41. Offer to babysit someone's kids for free.

42. Play board games you already own.

43. Exchange back rubs with a friend.

44. Get a bunch of $10 bills and randomly give them away to people.

45. Do yoga or exercise using YouTube videos.

46. Take a nap.

47. Learn about mindful eating and start practicing it. 

48. Try some sort of needlework using stuff you already have on hand: crocheting, knitting (use two sticks), embroidery, mending, etc.

49. Learn to identify birds and take a bird-watching walk.

50. Take joy in the world you've been given, and keep that Thanksgiving spirit going. 

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