Bah humbug.Canadian losers.

[taranaki]

VANCOUVER - After years of sending friends anti-Christmas cards, one of which featured a homeless Santa and another battered child angels, Valerie and Trevor Williams decided to "go big" this year.

The result can be seen on a billboard looming over the Pat Bay Highway near Victoria, where commuters, rushing no doubt to buy gifts, are faced with this stark message: "Gluttony. Envy. Insincerity. Greed. Enjoy Your Christmas."

Mrs. Williams, a 33-year-old Women's Studies student at the University of Victoria, and her husband, a 37-year-old aeronautical engineer, are on a campaign against what they see as the rampant consumerism and religious exclusivity of Christmas.

While others are humming carols, trimming trees and picking out gifts for the people they love, Mr. and Mrs. Williams have taken all their Christmas gift money this year -- $1,200 -- and spent it on the attack ad.

"I think the billboard is stark, it's angry, it's red. Black letters on red, the Christmas colours," she said when asked to describe the sign.

And instead of greeting cards, the Williams have sent out a mass e-mailing to friends and strangers alike, urging them to join their campaign against the evils of Christmas.

"In response to the growing onslaught of manufactured consumeristic Christmas cheer, we have decided to actively reject the capitalist ideology of Christmas. We refuse to spend one cent on buying into the consumer machine this year -- no tinsel, no tree, no shiny balls, no Christmas cards, no presents, no wrapping paper, no turkey, no cranberry sauce, no candy canes, and no icicle lights," states the Williams's e-mail.

"Christmas will not be coming to this house.... Join us in our Christmas rebellion!"

Mrs. Williams said she and her husband have been grumbling to themselves about "Christmas hell" for several years. A few seasons ago they started to boycott the whole gift-giving, carol-singing, egg-nogging thing and began to send out the anti-Christmas cards, along with a note informing family that instead of giving them gifts they were making donations to charity.

But that didn't ease their anger, which is reflected in the voice message on their telephone. Instead of a jolly greeting, callers hear a recording of White Christmas that is interrupted as if the Williams had just come home.

Valerie: "My God, who put that music on?"

Trevor: "It's awful, get it off."

Valerie: "Oh.... Jesus. Oh. Oh. Doesn't that just drive you insane?"

Mrs. Williams, who grew up in a middle-class family in Victoria, said she has good memories of the Christmases she had as a child. But the growing commercialism of the season and its Christian exclusivity had long troubled her. On returning to British Columbia from world travels three years ago, she decided it was time to take action. From protest cards, it grew to the really big billboard.

She says she doesn't know where the Christmas rebellion will go from here, but she's determined to keep fighting against Santa and all he represents.

"Who is Santa?" she asks heatedly. "He is the mall's puppet.... Children are taught to worship this white, heterosexual man who overeats. I mean, it's wrong."

Mrs. Williams says she is getting lots of support for her campaign. People are cheering her on with e-mails that say: "Damn the Santa Claus man!" and "Right on!"

Some people take a sterner tone. One man told her: "If you had children, you would understand."

Mrs. Williams admits it can be tough to explain her socio-political point of view to the children of friends. "At 12 they get it. I can explain why I don't like the consumerism and about how other religions are excluded, but for the younger children, I mean, I can't tell them Santa doesn't exist. It wouldn't be right for me to interfere in a family that way," she said. "And I wouldn't want to say anything to ruin Christmas for a child.... I really don't think if we had children we could do this."

But Mrs. Williams urges her friends to boycott gift giving, and instead to explain to children that their present money has been given to a charity in their name, to help people in need.

"If everyone in B.C. gave their Christmas money to charity this year, imagine the good we could do," she said.

Visa Canada expects 2.9 million British Columbians will spend $2.3-billion on holiday gifts this season.

Told that figure, Mrs. Williams is horrified.

But then she's cheered to learn that Visa is predicting that, in B.C. alone, people will spend 23% less this Christmas than they did last year.

"That's my Christmas present," she says with delight.

[Moppie]

What a very cool idea!

Gota link?

[Graphik Styles]

some people may not agree wit wat she's sayin.........but it does make sense........

[taranaki]

Originally posted by Moppie
What a very cool idea!

Gota link?

source.

http://www.nationalpost.com/national/story.html?id={52994C8F-7CE5-4CCD-9495-08172469BC12}

one day,I'll show you how to do a Google search........

http://www.google.co.nz/search?q=ant...=Google+Search

[Moppie]

Originally posted by taranaki


one day,I'll show you how to do a Google search........

Bah! Its easyier to get you to do it for me.

[Oz]

Well, currently being the closest COT regular in BC, I could check it out, Or, I could go ski Whistler tomorrow!
Bahahahaha....

[Jimster]

Originally posted by ozriceboy
Well, currently being the closest COT regular in BC, I could check it out, Or, I could go ski Whistler tomorrow!
Bahahahaha....

C'mon........$20 if you knock the stupid thing down

[taranaki]

Originally posted by Jimmy_11_cars




C'mon........$20 if you knock the stupid thing down

$50 If you can tag it wtith the AF logo and "Screw you ,Merry Christmas"

[YogsVR4]

Lets see - she doesn't want to spend any money but yet kicks in 1200 for a billboard. Ok - so it wasn't KMart that got her cash, but she spent it anyway. Canada is mostly a free country. Let the crybabies do as they want. I'm having a good time and enjoy this time of year.

Just because she may come from a shallow non religious background doesn't mean that the rest of us have. She's pretty sad.

(her husband doesnt say anything - just a name in this story)













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[Moppie]

Originally posted by YogsVR4

Just because she may come from a shallow non religious background doesn't mean that the rest of us have. She's pretty sad.

Since when does being non-religious and anti-consumeristic make someone shallow?
IMO it makes her a lot more aware of the state of the world and the society she lives, and therefore a much deeper person.
Its the people who get to wraped up in the money and presents and think a present is only good if it costs a lot of money that are shallow.


However for all her bleating about sending money to charity and solving world hunger the $1200 could have been better spent.

[ac427cpe]

to her i say "bah humbug" and to what she said i say "i'm sorry all i heard was 'bla bla bla i'm a dirty tramp'"

oh well.. there will always be people like that