Letters: When enough stuff is enough

Re “The season of excess begins,” Opinion, Nov. 29

I couldn’t agree more with Daniel Fink. In this country where we already have so much stuff, after the holidays we end up with even more stuff.

This consumerism epidemic has taken on a life of its own, with the bombardment of Black Friday sales and fashion shows and magazines showing what celebrities are buying and endless promotions.

That is why I start all my holiday lists with items that I don’t want because I know my family will buy me something anyway. My 90-year-old mother only gets lottery tickets or edible items that she will actually eat. I get my young niece and nephew items at garage sales that are always inexpensive but well received. And I re-gift items I don’t want or need.

This is a continual battle, but I will fight on.

Anita Roglich

Santa Monica

There is a simple solution to the dilemma of what to give people who have everything they need: Give them the gift of “the arts.”

Tickets to concerts and shows offer an opportunity to give a wonderful gift that benefits the local economy. And there is little to put in a landfill afterward.

Wendy Velasco

Whittier

Many people will probably read Fink’s superb piece and think it’s about sacrifice when it’s actually about ecstasy.

There is nothing more comforting than the satisfaction of enough. Add to that the joys of moving beyond addictive consumerism (our society’s biggest disease) and minimizing the human footprint (our planet’s biggest problem).

Carol Holst

Glendale

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