by Carla Blackmar

Of all the "Anti-Consumer Christmas"-type books out there, Bill McKibben's "Hundred Dollar Holiday" is by far the cutest. Just slightly larger than a checkbook, it has a certain adorable "pick me up" quality that seems more Urban Outfitters than Bah Humbug. Based upon the book's content it would seem that the print design concept was probably meant to materially convey the liberal motto "smaller is better," but as so often happens, this backfired, leaving behind a very cute little commodity.

Though its appealing form might run against the main theme of the book, (you'll want to buy one for everyone on your Christmas List!) the book's digestibility and gift-worthiness do work in its favor. This is not a good book for anyone who is already sold on the idea that a anti-consumer Holiday is a better Holiday. But for those who are on the fence, and even better, for those who have never entertained that notion, "Hundred Dollar Holiday" is a good introduction to the idea that winter holidays should be period of respite from our annual cycle of getting and spending (rather than the apex of it). The fact that it mimics the visual appearance of the "How to be a bridesmaid"-genre book sold at Paper Source only adds to its cache for the "new-to-anticonsumerism" reader.

Snide remarks about its printing aside, McKibben's book does offer some fresh ideas about revitalizing the holiday. The books' greatest strength is its summary of existing literature about the history of Christmas; particularly the summary of Stephen Nissenbaum's excellent book "The Battle for Christmas." Though a truly interested reader might want to read Nissenbaum's nearly 400-page tome itself, people short on time can get the meat of it through McKibben's summary. The direction that McKibben takes in his "simplify the holidays" campaign is largely rooted in his understanding of the history of Christmas. The basic theory is that in the past, Christmas was a time of year when the usual socioeconomic order was turned on its head. In the medieval world of drudgery and scarcity, Christmas was a feast of noise and plenty, when wealthy feudal few were obligated to give something to the peasantry that slaved under them. In "Hundred Dollar Holiday," McKibben postulates that Christmas should be a similar period of respite from the drudgery of our daily lives. Since most Americans already live in a world of excess food, spending, and noise, the winter holidays would be a time to scale back on all those fronts, and enjoy the peace. (He does also note that since economic inequity has NOT been resolved since the medieval period, that the winter holidays are still a time to give to the less fortunate. )

Of all the various reasons I've heard for scaling back the holidays, none seems on quite as solid footing as those McKibben gives. They seem firmly rooted in the sort-of twisted logic of Holidays, and make the concept of a "Hundred Dollar Holiday" seem less grinch-y; and maybe even ingenious. Though the suggestions he has for how to actually change the way we celebrate aren't quite so earth-shattering, there are some good ideas among them. One of the best is his suggestion that holiday celebrations carry on the tradition of St. Frances of Assisi. St. Frances is said to have gone out to feed the animals on Christmas Day so they could share in joy of the holiday. While literally feeding the animals literally might not be the most logical way for everyone to celebrate, finding some way to get outside and acknowledge nature seems like the breath of fresh air Christmas Day needs.

Though some readers could be put off by the decidedly Christian character of the book, there are certainly ideas within it that would apply to anyone who celebrates a winter holiday. (After all, Christmas itself is really piggybacking on much older rituals surrounding the Dec. 21 Winter Solstice.) So if you're struggling with how to explain your new "no present policy" to your friends and relations, consider circulating this book as part of your PR strategy. It's a sugar-coated pill, and it may just work wonders.