We are very excited to announce that this Friday, the day commonly known as "Black Friday" in the United States, we will be shutting down the Holstee shop. On a day that has come to symbolize consumerism and consumption, we want to send a different message: spend time instead of spending money. Annie Leonard reminds us in the Story of Stuff that consumerism is not adding anything to our well-being or overall sense of happiness and worth. On the contrary, we know that happiness is best when shared, and that real value is found in the relationships we have rather than the stuff we own. Thus, instead of kicking off the season with "Doorbuster Deals", 4am shopping trips, and traffic jams--we are going to relax, enjoy, create, tell stories, play a board game, make a meal, and spend time with the people we value. We are shutting down the shop to refocus on what is important to us, and it turns out that it cannot be bought at an Early Bird Special. We hope you will join us. :)

I have recently become really interested in the comparison of Consumerism and Materialism. First I would like to set a definition for these two words. Consumerism: the preoccupation of society with the acquisition of consumer goods. Materialism: the preoccupation of society to material possessions and their physical composition. These definitions are my own, and extracted from the many definitions of consumerism and of materialism available online. If you don’t agree with the definitions please share your own in the comments below. I want to make a clear distinction in the definitions of each word, because I think that each word has a completely different implication but too often their use and understanding are confused.

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