Update: The article I refer to in this piece is now online. Go on over and vote in the poll. Would you give up gifts?

There are only 63 days until Christmas!

Kwanzaa is a mere 64 days away!

And  only 46 until Hanukkah!

Yup, there’s no denying it. The malls are decked, the parking lots are full and the sharp elbow jabs over the last thing-you-absolutely-have-to-have have begun.

But this year you won’t find me out there among them. Nope.

We’re boycotting.

christmas past

Might have the tree. Won’t have the presents. Hoping to keep the smiles.

No wrapping paper or bows. No scanning the flyers or getting up early to beat the lines. We’re opting for experiences together, over a morning of gifts we soon forget we have.

I wrote about our decision to skip the gift-giving/receiving side of the holidays in the November issue of Canadian Family Magazine (on newsstands now!).

cf-november

On newsstands now!

And then I held my breath.

What would family, friends, blog readers, think of our decision.

Turns out many of you are as stressed out and dragged down by the over commercialization of the holidays as we are.

In fact, if you turn to the masthead in the magazine, you’ll see that when they conducted an internal poll a surprising number of editors joined me in the pledge to let it all go this season.

I won’t give the whole story away but I am curious to hear what you think.

So….No present exchange this year.

Could you do it? Would you?