The Advent season is here. While we strive to make it a time to prepare prayerfully, shop responsibly, and give generously, there is no denying that the Christmas holidays can bring stresses and even temptations. To help you act on the values you really hold dear, we share this post from one of our biggest CRS Fair Trade fans, Elizabeth Cole of Austin, Texas.
“As St. Theresa of Lisieux said, it’s the baby steps…….
You think Christmas is overwhelming? Every year I have a friend who declares “I HATE Halloween!” She hates the excess but mostly she hates that Fair Trade chocolate is not the norm in this country. Somehow it doesn’t bother me as much, but propels me into action: scheming and dreaming about ways to get more people to become aware of the inequities of the cocoa buying practices of some large corporations. I know that large scale change may seem to be eons away but it’s such a worthy challenge because of cocoa farmers like Comfort Kumeah, who I have been honored to get to know. Knowing that Fair Trade assists Comfort motivates me all year long.
My propulsion forward is born of the realization that the work we do now may insure that the next generation of American chocolate lovers will DEMAND Fair Trade cocoa for ALL of their chocolate products! And the fact that Cadbury’s in England has committed to buying all Fair Trade certified cocoa beans for their milk chocolate products confirms my optimism.
At Halloween, folks say that they can’t buy Fair Trade chocolate to give to the little goblins who visit them because it’s too expensive. Another friend reports that she buys at least 20 pounds of chocolate and that it would be too prohibitive. My question to her is WHY do you buy so much chocolate?
Why not turn off the porch light after running out of treats? Why do we have to be swayed by the American way of excess? Isn’t this the year instead to figure out how to give reasonably? Yes, the neighbors may think that you’ve descended into financial ruin or that you’re a bah humbug (speaking of Christmas coming) but couldn’t you be the beacon of simplification sanity for the hood?
“Okay,” you say “I can try to make the holidays different, but what do I do instead of shopping?” What about a letter writing party? How about sending a note to your pastor asking him to increase your parish commitment to Fair Trade coffee after masses? Why not get the children in your life to start a petition drive at school to Raise Money Right? How about convening a family meeting and consider the promise to only buy Fair Trade gifts this next year? Or it could be as simple as committing to only buying Fair Trade coffee for a year?
Earlier this year, my 14 year old and I caught part of an Oprah show about the abused women in Congo. It was stated that ¾ of the women there have been abused. That is 75% of the female population! As I sat with my tears, my son said he was inspired by the people who saw a previous show and did something. About the woman who chose to write a letter, and how that grew into a fundraising marathon. And how that grew into thousands of women receiving financial aid and personal letters (and feeling connected to the others in the world). He tied it to what the priest had said that morning at mass about St. Theresa, “Mom, we just have to do little things and they will add up.” I translate that into “do what’s in front of you.”
So here we are at the start of the holiday season and these are the little actions YOU can take.
For today: take a step. A baby step. Commit to some research. Learn about the needs of your brothers and sisters overseas. The CRS Fair Trade site can help you learn more about Fair Trade as a way of confronting poverty. Once you understand how Fair Trade relates to your faith, figure out which Fair Trade product you’ll commit to and just buy Fair Trade in that category.
And don’t forget to thank St. Theresa of Lisieux for reaching through the ages and inspiring you to move.”
Elizabeth first met Comfort as part of a CRS delegation to Ghana. Photo credit: CRS.
