Robert Buddan, Contributor

One source says that Americans cut down 33 million trees in 1997 to make Christmas trees. An American consumer association says that the level of lead in Christmas tree lights might be harmful to children. What is Christmas coming to? Is it bad for planet and people? Millions of toys have had to be recalled from the market on the grounds that they are dangerous to children. Is profit- making and consumerism driving Christmas values at the harm of human values?

Each year Christmas forces us to confront two sets of values but each year we seem to be falling prey to the wrong set. The debate over the commercial values of Christmas and the human values of family continues. Christmas, some say, is about profit and the commercial culture, which reinforces the values of materialism, acquisitiveness, and self-indulgence. These values, they say, are increasingly replacing spiritual, family, and community values where compassion and love should be primary.

Christmas has always been controversial. From its beginning there was controversy over the pagan origins of December 25 as Christmas Day. Later, there was controversy among Christians themselves and Christmas was briefly banned in England. Then there was controversy over the cultural meanings of Christmas and the different ways that Jesus and Christmas Man/St. Nicholas represent the popular spirit of Christmas. Now, of course, there is the controversy over competing commercial and human values, and not a new controversy either.

THE ENVIRONMENT

This latest controversy, however, has taken on new dimensions, especially this year. With Al Gore and United Nations scientists being awarded the Nobel Prize for their work in spreading awareness of climate change, environmentalists are asking afresh how many trees are being destroyed for the market for Christmas trees. A Sunday Observer article last week said the amount of wrapping paper that the British use each year requires destroying 50,000 trees. Artificial Christmas trees are not really the answer, because they are non-biodegradable and after their life span, they sit in landfills for hundreds of years. This adds further stress to the amount of non-biodegradable wastes the Earth can absorb, including the massive amount of toys bought and thrown away after Christmas.

Since the rich countries use up a disproportionate amount of the world's resources in production and consumption and pollute the Earth to that extent, the commercial values of their Christmas subvert the human and Earth values of the rest of the world.

Some organisations in those countries have actually started a 'Buy Nothing Day' to coincide with the periods of Thanksgiving and the Christmas holidays. They want to discourage purchases of environmentally harmful products.

I hardly believe Jamaicans will buy nothing. In fact, we seem to spend more every year. Environmentalists, however, don't want to spoil anyone's Christmas. In fact, they make very goo suggestions. Buy or make environmentally friendly goods. Use local craft. Boycott goods that are polluting, unhealthy, dangerous, and as far as possible, foreign. We should buy Jamaican and Caribbean. We should also support small enterprises instead of the large international brands. We must make Christmas Earth-friendly.

INEQUALITY

The promoters of human values point to another Christmas controversy. Western corporations make billions spent by western consumers and pay very little to the workers they hire in the poor countries to make toys, clothes, electronics, and other goods bought at Christmas.

These western countries are also Christian countries that profit from the exploited labour of non-Christian Asia and Africa as well as their poor Christian brethren of Latin America. Christmas doesn't represent peace and goodwill to all but exacerbates the inequalities between countries and peoples. Children are nonetheless duped by the myth that Jesus' commercial counterpart, Santa Claus and his elves, happily make these toys for them.

Social activists don't want to take away jobs from the poor. But they believe that if consumers buy environmentally safe products from companies that show more respect for human and labour rights, this will signal companies to be more responsible. This is how market signals should work. Activists want consumers in each country to buy from locals, especially small enterprises and vendors.

Many small and own-account businesses make good clothing, craft, food, drink, shoe and other products that make acceptable gifts. In the end, more of the smaller producers benefit and more poor people earn something from the market. This market is based on the decisions that consumers make. They can make decisions to the greater benefit of the environment and the poor.

ENERGY

In this age (and year) punishing oil prices continue to be determined by markets and politics that only benefit the rich oil countries and companies. Ordinary people are especially cautioned to celebrate Christmas in energy-sensitive ways. At this time of year, people will be cooking more, travelling more, staying up later, using lights and appliances for longer times, and decorating with Christmas lights. Christmas lights alone can cause a great difference to the country's energy bill.

Conservationists say we can use less lights and more energy-efficient bulbs, like LED lights that use 90 per cent less electricity.

At the start of 2004, oil prices were about US$38 per barrel but reached US$58 by the end of that year. By the end of November 2007, it had reached US$95 at one stage, an retreating since, might go up again as early as January, some analysts say. Christmas is getting expensive and consuming a lot more energy than in the past.

Jamaica's oil bill was a little over US$300 million in 1998 but exceeded US$1 billion in 2004, and just three years later is expected to exceed US$2 billion. The point is that we have to find new ways of having a merry Christmas and if we send up our energy bill, further we won't be having a very happy new year.

Commercial promoters of Christmas have not been entirely immune to public sensitivities. There was a time when Santa Claus was pictured as a pipe smoker. Now, the pipe has been dropped in a more health-conscious time. Probably in time, Christmas will not be a 'white Christmas', a phrase that has little meaning to most of the world, but a 'green Christmas', a phrase that would.

WISE SPENDING

Jamaica's Consumer Affairs Commission usually does a good job of sensitising shoppers to wise spending and energy-saving practices. In the week ahead, shoppers must buy in ways that help the environment, the poor, and energy bills. But it is a good time of year for the Jamaica Manufacturers' Association to revive its Buy Jamaica campaign; for the Small Business Association to do the same and create its own Christmas markets, and for the Government's Energy Efficiency Unit to intensify public education.

Someone wrote that she was busy at home when she heard the TV say, 'Christmas values'. It made her think of peace on Earth and goodwill to all men. When she looked at the TV she saw what it meant - camcorders going for $595. This sums up the debate over Christmas values - too commercial and not enough peace and goodwill.

Robert Buddan lectures in the Department of Government, Mona Campus, UWI. Email: Robert.Buddan@uwimona.edu.jm.