Other Ideas for November

I've been thinking about other things to do in November that are maybe more authentic to me than the way I've spent my time in the past. I have to admit there were years when I braved the mall on the day after Thanksgiving to get a jump-start on my holiday shopping. Now the thought of even entering a mall, especially on the busiest shopping day of the year, makes me almost sick to my stomach. So, I thought that instead I would try to organize a Really, Really Free Market(RRFM) at a park near my house on the Friday after Thanksgiving. The markets are all over now, but the original one was started by Kirsten Brydum in San Francisco. Kirsten was killed last month and the RRFM in San Francisco is working hard, as are a lot of other organizations, to keep her memory and spirit alive. For more information on the original market, you can visit the website at www.reallyreallyfree.org. The idea is fairly simple. On a particular day, everyone who wants to participate can bring stuff they want to give away to the park (or wherever the event is being held). People are free to take whatever they want/think they need/know they will use. No strings attached. No barter or trade necessary. Free. The only catch is that if you bring stuff and no one takes it, then you have to take it with you. No one can leave trash behind. People also can bring blankets, music, food and hang out/socialize. It's getting people together, outside in a way that stands in direct opposition to the consumerism that drives our culture. So I am going to work on making this happen. I will post updates as the time nears. My other idea was to get together the 60 or 70 people who converge on my family's home for Thanksgiving and do a collective donation to some charity, preferably one that supports and/or benefits a Native American organization in some way. I think that we could collect at least $100 or $200 and it might start a tradition that would continue annually. I need to do some work on this idea too, but I thought about it and decided that if I posted it I would be more likely to hold myself accountable for actually making it happen.