Wishlist Challenge

We’re issuing a challenge to reimagine Christmas wishlists. While creating an Amazon list of things we want is convenient, there are other ways to wish that are heathier for our local communities, better for the planet, and more fun!

If you can do just 1 of the 12 Ways to Christmas that make up WishlistChallenge.org, that's a good thing. You don't have to do all of them. Actually, doing all of them would be super impressive! At Ember, we consider all 12 and pick a combo that works for us.

Although we would prefer that the one thing you do is #ResistAmazon, there's no shame in not doing so. Life is busy and hard. Life during Christmastime can be even busier and harder than usual. And Amazon makes shopping ridiculously convenient. It's kinda their whole thing. Forgoing such convenience during Christmastime is a big ask. So, if you can't do it, it's OK. We get it.

Try one of the other 12 Ways to Christmas, because Wishlist Challenge is not simply an anti-Amazon campaign. It's an invitation to think and do differently when it comes to consumption.

Consuming stuff is a major aspect of Christmas. Black Friday is called Black Friday partly because it's when retailers' revenues, after being "in the red" most or all of the year, finally move to being "in the black," meaning they are finally profitable after not being so the rest of the year. It's so profitable during that month-or-so period that it compensates for the rest of an unprofitable year.

As Amazon has become a major part of consumption, Christmas and Amazon go hand in hand. Thus, Wishlist Challenge is aimed at consumption generally and, because of their enormous roles in consumption, Christmas and Amazon specifically.

The overarching reason for resisting Amazon in the Wishlist Challenge is that we think Amazon does more societal harm than good, from treating workers poorly to unfair practices toward small businesses to negative environmental impact (read more here). The US federal government seems unable or unwilling to reign in the harm. State and local governments' overtures to woo Amazon to build headquarters, warehouses, etc. seems to indicate they think Amazon is, on average, good.

But if you see what we see, if you feel as we feel, and if you would seek as we seek, then join us.* If we decide we want to think and do differently, we can. And there's nothing the Amazons of the world can do about it.

* Yes, I did just lift a line from V for Vendetta.