Santas Against Excessive Consumption, London UK, Xmas 08

Five brave counterculture warriors don Santa Suits, sing anti-consumerist and anti-capitalist Xmas carols, and leaflet for more mindful attention to love, gifts, and catastrophic climate change in Oxford Street, in the heart of the shopping district of Old London Town, on the busiest shopping day of the year: Sat 13 Dec 08.
Full Action Report at Indymedia: http://london.indymedia.org.uk/articles/398

The lyrics of the songs you can hear us singing in the video (so you can sing along, or even stage your own Santas Against Conspicuous Consumption street action) are as follows.
________________________________________
1 (& 3). Jingle All The Way to the tune of Jingle Bells

Chorus:
Profits here, profits there,
profits everywhere
Christmas time is funny
we smell money in the air
Advertise, glamorize,
fool you with a flair.
Let's make sure that Christmas
is a businesslike affair.

You're eating up our lies and dashing to the stores
Then all our prices rise and how the money pours
If we don't keep you drugged and watching your TV
You might see the hypocrisy
then where would business be?

Chorus

We'll tell you how to think and tell you what to try
What to eat and drink and how to live and die
And if our plan succeeds, when Christmas-time is nigh
Instead of seeking love and peace you'll hunt for gifts to buy

Chorus

________________________________________
2. Consumer Wonderland to the tune of Winter Wonderland, lyrics by Erica Avery

The TV's on / are you watching?
Another product / that they're hawking
one more thing you need
to make life complete
Welcome to Consumer Wonderland

In the stores / you will hear it
"Pricey gifts / show holiday spirit"
That's what they call it
to get to your wallet
Welcome to Consumer Wonderland

At the mall we can go out shopping
and buy lots of stuff we can't afford
we'll have lots of fun with our new toys
until we realize that we're still bored

When you shop / ain't it thrilling
until / you get the billing
the money you still owe the stuff broke long ago
Welcome to Consumer Wonderland

________________________________________
4. Oh Come All Ye Shoppers to the tune of Oh Come All Ye Faithful

Oh come all ye shoppers
Burdened and despondent
Come all ye followers of ma-a-mon
Come and buy things
Sparkly and redundant

Oh come let us ignore it
Oh come let us deplore it
Oh come let us abhore it
Money and greed.

Ring tills with profit
Ring in exploitation
Ring all ye registers of capitalism
Glory to profit
At its highest

Oh come let us ignore it
Oh come let us deplore it
Oh come let us abhore it
Money and greed.
________________________________________

Category:

Nonprofits & Activism

Tags:

• rising_tide
• London_rising_tide
• climate_change
• SAEC

[gabygagnon]

go on tour around the wooooooorld

[Hurdaskellir7]

On the behalf of The International Xmas Gnomes for Gift Economy I want to congratulate you for your succesful action! Let's join our forces and build a movement strong enough to change the way people celebrate the idea of the Gift - from the contemporary sad state corrupted by capitalism, nationalism and consumerism to something new and truly miraculous that will give the world a future! -Hurdaskellir

[MickeyYahoo]

Erica Avery, who wrote at least some of teh lyrics is from the states. she has a web site: SoMuchToRead

[yokohamaguy75]

They should go on tour. We REALLY need their message here in the States.

[matthewvaughan]

Your sign is right on. Your singing isn't so bad either ;) Well done.

[EssexBoyNo41]

Fantastic - well done chaps!

[UnifyingField]

Well done!

[freeconomy]

it appears santa could in time be getting an asbo, for trying to help our planet