Status Updates From Unplug the Christmas Machin...

"Featured items include handmade rugs, baskets, hand-blown glass, hand-loomed cloth, and ethnic clothing." (186) oh, 1978-semi-updated-for-1991 America.

"Pueblo to People ... focuses its efforts on craft and agricultural cooperatives of very low-income people in Latin America ... supporting organizations of the poor. Your purchases of its products not only provide people in Latin America with badly needed income, but give them a chance to learn organizational skills and democratic methods often taken for granted by more sophisticated societies." (185-186) oh BOY

"Gift Ideas for Men (because so many people find them harder to shop for)
...
Sausage stuffer and sausage cookbook
Japanese saws and knives
Pruning equipment
His horoscope" (180-181) his horoscope???

"Address and phone number of a lost friend or relative" (179) how...how would one go about finding this to give? What does "lost" mean in this context??

"GIFT IDEAS FOR ADULTS
If you would like to give out-of-the-ordinary gifts, shop at out-of-the ordinary stores and sources, like:
Marine supply stores
Government surplus stores
Import stores
Restaurant supply stores
Antique stores
Museum shops
Arts and crafts galleries
Damaged freight stores
Stationery stores
Classified ads
Garage sales
Plant nurseries
Hardware stores
Health food stores" (178-179) honestly prettygood

What was this cursed era of people coming up with recipes for hummus and baba ghanoush that intentionally omit olive oil?? Lower in fat but at WHAT COST

"One hundred calories of starch will deposit less fat in your body than one hundred calories of fat, and will, at the same time, make deposits into your energy stores in the form of glycogen (the form in which human beings store carbohydrates)." (163) I don't know that that's...true? But maybe that's what was known at the time. Hurrah for advancing science

"During the holiday season, as well as during the rest of the year, it is important to get most of your calories from foods that are high in complex carbohydrates such as breads, cooked grains, pasta, fruit, and starchy vegetables such as potatoes, yams, and squash." (163) the 70s were wild

"If you are ready to eat as healthfully in December as you do in June, Dr. Frankel has the following suggestions:
1 Eat starchy foods" (163) I did not see that coming. But I guess the 70s-90s health food era...

"In 1843 Sir Henry Cole commissioned John Calcott Horsley to design a card that would take away the stress of having to write personal letters to all his friends and relatives at Christmas." (155) HORSLEY

"'I doubt it,' another game you may remember from your childhood, gains an added dimension when played by a mixture of children and conniving adults." (139) they must be conniving for it to work

"We tell our four- and two-year-olds that Santa Claus not only brings gifts, but takes gifts that have been left for him under the tree to give to needy children. Last year our four-year-old son decided to leave his favorite truck for Santa, and he seemed to feel especially good about that." (70) not a bad idea

The introduction... Classic.