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NewsWire

A project of Common Dreams

For Immediate Release
Contact:

Evan Silverstein (617.278.4174; esilverstein@jbcc.harvard.edu)

CCFC's Guide to Commercial-Free Holidays: Reclaim the Holidays from Corporate Marketers

The Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood has released its
first-ever free, downloadable, Guide
to Commercial-Free Holidays.
In the midst of the worst
economic downturn since the Great Depression, CCFC is offering practical tips
and suggestions for reducing, or eliminating, commercialism in family
celebrations this holiday season.

WASHINGTON

The Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood has released its
first-ever free, downloadable, Guide
to Commercial-Free Holidays.
In the midst of the worst
economic downturn since the Great Depression, CCFC is offering practical tips
and suggestions for reducing, or eliminating, commercialism in family
celebrations this holiday season.

Concerns about the economy are so great that experts predict parents
will be spending less on presents this year. Reports indicate, however,
that spending on advertising to children will not reflect the economic
downturn.

"Marketing to children is problem for all of society, all
year long," said CCFC's director, Dr. Susan
Linn, author of The Case
for Make Believe: Saving Play in a Commercialized World
.
"But even as CCFC works for social change, we want to provide direct help
for families under siege from the stepped up barrage of holiday
commercialism."

Added Dr. Linn, "We created the guide not just for families
who-by necessity-have to navigate the holidays minus their usual
spending spree, but for anyone looking to infuse more meaning and less
consumption into their holiday celebrations."

The CCFC Guide to Commercial-Free Holidays can be found at:
https://commercialfreechildhood.org/pdf/CommercialFreeHolidayGuide.pdf

To learn how CCFC members from around the country are coping with
excessive holiday commercialism, please visit:
https://commercialfreechildhood.org/holidayguide/membertips.htm

CCFC has launched a letter writing campaign to major toy marketers
urging them to target parents, not children, this holiday season. More
information about the campaign can be found at:
https://commercialfreechildhood.org/pressreleases/holidaymarketer.htm

Fairplay, formerly known as Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood, educates the public about commercialism's impact on kids' wellbeing and advocates for the end of child-targeted marketing. Fairplay organizes parents to hold corporations accountable for their marketing practices, advocates for policies to protect kids, and works with parents and professionals to reduce children's screen time.