Over the past century, Christmas has become an annual excuse for frenzied, even pathological consumerism. Sure, it helps businesses big and small, but do we really need all that stuff?

Introducing ... the Sharing Economy. Instead of aspiring to own everything they need, people simply have access to it.

Does everyone really need their own snowblower? Couldn't neighbours just share one?

True, Christmas is about giving, and we know it's better to give than to receive. But more and more people argue it's even better to share than to give. Others argue it's better to give nothing than to give something that's bought in a store. 

Either way, emerging alternatives to consumerism seek to challenge our way of life and restructure our economy. Sharing networks ... both local and international ... have sparked a movement called collaborative consumption, forming a parallel economy worth hundreds of billions of dollars a year.

Benita Matofska is a former broadcasting executive and producer and entrepreneur. She is the founder and Chief Sharer of the British group, The People Who Share. And Aiden Enns is the co-founder of buynothingchristmas.org and the publisher of Geez magazine.