greg-on-hlnApparently Gristers aren’t the only ones feeling discontent with America’s holiday traditions. Our campaign to “shift the gift” this season has taken on a life of its own on Twitter and attracted the attention of two national TV news programs — first 20/20 and now the Jane Velez-Mitchell show on HLN.

Grist Senior Editor Greg Hanscom, who is on a campaign to create the best Christmas ever for his wife and two young daughters — without buying them any presents — appeared with Velez-Mitchell yesterday on a spot called, “A happier, more memorable holiday?” Here it is:

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The numbers in this spot merit a little, um, clarification. The EPA says Americans create 1 million tons of excess trash during the holidays — not 100 million, as Hanscom said. (Oops.) Still, that’s 2 billion pounds of additional garbage. Eep.

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We’re not sure where Velez-Mitchell got “something like 40 percent of our overconsumption occurs between Thanksgiving and New Years.” The National Retail Federation reports that “for some retailers, the holiday season can represent anywhere between 20-40 percent of annual sales.”

Shift the GiftHow much of that is overconsumption vs. putting food on the table, we’d be hard pressed to tell you. But here’s a number we can stand behind: Add this spot to the 20/20 spot, and Hanscom has burned all but 14 of his allotted minutes of fame.

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