So I caught up on my Tivoed Oprah shows over the holiday weekend, (yes, I’m guilty) and I was touched by a particular segment on the happiest women around the world. Based on a social psychologist’s study of the happiest countries, Oprah wanted to find out what exactly made them so. Ranked number one was Denmark’s capital Copenhagen. There Oprah interviewed a woman named Nanna, who shared among many things, that people in Copenhagen are very environmentally conscious. A third of the population rides bikes around the city, many with grocery bags or small children in tow. And though impressive, that wasn’t the statement that struck a cord with me.

While on a tour of Nanna’s tiny home, she pointed out that most homes in Copenhagen were small with limited storage, but that “less space equals less stuff, and more life.” Wow, you definitely don’t hear people in the US say that. Maybe that’s because we come in 23rd on the happiness scale. Now that’s a sad fact. But think about it, we’re such a consumer driven country constantly buying and acquiring goods based on targeted advertisements, that we forget the things that truly make us happy, our friends and family.

With the holiday season now upon us, I find this segment to be extremely poignant, as I’m now reconsidering the gifts I’m going to be giving. Rather than buying silly toys that might clutter someones home, I’m thinking of finding ones that are either useful or something that can be shared with loved ones. Like tickets to fun activities or gift certificates to yummy restaurants. For after all, we really don’t reminisce on things like that really cool pinhead from Sharper Image circa 1987, but rather the time that Aunt Mickey took us to see Robocop when my brother and I were clearly underage and very easy to traumatize.

Brooke