And The Swag Goes To...

Last night ended the awards season with the grand-daddy of them all – The Oscars.


The Oscars have always been my favorite awards show (probably because I want to win one).


But this year, my favorite awards show was The Writers Guild of America Awards (of course I’m partial because my husband produced them).


I love to get all dressed up and I got to see my friends as well as some of my favorite celebs.


When my friend and I got to our seats, we found a program and a box of chocolates.  I had not eaten all day (so that my dress would look good) so by the time we sat down, I was ready to gnaw my hand off.  The chocolates were a happy surprise.


The evening was hysterically funny and everyone had the best time.


At the end of the evening, we said our good-byes and made our way towards the door.


Suddenly I paused a moment.  I felt as if I had forgotten something.  I did a quick check but I had everything I came with.


We continued out the door and I stopped abruptly.  “My Swag Bag!”


I turned around and ran back inside only to find…nothing.


Where was the bag of unwanted things that I will either give away or never use?  Every awards show gives away “The Swag Bag!”  Or at least I thought they did.


After my initial shock was over, I suddenly realized that the chocolates were the swag.


And I wasn’t disappointed (and not because I was starving).


Don't get me wrong...in my days before I turned eco-psycho I was all about a bag of free stuff.


But now, I try to consume less and I’m pretty much married to the eco-friendly products I use so I was actually relieved that I didn’t have to go home and empty out this bag of things I felt guilty about getting rid of because someone went to a lot of trouble to get.


There are actually two definitions of Swag from the Urban Dictionary.  One describes it as appearance, style or the way one presents themselves.  The other is actually an acronym for Stuff We All Get.


I like the “way one presents themselves” definition better because I want to present myself as someone who works hard to make choices that are better for our planet.


S.W.A.G. – Someone Who Acts Globally!  Hmmm…


So if the WGA awards weren’t already the cream of the crop of 2012, they certainly became that by eliminating their Swag Bag.


If you must Swag, then think about this:


1. What did this item have to go through to get to me and my guests?
2. Will more than one person actually use this?
3. Would I use it?


Once your rules are in place, use these ideas to make your Swag Bag one that means:


Stuff We All Gobble-up
 1. Use a fold up, reuseable bag like a Chico that fits nicely in your purse or pocket.
2. Add fruit to the bag instead of wasteful, processed, packaged foods.
3. Enclose a card for a free issue to a magazine rather than the actual one.
4. Make sure the items are high-quality and not junk - like maybe an organic t-shirt.


But the best Swag of all is Spending the Weekend Amongst Good-friends-and-food.


Now that’s some Swag I can get on board with.