Dr. Doo’s Holidoo

Kisses might begin with the letter “k,” but they don’t begin with “Kay.”  And I will not be adding the Lexus ringtone to my partner’s phone Christmas Eve (sorry, honey!).

I just spent a week at a hotel/mall that’s been overtaken by holiday-themed consumerism.  They charge $30 to decorate gingerbread cookies with “Gingy” while waiting to have a photo taken with Santa. The 19-story atrium is decked out in twinkly Christmas lights.  Christmas trees line the hotel lobby. Parking valets wear bowler hats & coats with tails. Wake up calls from Shrek. Spend spend spend!

And here in Seattle, the Occupy Seattle protesters on the south end of Westlake Park decided not to respond when the emcee chanted “Shop! Shop! Shop!” to the crowds during the annual tree lighting event at Westlake Center.

O such consumerist Christmas crap!  Christmas isn’t about shopping.  Holidays should be about something more than acquiring crap.

Unless you are a gardener…

Woodland Park Zoo has to come up with some holiday crap I can’t argue with.  The zoo’s own Dr. Doo (what an unfortunate job title!) has created a limited edition blend of Holidoo for the holiday season.  That’s right.  Instead of manures from nearly two dozen herbivore species, you can now get elephant doo exclusively.  Elephant doo is the “biggest and richest composting materials at the zoo.”  Woo hoo!  Zoo doo!  Holidoo!  Everybody poos!

From Woodland Park Zoo:

• WHAT: Holidoo is available exclusively during the holiday season only at the ZooStore in jumbo-sized, 4-gallon containers. Traditional Zoo Doo compost is also available in 2-gallon buckets or pints for stocking stuffers.
  
• COST: 4-gallon Holidoo $20; 2-gallon Zoo Doo bucket $12.95; and Zoo Doo pint- sized stocking stuffer $4.95.
• WHERE: Holidoo is available at Woodland Park Zoo’s two ZooStore locations: ZooStore West at Phinney Ave. N. between N. 55^th & N. 56^th Sts. and ZooStore South at N. 50th St. & Fremont Ave. N.
• WHEN: Shop the ZooStores during regular zoo hours, 9:30 a.m.- 4:00 p.m. daily. The ZooStore is closed Christmas day.

The ZooStore offers expanded hours 5:30 – 8:30 p.m. on the first four Thursdays of December (Dec. 1, 8, 15, and 22) to accommodate holiday shoppers. Parking in zoo lots is free during expanded hours.

Need more info?  Call the Poop Line at 206.625.POOP. For general zoo information, call 206.548.2500 or visit our website at www.zoo.org

Holidoo and Zoo Doo purchases help support the zoo’s animal care, education programs and conservation efforts all over the world.   While shopping for Holidoo, be sure to check out the loads of eco-friendly items and conservation commerce also available at the ZooStore. Gift memberships, gift cards and ZooParent adoptions are available as well, visit www.zoo.org for more info.

Be sure to check out Woodland Park Zoo’s Happy Holidays greeting here, too.

P.S.  Please don’t put any crap in my stocking, though.  I’m hoping to find an orange and a peppermint stick in there.  Thanks!