The original frugal, green living magazine, founded in 1976. Natural Life is trusted
by readers around the world who want to learn how to create a greener,
healthier, more self-reliant lifestyle for themselves and for their families.
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from the November/December
2005 issue of Natural Life Celebrating the upcoming holiday season doesn’t have to create stress, expense and unfulfilled expectation. Here are some ways to save money and protect the planet while still spreading Christmas cheer. Relax - For Yourself and the Environment Give yourself and the environment a break this Christmas. Leave all those fragile and fiddly, dust-attracting, energy-guzzling decorations in the basement. You don’t have to go overboard with the picture perfect decorations in order to enjoy the spirit of the season. In fact, often the trappings of the season get in the way of enjoyment. So use the “less is more” principle and decorate with kids’ art, a few cherished heirlooms, some colorful fruit and greenery, and if you must have a tree, buy a potted one and plan to grow it in your garden next year (or try to locate an organically grown one if you can’t change the cut tree tradition). Consider gift wrapping, for instance. (If you have any gifts to wrap after reading this article!) Instead of buying wrapping paper, which is expensive and wasteful, use younger children’s artwork as wrapping paper. Or reuse old paper, like the Sunday comics section, old maps and decorated brown grocery bags. Or wrap a gift in a colorful piece of scrap fabric or make the wrapping part of the gift...as in encasing a sushi bowl and chopsticks in a tea towel, or some bathroom soap in a plush bath towel. One of the advantages of making your own gifts is that you lessen or eliminate the time spent at the mall. Use that time together with your family and friends instead. Host a potluck meal during the holiday season. Keep it simple for everyone but make getting to- gether a priority. Invite some other families for a walk in the park or for a sledding party. Spend an evening by candlelight just telling family stories – all electronic media gets unplugged! Do you enjoy holiday baking but don’t have a lot of time? Host a cookie swap among your friends and neighbors, where each of you makes a few dozen of one kind of cookie and gets together over a coffee or glass of wine (organic, of course) to share them among yourselves. This way each person has a great cookie assortment without all the work. And finally, the traditional theme of the holiday season is “Peace on Earth and goodwill towards all”. No doubt we’d all like a peaceful world. The holiday season is a great time to involve children in some peacemaking. Be part of an alternative gift fair in your community, make a charitable contribution in your kids’ name or volunteer (with your children if they are of an appropriate age) at a children’s shelter over the holiday season. Spend some of your gift-giving money on someone who really needs some support instead of adding to collection of things that will just be returned to the store or sit on someone’s shelf. Rethinking Gifts The gift-giving tradition can be one of the mostly costly, stressful and environmentally unfriendly aspect of Christmas or any other celebration. Here are some creative ideas for replacing the traditional list-making process this year. They are courtesy of the Center for the New American Dream, which promotes simple living year round. Gifts for Children:
Homemade Gifts:
Gifts of Time:
Gifts for the Environment:
Donations in the Name of a Loved One:
Wendy Priesnitz is the Editor of Natural Life Magazine and a journalist with over 30 years of experience. She has also authored nine books. Read her blog.
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