Making Your Christmas Green
| November 30, 2009 | Posted by Lisa Sharp under Uncategorized |
Everyday I hear someone talk about how stressful the holidays are, some would rather not even celebrate. People rush around buying gifts, trying to have the best decorated house, etc… Just look at Black Friday. I’ve talked about the commercialization of Christmas but how do we start some green traditions this year?
If you have kids start by talking to them. Tell them why you want to start new traditions and see if they have ideas of things that would be fun. If they feel they are apart of things they will be more willing to go along with it.
I don’t have kids but I do remember as a kid a few Christmases where my parents talked to my brother and I about having less gifts so we could sponsor a needy child. We would often sponsor a boy and a girl and my brother and I would help shop for them. So we got to shop but it was for a good cause and we got to feel like we were helping.
While I think we all like gifts and it’s fun on Christmas morning to open all the presents under the tree, that part of Christmas comes and goes quickly. By the next year you have likely forgotten most or all of what you got the year before. It’s the memories of time spent together that you will remember.
Traditions have to start somewhere so start some now, doesn’t matter if you have young kids, older kids, no kids, grandkids, whatever. Here are some ideas for things to do this year.
Watch Your Favorite Christmas Movie Together
My family has watched It’s A Wonderful Life for as long as I can remember. I think we all know every word.
Bake Together
My husband and I like to make gingerbread cookies each year. I guess I really bake them but we eat them together. Even if only some of the family is doing the baking the smell of the baking is likely to make everyone happy!
Make Decorations
This can be a fun green project. You can do it together or even has a contest to see who can come up with the coolest decoration using things around the house. You can make popcorn garland, paper chains from junkmail, crochet or knit ornaments, salt dough ornaments, whatever you can think of.
Give Back
Giving back can be very rewarding for your family as well as the one you are giving to. You can sponsor a kid from the Salvation Army Angel Tree, help at a soup kitchen, volunteer at a local animal shelter, make scarves and blankets for your local homeless shelter, the ideas are endless.
Have a Handmade Christmas
Make a rule that at least one gift for each person has to be handmade. This can mean either by the person or from a store like Etsy. It can be fun to see whatever one comes up with.
The traditions don’t even need to be normal Christmas traditions. My family is going to a Flaming Lips concert on New Years Eve as part of our Christmas this year. It may not be a normal Christmas thing to do but we aren’t a normal family. So make your Christmas not only green but unique. You don’t have to do whatever one else is doing, it’s more fun to be yourselves.
Have you started any green Christmas traditions? Will you be starting new ones this year?
