When I reflect back to the holidays when I was a child, I remember stringing popcorn to hang on the tree, baking homemade, from scratch goodies with my mum and my sisters, collecting fallen cedar boughs for wreaths, and picking fresh sage and parsley from the garden for stuffing.
Times were definitely simpler prior to the digital age and time itself seemed more abundant. Perhaps that's just because I was a child waiting for the excitement of Christmas morning. Nowadays, time is of the essence as we are in such a rush to get to the next party, the next dinner engagement, the next shopping mall. Along with this comes the convenience of purchasing what’s on hand, what’s readily available, and these are not always choices that support our beautiful planet.
I’m not telling you to give up your love of giving and receiving gifts, but there are many things that you can do to simplify the Hollidays and to make it better for the environment.
It’s not sustainable to change everything in our lives, so making some small “bite-sized” changes is the best way to implement new habits. And it’s the small things that make big differences over the long-term. I'm a firm believer that we vote with our dollars. How we spend and don’t spend our money is our declaration to the world of how we want things to be and how we want things to change. If you want to see change, be the change.
Here are some suggestions to help make your holidays greener while keeping the beautiful spirit of the season alive:
Support Local Vendors: this comes with a plethora of benefits including minimizing your carbon footprint, supporting a growing business, connecting directly with the person who made the product. I love that Saje is a local Canadian company and it’s a given that’s where I’ll be doing much of my shopping. I also enjoy supporting local artisans at the Christmas markets, which are wonderful places to pick up decorations and gifts.
Make Your Own Decorations: As mentioned, home-popped strings of popcorn look lovely on a tree, non-GMO of course! Visit your local florist for some cedar, pine or other clippings, small berries and white flowers for beautiful centerpieces and wreaths. Another easy decoration is a mason jar with a piece of twine, a jingle bell and a tealight candle. A quick Google or Pinterest search will provide you with a ton of DIY inspiration!
Conserve Energy: purchase lights for your home, indoor and outdoor that require less energy. Carpool to your holiday party. Use 100% natural candles and turn off the lights.
Go Vegetarian: Yes, I did really suggest this! It takes a lot less environmental impact to produce vegetables then it does to produce meat products. Consider making an exceptional statement this holiday season by eating clean and green!
Repurpose: wrapping paper, cards, and decorations don't have to be brand-new every year. Many people just put them in the garbage or recycling. When I was a child, my grandparents fell in love with nature calendars and I would receive a gift wrapped in repurposed calendar pictures of elk, wolves, and eagles. At the time, I thought it was a little odd, but as an adult I really appreciate their love of nature and wildlife. Go through other old items in the garage and attic and use your imagination to turn dusty items such as a skates and sleds into beautiful upcycled decorations!
Reduce: we have a tendency to overindulge in food over the holidays and in fact, in many families it's expected! We even wear comfy clothes so we needn’t have to deal with the embarrassment and discomfort of having to undo that top button at the dinner table. For me, if it's there and I enjoy it, I'm probably going to eat it. There are certain goodies that we only have during the holidays, and it's very difficult to resist the temptation when it's on the table right in front of you. My suggestion for this is to reduce what’s on this year’s menu. That may sound blasphemous to some, but in reality, we don’t need to have all the dishes every year. The benefit is that you’ll spend less on groceries and have less wasted food.
Purchase a Live Tree: if you buy a potted Christmas tree, you can plant it after the holiday season is over.
Gift Your Time: with time being such a precious commodity, giving it to others can make a really meaningful gift. Take a friend for dinner instead of buying them something they don’t really need. Or buy tickets for an event and keep one for yourself so you can attend together.
As a busy and conscious consumer, 100% natural is important to me in all aspects. The holiday season is no exception to this and while I expect to fill my time with social engagements, family time, and decorating, I endeavour to shop local, keep it simple and enjoy time in nature, picking fresh herbs from my mum’s garden for Christmas dinner!