Eco Holiday Week! Have a Plastic-Free Christmas!

It staggers the mind that a holiday celebrating charity and love has morphed into a Greed & Glutton Fest.  Consider this:  Americans spend an average of $450 billion on Christmas.  But $450 billion spent on what and for what purpose?  Is it possible to spend less and give more this holiday season — avoid the debt, stress, traffic jams and commercialism that has cheapened Christmas?

Absolutely.  And by doing so, you’ll have a greener Christmas and a more memorable Christmas.

First, toss the sales flyers and catalogs into the recyling bin and turn off the TV ads.  If you don’t see things, you won’t be tempted.  Second, stay away from the mall and other stores.  Impulse buying doesn’t “happen.”  By planning your giving and selectively shopping with a mission, you’re bound to buy more meaningfully and spend less overall (Enviro-Girl strongly recommends shopping online or at locally owned stores)  Third, make a list of the people who mean the most to you — these are the people you want to buy presents for.  The rest?  We’ll get to them in a minute.  Fourth, pay in cash or check whenever possible.  You spend less when writing a check or paying in cash then when you charge purchases on plastic.

Now, these people on your list — is there a gift you can give them that doesn’t come from a mall?  Would your mother prefer another reindeer sweater or trinket to display — or would she like to spend a day with you — golfing or going to a theater?  Would your favorite niece prefer yet another Barbie doll or an afternoon at the sledding hill with you, followed by hot chocolate and cookies at a cozy cafe?  Does your brother need more Red Sox gear, or can you give him and his wife a weekend of free childcare so they can go to a game?

You’ll still buy gifts, but can you avoid buying plastic crappe and “filler” when you go shopping?  Do your kids need a giant M&M man filled with candy?  Will they play with an inflatable Santa for more than five minutes?  Is it possible to buy each person on your list one or two things that they really want, high quality items?  By allocating each person one gift that they want rather than how much you plan to spend on each person, you can save money (and time and resources).  It’s silly, really, to “even up” spending — a baby rattle costs $15, a good wool sweater costs $60.  There’s no need to spend an additional $45 on a baby to “make things equal.”  Nor is there a reason to give people the exact same amount of gifts.  (If you feel people will care, however, you can cluster wrap — put Uncle Dan’s sweater and book in the same box.)  And for the young child drowning in cheap plastic Made in China?  Give them a savings bond for college or a motorcycle.  Bottom line:  we all appreciate the well-thought-out quality present.  Nobody likes plastic crappe and filler.  Stop giving it.

Finally, those “extra people” on your list — the neighbors, co-workers, babysitters, teachers, mail carriers.  Do you need to give them a gift?  Probably not.  In a lot of cases, it takes one person with enough courage to stop the insanity of meaningless gift giving.  A healthy tip of cash goes a long way with babysitters.  A box of really nice chocolates is always appreciated by mail carriers.  Bring your co-workers a plate of fresh fruit and muffins one morning as a Christmas gift.  Buy your child’s teacher a book for the classroom.

The Eco Women encourage you to make this season a quality one, full of memories of good gifts, green gifts, gifts that matter.

Need a spiritual reason to have a green holiday?  Check out Advent Conspiracy.