Tis the season–and instead of presents, make your winter holiday season be about presence. Instead of getting and giving (which involves shopping and spending), try doing this year. Here are several low and no impact ways to enjoy the holidays without busting your budget OR leaving a ginormous carbon footprint in your wake. Enviro Girl’s family enjoys several of these activities every year–it doesn’t feel like Christmas without participating in certain events.
1. Attend a holiday concert. Many high schools, colleges and churches put on breathtaking performances–often at no cost to the public. The Nutcracker, A Christmas Carol and It’s a Wonderful Life are often performed by local theater groups this time of year, too.
2. Go to church and participate in the spiritual side of the season–inspiration is free! Many churches offer nativity reenactments and special music services during Christmastime.
3. Bake cookies. Two weeks before Christmas on a Saturday afternoon, Enviro Girl makes a double batch of dough and her sons enjoy a few hours decorating cut outs. The house smells great, the children are merry and artistic expression reigns! Building a gingerbread house could become part of your holiday tradition if you have the skills and patience, too.
4. Go caroling. Enviro Girl only does this activity with a large group of people, preferably when she’s had a cocktail or two, because her voice is NOT melodic. But caroling is free and fun and makes the neighbors laugh.
5. Look at the lights. Many cities have light displays, Enviro Girl’s family enjoys the one at the Botanical Gardens nearby. Local high schools donate choirs during the event and for a few dollars more her family enjoys a horse-drawn hay ride through the displays.
6. Visit a historical home or museum–usually the exhibitions have a holiday theme. This experience can be both educational and entertaining while supporting the local arts scene.
7. Take a hike. Bundle up and take a look at what winter reveals in your area. If you’re lucky enough to get snow, you can cross-country ski or snow shoe.
8. Have a holiday movie night– rent Elf or throw in your beloved copy of It’s a Wonderful Life, pop some popcorn and heat up some cider.
9. Hit the local skating rink. The scrape of the blades against the ice, the Christmas music flowing through the cheap stereo speakers, families laughing and gliding past at varying speeds–ice skating is great exercise and skate rental is cheap.
10. Decorate a tree outside for the birds–string popcorn and slather pinecones with peanut butter and birdseed. Not only will you give a gift to your feathered friends, you’ll be entertained by the guests in your yard.
Reader, what low/no impact fun do you plan for the holidays? Do you enjoy any of the activities listed above? Anything not included that you’d like to tell us about?
We do a lot of the activities you mentioned, including building a gingerbread house, watching Christmas movies together, and listening to seasonal music.