Ways to Plan a Merry Christmas

This year has been a hard one for our family. Thankfully, we are at the end of the year in a much better situation than we were at the first of the year. But because of this year, with its Jumanji like rollercoaster, got me to thinking about how to handle the holidays.

I love Christmas! I hate the commercialism that has overwhelmed everyone. Everywhere you look, there is something telling you that you must buy, buy, buy for you to have the best Christmas! At first, I panicked. I want to be the best parent. I want to be the fun grandparent. I want our Christmas to be spectacular! I also want it to be more sustainable and less commercial. I want it to be special.

It got me to thinking “What makes our Christmases special?” So, I asked my kids, my grown kids, what they remembered about our holidays and it really surprised me. Really.

It wasn’t the presents. Don’t get me wrong, they loved getting presents, but could they tell me what they got? No. What was big on their list of remembrances? Two things. Family traditions and food. Huh? Why am I killing myself trying to buy things? Fighting crowds and crazy traffic is not my thing. Wrestling some crazy lady for the last roast on sale is not celebrating the Christmas spirit. Digging through leftover Black Friday bins of ugly wrapping paper is the last on my list of enjoyment. I am through with the modern Christmas.

This year things are going to be different. I am focusing on how to make Christmas less stressful and full of Christmas cheer! Here is what I am doing to for my sustainable holiday season.

There must be lights. Christmas lights is one of my biggest weaknesses. When I was little, my parents would load me up in the car and we would drive the neighborhoods in search of the best Christmas lights. With the pandemic continuing, I know that several parks where families could walk the park and enjoy the Christmas lights have cancelled the walks. Since that has happened, the drive thru light parks have become more popular. Load up the family, make a couple of thermoses of hot chocolate or spiced apple cider, pack some holiday snacks and go drive through the parks and neighborhoods! Yes it will cost some gas monies but it saves on your light bill if you are not inclined to put up lights or will inspire ideas for your own home. For whatever reason, it is a good way to have family time. Crank up the Christmas radio station, sip your cup of cheer, and enjoy!

When the decorations go on sale, I am loading my basket down with lights. Right now, I could probably do the whole house and which ever cat that stood still long enough to be wrapped in lights! I can remember quietly sneaking out of my room to the living room where my mom had our tree. I would plug in the tree lights then sit on the couch watching the multicolored twinkle against dark of the cold night. Later that tradition became my downtime after wrapping all the presents on Christmas Eve night. I would finish up stacking the presents under the tree. Then I would make a cup of hot cocoa and curl up on the couch. The lights, the Christmas carols, the cocoa helped me wind down from all the rush up to that one point. In that point, time stood still. Everything bad, frustrating, worrying disappeared. All the calm, peaceful, joy flooded in. For me it was magical.

Anyone that puts up lights in their yard knows that next month’s electric bill is not magical. Nor is dealing with strands of lights that are worn out. If you must change out lights this year, think about replacing with LED lights. LED lights save money in the long run. Be warned LED lights are a bit pricey. Not clutching your heart expensive unless you are replacing all your lights for your house and then some for the doghouse and the driveway. But this is the savings part. LED lights burn 75 percent less energy than regular Christmas lights and will last 25 percent longer according to the Department of Energy. The time spent on maintenance is less than regular lights. No fuses or replacement bulbs to mess with. The technology is getting better which means the selection is getting bigger. To make these lights more sustainable is that in some places, you can trade in your old LED lights for a discount on your next set!

I started a tradition when my children were young. Every year I would buy them each an ornament to go on to the tree. Then when they have their first tree, I can give them their ornaments so that their tree will have memories to start with. My tree will not be bare because I also bought a special ornament every year so that my tree wouldn’t have bare spots from the ornaments that are on another tree. Digging out the older ornaments, some from my grandmother’s tree, some from my parent’s tree bring back a slew of memories! And…Retro is in! Bring out those old memory laden decorations and get ready to revive and revamp them! If you need a ‘how to’ to help figure out what to do, check YouTube for directions or Google it. If you have decorations that need the special old fashioned glass glitter, here are two sites that carry actual glitter along with specialty trims and cotton spun figures. The first site is www.meyer-imports.com. They are an excellent resource for what you would need to spruce up a variety of vintage ornaments. The next site is www.smilemercantile.com. Again, it carries German glass glitter along with loads of goodies to browse through. If you wish to make homemade ornaments, Pinterest is a great place to start. Yes, there are many examples of Pinterest fails on Facebook, but there are many great tutorials out there as well. For each fail there are hundreds of successes. Get your loved ones involved making something handmade this year. Each one can make their own ornaments that eventually will go on their tree.

Trees. Real vs Fake. Which is more sustainable? The answer is…the real tree. Real trees are considered a renewable resource and can be recycled. 90 percent of the fake trees sold in the US every holiday season are produced in China. Production and shipment of fake trees increase carbon emissions. Real trees do not require the high carbon emissions that it takes to produce and ship artificial trees. On tree farms across the US, there are over 350,000 trees that are being grown. Out of those trees, around 30,000 will be harvested for Christmas trees. The unharvested trees provide a healthy refuge for the local wildlife. Buying trees support the tree farms that are usually family owned and run. Buying trees from local tree farms boost local economies which is always a good thing. But real trees are high maintenance compared to a fake tree. Real trees must be watered during use and as the tree ‘dies’ needles fall and create a mess. Dry trees become a fire hazard also as they die. Here’s where the fake trees shine. Fake trees are fire retardant. Which means that if your lights are regular incandescent the fake tree can take the heat. The real tree’s natural oils become more concentrated as it dries out. This makes the tree more fragrant and more flammable. The heat from the regular incandescent bulbs can get hot enough to create a fire in the real tree. That is another strong reason to switch to LED lights. Heat is not a problem with LED lights making them a better choice for a real tree. Fake trees can be reused year after year. Fake trees are customizable. They come with lights already installed, so no dealing with tangled strands of lights, replacing bulbs and fuses, winding lights around the tree. Real trees can be recycled after Christmas. When your fake tree is done for, it heads straight for a landfill to sit for hundreds of years adding to the problem of pollution. The final con of real trees that I will mention is that some people are allergic to them. When you have several in your family that can’t even be in the room with a real tree unless they have an EpiPen in hand, sustainability is a moot point.

This is our last year of drawing names and buying presents. We keep a low cap on what can be spent on each gift. There is nothing more stressful than be asked to buy an expensive present when the funds are not there. This year we have two of our 5 that are unemployed because of Covid 19. Another is on a tight budget since the hotel industry is teetering on the edge of collapse. Next year I will be requesting that only presents for the grandchildren will be bought. Our present to the kids is a large meal with appetizers and desserts. My husband makes a pretty darn good Chex Mix that we bag up and send home with everybody. Since we do a traditional Thanksgiving with turkey, dressing etc. we do something different for Christmas. Sometimes we do a lasagna with sides. This year we will be trying our hand at tamales so we may continue with a Tex Mex style celebration. Which is fine. As long as there is food and family, all is good. We are not sticklers about when we have Christmas either. Whoever shows up on Christmas Eve and Day will get fed, that’s fine. We have kids that have obligations with in-laws, that want to have their own family Christmas on Christmas and we respect that. So we set a date sometime after Christmas or after January 1st that we can all meet together and celebrate. The point for us is coming together and making memories which by unanimous vote is what is important to our children. They express that this is the message that they want to pass on to their children. Sustainable in a different light. The holiday experience that puts importance on nonmaterial gifts tends to sustain us during the coming year.

Sustainable is what can be done to cut down on unnecessary things. So cut back on the stress. Cut out the anxiety. Create pockets of joy, faith, peace, and happiness in ways that are meaningful to you and your friends and family. It must be renewable, coming from a resource that can be drawn from over and over again. How ever you choose to celebrate the holidays, make the memories ones to cherish.