Simplify the Holidays

Live simply, so others may simply live.
-Gandhi

Perhaps you would include the company of loved ones, good food, fun and relaxation - maybe an inch or two of snow. Aiming higher in our holiday daydreams, we might even envision a feeling of tranquility and peace blanketing our homes, our community, the wide world.

Whatever you imagined, contrast it now with the typical mid-December scene at the mall, where countless holiday shoppers weave between traffic, oscillating between oppressed weariness and panic, as they search for non-existent parking spaces and that perfect gift that says "I had no earthly idea what to get you, but chose this particular item because, um, it is shiny and appears to cost what I could reasonably be expected to spend."

Not so lofty, is it? It seems simple, but the holidays, meant to be a time of peace, reflection, and celebration, too often exhaust rather than uplift us. If you sometimes feel trapped by the shopping, spending, crass displays, and frenzied preparations, you aren't alone. Our national surveys consistently show that Americans feel put upon by the commercialization of the season and want more of what matters - not just more stuff.

[via New American Dream]

Download a free PDF copy of New Dream's Simplify the Holidays brochure to reduce stress and increase your personal fulfillment during this holiday season.

Many of the ideas below are from this incredible brochure.

Planning an event? Or just want to simplify your gift giving or getting? Use New Dream's Alternative Gift Registry site to help you celebrate your way.

With the Alternative Gift Registry, you can give and receive gifts that complement your value system: the registry makes it easy to choose non-material, homemade, second-hand, and environmentally-friendly gifts.

For fast acting relief; try slowing down.
-Lily Tomlin

Gift Coupon Book Craft

This is a wonderful option for just about anyone, from the person who "has everything" to the elderly relative who would most appreciate your companionship. A particularly nice way to give the gift of time is by creating a voucher or "coupon" that describes the gift being given.

• Special activities with a loved one - a candlelight dinner, massage, or picnic


• A month of taking out the garbage, doing the dishes, shoveling the snow, cleaning the cat box, or performing other household chores.


• A monthly lunch date with an elderly relative or friend


• Babysitting


• Car washing


• An outing to a zoo, museum, or park


• Dinner at a favorite restaurant


• A canoe, boat, train, or balloon ride


• A hiking, camping, biking, or swimming trip


• Dog walking or pet sitting

The only gift is a portion of thyself.
-Ralph Waldo Emerson

You do not have to be an artist, or even exceptionally creative, to make a great gift for someone. And while it does take some time to make a gift, it may be no more than the time you spend hunting for a parking spot at the mall.

• Give someone a personalized basket, filled with homemade muffins, cookies, and jam.


• Make a rope swing, painted wooden blocks, or a sandbox for a child.


• Make a family calendar marked with important dates, such as birthdays, anniversaries, and family gatherings. Decorate the calendar with family photos.


• Put together a photo album, scrap book, or framed collage containing pictures and mementos.


• Make an emergency kit. Do you know someone with an unreliable car? Create a gift basket with a blanket, flashlight, gas can, jumper cables, and flares. Does your friend walk home from work or class after dark? Make a gift box with pepper spray, awhistle, and a prepaid calling card.


• Make homemade potpourri, candles, or soap.


• Frame one of your best photographs.


• Re-pot herbs and pass along plants with clippings from your favorite house and garden plants.


• Record interviews of parents, grandparents, aunts, and uncles on audio tape. You can ask them to share memories of the person you plan to give the tape to, or tell stories of your family history.


• Prepare homemade soups or dinners that can be frozen for future use.


• Buy a plain, clean T-shirt from the thrift store and customize it for your recipient with iron-on transfer paper or fabric paint (available at craft stores).

Homemade Gifts for the Holidays With the holidays right around the corner, there is no better time than now to start planning any homemade holiday gifts you would like to make this year. Nothing captures the spirit of the holidays like a unique gift that's been made with care...

What is bought is cheaper than a gift.
-Portuguese Proverb

• Give away the last great book you bought and enjoyed to someone who enjoys your taste. You'll get to talk about the book later, and you can always reread a library copy.


• Plant a tree or perform some other "random act of kindness" in your recipient's honor.


• Take a friend off of junk mail. Generate automatic forms with your recipient's name and address at www.newdream.org/junkmail to reduce unwanted mail by 50 percent. Present the forms in stamped, addressed envelopes ready to sign and mail.


• Put together a little book of favorite family recipes.


• Have a "re-gift" swap. We all have gift-quality things in our closets we don't actually use (many left over from holidays past, still in shrink wrap). Get together with a few likeminded friends and trade them for items that fit your gift list. Or, use websites like Craigslist.org, Throwplace.org, and Freecycle.org to barter and "shop" for gently used gifts.


• Give a gift exemption voucher, explaining that the recipient needn't feel obliged to get a gift for you.


• Give attractive and meaningful articles from your own home. For example, a sewing machine you no longer have time to use would make a wonderful gift to a teenager just learning how to sew or a new homeowner wanting to make custom decorations. Explain how the gift is significant to you and why you want the person to have it.


• List one hundred of your fondest memories with the recipient.


• Give the gift of forgiveness. Call an estranged friend or write a letter to someone you haven't seen in a long time. Making a real connection is sweeter than any other gift you can give.

Also, check out this great blog post from tinybuddha.com, 50 Ways to Show You Care Without Spending a Dime.

A hug is a great gift - one size fits all,
and it's easy to exchange.
-Author Unknown

Some gifts are not tangible, but are a chance for the recipient to try something new. This kind of gift can provide memories that last forever, without the need for more stuff.

• Sign someone up for lessons in a sport, a language, or a musical instrument.


• Offer to teach a skill you possess, such as canning, swing dancing, knitting, furniture-making, or doing the butterfly stroke.


• Offer a talent such as photography, gardening, or financial planning.

Love is, above all, the gift of oneself.
-Jean Anouilh

The commercialized holiday culture encourages everyone to focus on getting stuff, for our kids and ourselves. But many religious traditions instruct us that true joy and purpose come from focusing on the needs of others. This year, consider more gifts of charity that touch the hearts and lives of people who are less privileged.

• Donate to a cause in the name of a family member. Some families make gifts to charities and then present family members with a coupon or card indicating the gift was made in their name. See www.altgifts.org for ways to give.


• Sponsor a child refugee, support a homeless shelter, or protect an acre of rainforest.


• Buy renewable energy certificates to offset the carbon emissions of a friend burning fossil fuel. More information is available at www.newdream.org/consumer/carbon.php.


• Set aside a few hours to volunteer in your community.


• Call your local social services agency and anonymously give food, clothing, and money to a particular family in need.


• Designate an amount of money to donate to charity and let your kids pick which causes will receive it. Older children can research different types of organizations and learn what kinds of projects match your family's values.

It isn't the size of the gift that matters,
but the size of the heart that gives it.
-Quoted in The Angels' Little Instruction Book by Eileen Elias Freeman, 1994

Instead of making a contribution to the dead toy pile in your child's room, give your kids gifts they can't break. Like pen pals. Or the adoption of a wild animal at a wildlife organization or zoo. And instead of joining the stampede for the latest mass produced gimmick, make a gift that fits the child you love: a web page featuring her, or a story with him as the main character. Make a voice recording of yourself reading a favorite book aloud (a gift that would be cherished by adult children, too). Or check out some of these ideas.

Yay! A lump of coal!

Have you ever noticed that some kids are happier with the wrapping paper than the present? Often, the less complicated a gift is, the more it engages a child's imagination. So, consider stuffing a stocking with these timeless toys:

• a bag of marbles, polished rocks, sea shells or foreign coins


• a magnifying glass


• a long piece of thick rope or chain


• a stamp and stamp pad


• building blocks


• modeling clay or homemade play dough


• a homemade sock monkey


• a drawing pad and crayons or pastels

Some assembly desired

Gather the materials that appeal to a child's sense of play:

• empty food boxes, play money and a cash box for running an imaginary store


• old business forms, rubber stamps, file folders to play office


• scrap wood, cardboard, shingles, a small hammer, non-toxic paint, etc. for building a club house, and a map that shows where it can be built


• silk nightgowns, wild shoes, silly ties, and hats for playing dress-up


• a cookbook with simple, healthy recipes


• gardening tools, seeds, and pots of soil for indoor gardening


• a book of skits or plays


• a treasure hunt with a series of mysterious clues for children to follow


• a subscription to a magazine that explores the larger world, like Ranger Rick or National Geographic Kids


• offer to throw an "unbirthday" party in any month a child wishes, with a choice of party themes

You can give without loving,
but you can never love without giving.
-Author Unknown

Grandparents often benefit the most from nontraditional gifts. For those elders who already have all the material goods and comforts that they need, consider instead a gift that honors their role in your life:

• Arrange and frame a family tree photo collage.


• Have all the children and grandchildren write stories or draw pictures of meaningful experiences or lessons they learned from grandparents.


• Give a gift that returns a present from your childhood or past. For example, if your grandmother knit sweaters for you each winter, learn to knit or crochet a simple scarf to show your admiration for her work.

The manner of giving is worth more than the gift.
-Pierre Corneille, Le Menteur

For extended families, office parties, or families with grown children, the usual custom of getting a brand new gift for each person on your list can be excessive. Try one of these fun ideas for reducing the number of material gifts while keeping the fun spirit of a gift swap.

• Have a "Yankee Pot Luck" or "White Elephant Party." Each person brings one wrapped second-hand item in good condition to the party and all the gifts are arranged on a table. Everyone draws numbers and the first person picks a gift from the table and unwraps it. The second person can either choose another gift, or take the first person's gift (in which case the first person chooses again). Continue opening and "stealing" each other's presents until all are opened. This shifts the focus from getting more and more to creatively exchanging just a few things in a fun way.


• For large gatherings, get everyone together in advance, put all the names in a hat, and have each person draw the name of one other person to buy for. Everyone still has the fun of giving and receiving, but not the excess and expense of every person giving to each other person.


• Designate a dollar limit on gifts in advance. The lower the limit, the more creative the gift ideas get, especially if humor is the goal. You would be surprised how much laughter you can evoke by spending a dollar or two at a yard sale.


• If you celebrate Hanukah, shift the focus to avoid giving gifts for eight consecutive evenings. Consider having a theme for each night: hosting a family party, working on a charity project together, making homemade presents or baked goods for others, playing games, etc. - with gift-giving as only one night's focus.

Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery.
And today? Today is a gift.
That's why we call it the present.
-Babatunde Olatunji

For some people entertaining can be a major holiday stress. Starting in November, we are bombarded with images of extravagant decorations and elaborate holiday recipes. With these standards, a simple party can become a monstrous task. The first step in making holiday events more manageable is to decide that you are willing to give up perfection. If you accept that your gathering will not look exactly like the cover of a magazine, you might be able to enjoy it more. Here are some ideas to simplify your party, whether it's a large or small gathering:

• If friends and relatives are willing, have a gourmet potluck party instead of doing all the cooking yourself. The food can still be scrumptious, but each person only cooks one dish!


• Instead of having a party centered around a full meal, have people over for coffee and dessert alone.


• Host a cookie swap. Instead of going through the trouble of baking many different kinds of cookies, double or triple one recipe and share them. Six friends who each make six dozen of the same kind of cookie can meet for coffee and go home with a dozen of each kind (minus one or two, perhaps).


• Delegate some of the decorating, especially if you have young helpers in your home.

A wise lover values not so much the gift of the lover as the love of the giver.
-Thomas á Kempis

Many of us are looking for new ways to connect with our children during the holidays. If you would like to create some holiday rituals, especially for kids, here are some suggestions:

• Help kids put on a holiday play, talent show, or puppet show. It doesn't have to be elaborate and it could be great holiday party entertainment. Pick a well-known play or movie and assign roles in unconventional ways.


• Take them caroling. This is particularly enjoyable when friends and relatives are visiting so that the group of children is large, and it is also a good way to rekindle a sense of community. Be sure to make multiple copies of song sheets!


• Make latkes, chocolates, a gingerbread house, or other treats. Hand-dip candles together for use in a menorah, kinara, or advent wreath.


• Help your children prepare gift boxes for the homeless (filled with items like food, treats, and toiletries). This can be done jointly with a few families and is a gentle way to teach them to appreciate their own good fortune and instill the values of community service and kindness to others.

Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is
like wrapping a present and not giving it.
-William A. Ward

We tend to focus on children during the holidays, but this can also be the perfect time of year to connect with our elders. We are all so busy with our normal routines the rest of the year that it is easy to put off that visit to an elderly friend or relative. Before we realize it, months have gone by. This year, schedule special time with a senior citizen who enjoys the company of your family.

The Holiday Project's mission is to enrich the experience of the holidays by arranging visits to people confined to nursing homes, hospitals and other institutions. Each year, more than three million people spend their holidays confined to institutions, 60% never receive visitors. The Holiday Project provides an opportunity to make a difference in people's lives during the holidays.

If instead of a gem, or even a flower,
we should cast the gift of a loving thought
into the heart of a friend,
that would be giving as the angels give.
-George MacDonald

If you are looking to connect your holiday rituals to the natural world, or if you just want to be more environmentally conscious, there are lots of things you can do:

• Save paper by wrapping gifts in newspaper comics or paper bags decorated with markers, rubber stamps, or homemade art. You can also wrap presents in topographic maps, fun thrift-store fabrics, fabric remnants, silk scarves, children's drawings, artwork from old calendars, or other unconventional materials you have on hand. If this doesn't appeal to you, look for recycled wrapping paper that can be recycled again.


• Reuse gift bags, boxes, and ribbon from last year. Save this year's gift wrap for reuse next year.


• Buy products produced locally by small businesses and artisans. Reject overpackaged and sweatshop-made goods.


• Make your holiday meals with as many locally grownb and/or organic foods as possible.


• If you are decorating a tree, buy a live one and replant it, or go outside and trim a tree in your yard with biodegradable treats for the birds. Or, skip the tree and decorate your home with clippings from local evergreens and holly bushes.


• Call the toll-free numbers on unwanted holiday catalogs and have your name taken off of their mailing lists.

Furoshiki - Sustainable Gift Wrap Pronounced something like "f'-ROHSH-kee", furoshiki originates from Japanese culture and promotes caring for the environment and reducing waste; Furoshiki is the eco-friendly wrapping cloth. Using techniques similar to origami, it can be used for gift wrapping...

If you give what can be taken, you are not really giving.
Take what you are given, not what you want to be given.
Give what cannot be taken.
-Idries Shah

Being an informed consumer means having the right information at your fingertips when you're reaching for products on the store shelf. It's a good idea to have done your research beforehand, but what if you have a hard time remembering which kind of tuna--rainbow or albacore? If you're hesitating about which is the greenest company on the paper products aisle, who can you ask for help? Pull out these handy pocket-sized resources and make the conscious consumer choice every time.

[via New American Dream]

Green Cheat Sheets
Pocket Guide scores companies annually on the basis of their voluntary action to reverse climate change.
Produce Pesticide Card
Online list of fruits and vegetables
Shopper's Guide to Home Tissue Products
Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Guides

The best things in life aren't things.
-Art Buchwald

• Kiva.org Make a loan to an entrepreneur in the developing world for as little as $25. Kiva is the world's first online lending platform connecting online lenders to entrepreneurs across the globe.
  
• DonorsChoose.org DonorsChoose.org is a simple way to provide students in need with resources that our public schools often lack. At this not-for-profit web site, teachers submit project proposals for materials or experiences their students need to learn. These ideas become classroom reality when concerned individuals, whom we call Citizen Philanthropists, choose projects to fund.

One Laptop Per Child Why give a laptop to a child in the emerging world? If you replace the word "laptop" with "education" the answer becomes clear. You don't wait to educate until all other challenges are resolved. You educate at the same time because it's such an important...

You can't have everything;
where would you put it?
-Steven Wright

Less is more.
-Mies van der Rohe

VolunteerMatch is a leader in the nonprofit world dedicated to helping everyone find a great place to volunteer.

If you have a garden and a library,
you have everything you need.
-Cicero

Buy Nothing Day is an informal day of protest against consumerism observed by social activists. Typically celebrated, or not celebrated, the Friday after Thanksgiving in North America and the next day internationally, in 2010 the dates will be November 26 and 27 respectively. It was founded by Vancouver artist Ted Dave and subsequently promoted by the Canadian Adbusters magazine.

The first Buy Nothing Day was organized in Vancouver in September of 1992 "as a day for society to examine the issue of over-consumption." In 1997, it was moved to the Friday after American Thanksgiving, which is one of the top 10 busiest shopping days in the United States. Outside of North America, Buy Nothing Day is celebrated on the following Saturday. Despite controversies, Adbusters managed to advertise Buy Nothing Day on CNN, but many other major television networks declined to air their ads. Soon, campaigns started appearing in United States, the United Kingdom, Israel, Germany, New Zealand, Japan, the Netherlands, and Norway. Participation now includes more than 65 nations.

While critics of the day charge that Buy Nothing Day simply causes participants to buy the next day, Adbusters states that it "isn't just about changing your habits for one day" but "about starting a lasting lifestyle commitment to consuming less and producing less waste."

[via wikipedia.org]

see also: I(nternational) Buy Nothing Day

Voluntary simplicity means going fewer places in one day
rather than more, seeing less so I can see more, doing less
so I can do more, acquiring less so I can have more.
-John Kabat-Zinn, Wherever You Go There You Are

He who buys what he does not need steals from himself.
-Author Unknown

Our life is frittered away by detail.
Simplify, simplify, simplify!
Simplicity of life and elevation of purpose.
-Henry David Thoreau

Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.
-Leonardo da Vinci

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