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Extreme Makeover: Holiday Edition!
Janelle Sorensen
Monday, September 29, 2008
Maybe I simply have a bad memory (I hear long-term sleep deprivation can do that to a person), but I swear stores keep putting up holiday paraphernalia earlier and earlier. I’m also quite sure that the amount of space dedicated to seasonal supplies is growing every year. You know it’s gotten pretty extreme when even a seven year-old notices and exclaims in disbelief “Mom, they already have Christmas stuff out! Who would be buying Christmas stuff now?”
The next few months are filled with holidays that used to be sacred and meaningingful, but marketing has morphed them into gluttonous gatherings with candy and sparkles on top. Our economy can’t support it. Our environment can’t support it. And we shouldn’t support it either. Let’s give the coming holiday season an extreme makeover!
Here are my top three tips:
1. Get kids involved. Discuss the real meaning of each holiday with your kids. Talk about the commercialization and waste. Come up with better ideas like new green traditions. At my house, we take a woodsy hike or go sledding (snow permitting) every Christmas. I remember reading about another family that had a winter picnic in the woods.
2. Make green wish-lists. With little ones you can usually get away with gently used things instead of brand-new items. My kids and nieces and nephews hand make things for one another. My nephew made a bird out of a broken toaster last year – it was bizarre and beautiful! They also swap toys and books. If you really want to buy something, think “experience” instead of “stuff.” How about season passes to a museum or children’s theater?
3. Host a Healthy Home Holiday Party. Okay, this may be gratuitous self-promotion, but it’ll really makeover your holidays and help you give your children the best gift ever, a healthy world and a healthy future! Healthy Child Healthy World, in partnership with LUNA, has developed a Healthy Home Party Kit that will help you educate your family and friends about protecting children’s health by creating a greener, safer home. There is no better way to teach friends and family than by using your own home as a model for healthy living. Use our kit to make your home a comfortable and fun place to learn how to minimize environmental health risks. Each Party Host will receive an Event-in-a-Box Party Kit that includes our Creating Healthy Environments for Children DVD, educational handouts, and free product samples to share at your party.
