Simplify The Holidays
simplify the holidays2009
~ FROM THE CENTER FOR A NEW AMERICAN DREAM ~
No matter what you celebrate, this guide
provides many meaningful ways to have more
fun with less stuff this season!
1 Are You Dreaming of the Perfect Holiday?
2 Retail Extravaganza
3 Getting Started
4 Time and Stress
5 Gifts and Spending
6 Budgeting
7 Waste
8 Talk to Your Family
9 Simple Gift Ideas
9 Homemade Gifts
11 Gifts of Time
12 Gifts of Experience
13 Gifts to Charity
14 What is an Alternative Gift Fair?
15 Gifts for Children
17 Gifts for Grandparents
18 Low-Waste Wrapping
19 Decorating Materials
20 Change Gift-Giving Traditions
21 Connect With Your Children
22 Remember Your Elders
22 Simpler Entertaining
24 Holiday Advice from Fellow New Dreamers
2 www.newdream.org
ARE YOU DREAMING OF THE PERFECT HOLIDAY?
If you were asked to describe the ideal holiday season, chances
are you would include the company of loved ones, good food,
fun and relaxation, and maybe an inch or two of snow.
It seems so simple, but for many of us, this could not be farther
from reality. Too often, the holidays seem to exhaust rather
than uplift us. Do you sometimes feel trapped by the shopping,
spending, and frenzied preparations? Do you want your holidays
wrapped more in meaning and less in stuff? If so, you’re not
alone. According to a recent national survey, more than 3 in 4
Americans wish that holidays were less materialistic. Nearly 9
in 10 believe that holidays should be more about family and
caring for others, not giving and receiving gifts. And in today’s
economy, many Americans are feeling the need to cut back.
Consumers spent less during the 2008 holiday season than
in prior years. A national survey revealed that the majority of
Americans are planning to spend even less in 2009.
This year, you don’t have to rack up credit card debt or get
swept up in the season’s commercialism. Instead, consider
creating holidays that instill more meaning into the season
and encourage more sharing, laughter, creativity, and personal
renewal. This guide is our attempt to help you get started. We
hope the steps outlined here will help you reduce stress and
increase your personal fulfillment during this holiday season.
I was thinking recently about what I remember
most about my grandparents, and I realized that
I don’t remember a single gift they gave me
as a child. Instead, I remember the time that I
spent with them.
Erin Peters
RETAIL EXTRAVAGANZA
The holiday season is arguably our greatest cultural paradox.
Tradition, family, and faith are obscured by the pressures to spend.
The costs of the commercialized holiday season are reflected in these
statistics:
• During the 2008 holiday season, shoppers spent a total of $441.97
billion, down 3.4 percent from 2007. On average, holiday sales
increased 4.4 percent per year from 1998-2007. National Retail
Federation
• Though holiday spending declined in 2008, it did not decline
nearly as much as Americans intended. In pre-holiday surveys,
2008 respondents said they planned to spend half of what 2007
respondents claimed they planned to spend. American Research
Group
• 40% of Americans start their holiday shopping before Halloween.
National Retail Federation
• Americans planned to do 30% of their holiday shopping over the
Internet in 2008. American Research Group
• 73.6 million people shopped on “Black Friday” (the day after
Thanksgiving) in 2008. National Retail Federation
• At the end of 2008, Americans’ credit card debt reached $972.73
billion, up 1.12% from 2007. Nilson Report
• The average credit card debt per household was $8,329 at the end
of 2008. Nilson Report
2 www.newdream.org/holiday
GETTING STARTED
Before deciding how to simplify, take a moment to reflect on
what kind of holiday celebration you want. Are you looking
for more activities to enjoy with your children? A celebration
focused more deeply on nature? New charitable or community
based traditions? A clearer confirmation of your spiritual beliefs?
A way to weave in your respect for the environment into the
celebration? Or are you trying to reduce the stress and get a
little extra time to sleep? Once you have decided what you want
to do differently, it’s easier to decide how to act.
When adults reflect back on their childhoods, holidays are often
some of their most precious memories. What holiday memories
do you want for yourself and for your children? Unfortunately,
too many of us get trapped in the chaos of shopping, planning,
cooking, and cleaning. We speed up so much that we never
really slow down and enjoy the season. The heart and soul of
the holidays often get lost.
Imagine the holidays have come and gone. The food has been
eaten, the gifts have all been opened, and you are observing
the aftermath. Picture the scene carefully: the way the house
looks, the way you feel, what your family is doing. Once you can
see the image clearly, answer the following questions.
1. Does your usual celebration focus on those aspects of the
holiday that you feel are most important?
2. Which parts of your celebration would be the easiest to
change so that you could spend more time on the things that
are most meaningful for you?
3
TIME AND STRESS
1. List all the holiday-related tasks for which you were
responsible last year (e.g., buying gifts, making cards,
decorating the house, guests, etc.).
2. Put a star next to the activities you truly enjoyed. Look at your
list and consider the following questions:
Which activities could you scale back to reduce stress?
Where can you enlist help to make tasks easier and more fun?
Which activities could you cut out altogether?
Which activities do you find particularly enriching, and worthy of
more time and effort?
Admiration Booklets
One year, my immediate family (parents and siblings)
decided that we really didn’t need to buy each other
gifts. So instead, we all wrote something we love or
admire about each other. I collected these comments
and created a little booklet for each person containing
all of the comments. At our get-together, each person
got a booklet of all of the qualities that people like
about them. I love this idea because it really allows you
to express your admiration and support for the people
you love. It’s a great keepsake and it definitely brought
us together more than a new pair of slippers would!
Kindle Fahlenkamp-Morell
4 www.newdream.org/holiday
GIFTS AND SPENDING
Try to remember how much money you spent last year on
gifts, decorations, and overall celebration-related items during
the holiday season last year. If necessary, estimate your bills,
but if your bank and credit card statements from last year are
available, do your best to get an accurate picture of what your
actual costs were. Don’t forget to add in the price of wrapping
paper, food for entertaining, and any last-minute “stocking
stuffers” or other extras you may have purchased, too. Calculate
what percentage of your annual income this amounts to.
Amount: __________ Percentage of annual income: _________
Are you comfortable with this figure? Is the amount you spend
on the holidays greater than your yearly electric bill? Your
annual savings? Your annual charitable giving? Did you put any
of these expenses on a credit card, and if so, how long did it
take to pay off the credit debt? The purpose of this exercise
isn’t to make you feel guilty, but to give you some perspective.
Often, we are simply not conscious of how much is flying out
of our wallets during the rush of the season. Seeing the total
amount added up can provide some resolve to track expenses
more carefully, however. If you don’t feel the level of enjoyment
you received justified the amount you spent, try setting a
budget to spend less.
5
BUDGETING
For many people, overspending is the biggest source of stress
at holiday time. We all want to show our loved ones that we
care about them, but we don’t need to go broke in the process.
If financial concerns have the potential to ruin your holiday,
set a holiday budget well ahead of time that weighs the money
you have available against your obligations. Then, reconsider
your obligations.
Take another look at what you spent last year, outlined in the
exercise above. If you paid $200 to prepare a large, fancy meal
for your extended family, could you spend $30 this year on a
simpler main course and ask guests to bring side dishes? If you
spent $10 on wrapping paper, could you use children’s artwork
or maps from your travels as a free alternative this year? (The
tips that follow will help with creative ways to save money.)
Every budget is unique, but the bottom line should be a figure
you can cover without credit debt over the months leading up to
the holiday. Calculate a total amount you are comfortable with,
then plan a budget that is roughly half of what you know you
can afford. This gives you a cushion against all those little extras
that spring up unexpectedly. It’s also a good idea to record your
holiday purchases as you make them.
Keeping a running tally of your expenses (in a memo pad
in your purse or a sheet of paper in your wallet) will help
you track how well you are sticking with your budget. If you
predict that overspending will be a problem, make a rule
to do all of your holiday shopping with cash. This reduces
the chance that you will buy on impulse, limits your spending
to the amount you choose to bring into a store, and won’t
cost you anything in interest.
6 www.newdream.org/holiday
WASTE
Americans generate an average of 25% more waste, or 1 million
extra tons per week, between Thanksgiving and Christmas,
with the trash almost doubling right after the holidays. Isn’t it
possible to celebrate without leaving a trail of trash that will stay
in the landfills long after the season has passed?
Picture the bags of garbage you put on the curb last year and
visualize what was inside. Then complete this exercise to identify
areas where you can prevent waste before it starts.
Holiday waste audit
• What are all the waste-generating activities
• Food waste (serving too much at parties)
• Energy waste (incandescent lights)
• Tree/other decorations
• Paper – cards, wrapping paper, boxes
• Plastic – drink containers, packing
Now consider durable items that turned out to be anything
but—the new stuff that ended up in the trash or forgotten in a
closet over the year.
What broke, wore out prematurely, or was never really used?
• Kids’ toys
• Clothes
• Appliances
• Other
1. Consider using these items for a re-gift party (see page 20)
or donate to charity.
2. Find strategies to avoid accumulating these short-lived gifts
that are a poor fit. Communicate your gift-giving preferences
to friends ahead of time (see page 8).
7
TALK TO YOUR FAMILY
If you are planning to change your usual holiday celebrations
and rituals, talk to your family about it ahead of time and
get their feedback. Explain why you want to make a change.
Assure everyone that you want to emphasize the traditions
that foster the greatest sense of meaning and connection, and
that you don’t want to take anything away from the holiday.
Skeptics may change their minds after giving a few new ideas
a try. You may also be pleasantly surprised by who shares your
concerns and enthusiasm.
Some families will resist any kind of change. This doesn’t
mean you can’t gradually incorporate new practices into your
usual rituals. Creatively planned activities and thoughtful
homemade gifts will often win over cynical friends and relatives,
and even the smallest changes in your routines can make
you feel better about your holiday while reducing your impact
on the environment.
8 www.newdream.org/holiday
Last Christmas, my mom and I hosted a “Create-a-gift” party for my
family where everyone got together, had some snacks, spent some
time together, and made hand-made gifts for one another. My mom
and aunt worked on making no-sew quilts, my Grandma and I baked
dog biscuits for the many animal lovers in our family...Everyone was
surprised by how much fun they had and hopefully it will become a
family holiday tradition! Chantel Buck
SIMPLE GIFT IDEAS
We’ve compiled hundreds of ideas that celebrate the
holiday season without overwhelming family time, credit cards,
or landfills. For a periodically updated list of ideas, visit
www.newdream.org/holiday.
Homemade Gifts
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 and shopping at the mall.
• Homemade salsa, pasta sauce, jam, and baked goods all
taste much better than store-bought versions. Include the
recipe.
• Construct 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.
• Assemble a family quilt (from recycled fabric), collage, or
other project that can be added to every year, with kids’
contributions reflecting their growth. Large families can take
turns sharing the possession of the quilt during the year.
• Make sachets out of old fabric and herbs; dip beeswax
candles colored with old crayons, or make potpourri.
• Make your own homemade green cleaning products (and
maybe offer one cleaning demonstration)
• Make your own soap or personal care products (scrubs,
9
conditioners, bath mixes), put them in a recycled glass jar, and
include the recipe
• Mix jars of dried tea out of bulk fair trade teas and/or bulk herbs
like rose hips, lavender, chamomile, mint, etc. Include a mesh tea
strainer.
• Re-pot herbs or house plant
clippings—include a hanging
planter made of braided recycled
fabric
• Record interviews with
relatives. You can ask them to
share memories of the person you
plan to give the recording to, or
tell stories of your family history.
• Prepare homemade soups or
dinners that can be frozen for
future use.
• Give away the last great book you
bought and enjoyed to someone with similar taste. This could be the
start of a book exchange that lasts all year round.
• Plant a tree or perform some other “random act of kindness” in your
recipient’s honor.
• Put together a list of favorite family recipes. Variations: customize
a “locavore” recipe book with seasonal recipes for the recipient’s
location. Create an organic, fair-trade or creative leftover reuse
-themed recipe book.
• 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 the
box.] Get together with a few like-minded 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.
• Pass on possessions that you no longer use but would be useful to
others. Example: a sewing machine to someone who wants to learn
to sew. Share the history of the article with the recipient.
• Celebrate your loved ones—write your friend or family member a
letter listing all their qualities you admire.
10 www.newdream.org/holiday
Gifts of Time
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” (see
below) that describes the gift being given.
a Gift for you
In appreciation of your friendship,
I am proud to give you
A springtime stroll in the
country for Christmas.
This gift can be redeemed at any time
during the year by calling me and
arranging a convenient time.
With Love,
• 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
• Help someone green their home: give them a boost
with a compost bin, insulation project, water efficiency
improvements, or other task they may have a hard time
starting on their own.
• For a relative or friend you tend to only be in touch with
at the holidays, make a commitment to contact them
throughout the year.
11
Gifts of Experience
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, drawing, 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 free services in one of your skill areas—such as
photography, gardening, or financial planning.
• Support the local art scene: give tickets to a community
theater or a membership to a museum.
12 www.newdream.org/holiday
On Christmas morning, we wake up and put together bags of snacks
and put some hot cider in a thermos, then we head out in the car. We
stop at every intersection with a homeless person and give them a
meal and hot cider.
Because we see the homeless on street corners every day, we tend
to forget about what they’re going through. So this is our way of
reconnecting to our fellow human being in need.
Kelly Holmes
Gifts to Charity
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.newdream.org/marketplace/donations.php 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/marketplace/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
organizations that match your family’s values.
• Participate in an alternative winter break: Individuals and families
can participate in service projects in the US and abroad.
• Volunteer to bring cheer to a shelter, nursing home, or hospital.
• Run a donation drive at work or at church. Toy drives are the most
common, but you can also collect coats for the homeless, clothes
(especially children’s clothes), shoes, or food.
13
What is an Alternative Gift Fair?
Imagine a shopping list that, instead of sweaters, knickknacks,
and video games, contained solar cookers for refugees in
Kenya, solar water systems for victims of natural disasters
in Honduras, and garden plots for urban families in your
neighborhood. These are all examples of presents that can be
purchased at alternative gift fairs, generally for just $5 to $100.
When you make a donation toward a specific gift of charity,
you receive a card detailing your gift to give to your recipient.
In addition to supporting worthy charities in your area and
around the world, gift fairs are a great way for communities to
come together for a festive holiday celebration. Many feature
live music, homemade decorations, food, and lots of holiday
spirit.
Want to attend a fair but don’t have one in your
neighborhood?
Consider organizing one! Hosting a fair is a great way to
support a diverse range of organizations while bypassing much
of the stress that comes with the annual shopping season. Find
out more about where fairs are being held and how to host
one in your own community by visiting www.newdream.org/
holiday/altgift.php.
14 www.newdream.org/holiday
Gifts for Children
Instead of making a contribution
to the broken toy pile in your
child’s room, give your kids
gifts they can’t break. Like an
excursion to a local event or
children’s museum, or some
other “experiential” gift. 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 sometimes very small 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 telescope
• a stamp and stamp pad
• building blocks modeling clay or homemade play dough
• a homemade sock monkey
• a drawing pad and crayons or other art supplies
15
Some assembly desired
Gather the materials that appeal to a child’s sense of play:
• sock puppets made from old socks, single mittens and
gloves, with buttons sewn on for eyes.
• 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
16 www.newdream.org/holiday
Gifts for Grandparents
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.
My parents have been married over 60 years. In that time they’ve
accumulated a lot of “stuff.” Our family decided to have a “garage
sale Christmas” this year. We are going to pull all the “stuff” out of
the upstairs storage under the eaves and set it out for Christmas.
Mom and Dad save because they don’t have to buy gifts on a
fixed income. We get some unique item of choice that will have
meaning because it came from them. Linda Armour
17
Low-Waste Wrapping
Tearing open a gift always brings a thrill, but wrapping with virgin
paper and plastic ribbons spends a lot of resources on those few
seconds’ thrill. Consider that 38,000 miles of ribbon alone is thrown out
annually—enough to tie a bow around the Earth.
Don’t send any wrapping materials to the landfill this year. Enclose gifts
in one of the following:
• Newspaper comics or paper bags decorated with markers, potato
stamps, or drawings.
• Maps, fabric remnants, thrift store cloth, old calendars, or other
repurposed materials.
• Reuse gift boxes from last year or repurpose other boxes around the
house like cereal boxes.
• Give the gift of reusable gift bags: sew these simple bags that can
prevent waste year after year.
• Decorate with old ribbons, ties, scarves, beads, and paper
snowflakes.
• Skip the wrapping altogether and opt for a scavenger hunt with
clues.
Shipping
When shipping gifts, look for packaging made from recycled materials
or seek out repurposed materials of your own. Before ordering online,
find out what kind of packaging will come with a purchase, to avoid the
predicament of green gifts enclosed with Styrofoam peanuts.
Boxes Supermarkets, liquor stores, and other businesses will often give
away large, sturdy boxes for free, sometimes with packing material
inside.
Packing materials Inside the box use crumpled newspaper, folded
cardboard, or even real (unbuttered) popcorn to cushion gifts
Tape Gummed tape requires a sponge and a little extra time and effort,
but it saves on the plastic tape sent to the landfill.
18 www.newdream.org/holiday
Decorating Materials
One person’s trash is another person’s tree trimming. Look for ways to turn
heirlooms, thrift store finds, and upcycled materials into low-waste holiday cheer.
Click on the underlined links to view instructions or go to
www.newdream.org/holiday/decorating.php.
Paper Used paper can be folded into origami, layered as a collage, or
made into a wreath. Create a garland. Or make your own paper out of
scraps. Magazines can be rolled into colorful beads.
Cardboard Empty food boxes and used packing materials can provide
the backing for wreaths or the basis of ornaments and centerpieces.
Plastic Learn how to knit plastic bags into plarn. Cut soda bottles into
ornaments. Transparent plastic wrappers create stained-glass effects.
Shiny stuff Potato chip bags, nutrition bar wrappers, and other silvery
packaging contain Mylar. Cut out shapes for wrapping or make confetti
for a homemade snow globe.
Glass and china Create a mosaic using shards of china or glass. Heirloom
bowls and pretty thrift store glasses are the start of a festive centerpiece.
Fabric Rag wreaths and garlands add a country touch to the holidays.
Shrink old wool in the wash to create felt for ornaments or finger puppets.
Food Dried orange slices, cranberries, popcorn, and macaroni are
ingredients tree trimmings. Birds appreciate edible garlands and
decorations, too.
Flora Pine cones, braided vines, evergreens,and dried grasses make
beautiful wreaths.
Instead of buying a whole bunch of fancy ornaments for our
Christmas tree, our family would make the kids make ornaments
out of clay, or pine tree cones, or cloth every year. They range from
funny (when I was three I drew a robot on a piece of cloth with a
Santa hat) to touching (the year our uncle passed on we all made
angels) and always are the most valued. Joshua Key-Maginnis
19
CHANGE GIFT-GIVING TRADITIONS
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 Hanukkah, 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.
20 www.newdream.org/holiday
CONNECT WITH YOUR
CHILDREN
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. Pick a
well-known play or movie
and assign roles in unconventional ways.
• Take them caroling. This community-building activity is particularly
enjoyable when friends and relatives are visiting so that the group of
children is large. Be sure to make multiple copies of song sheets!
• Make latkes, chocolates, a gingerbread house, or other treats.
• Hand-dip candles together for a menorah, kinara, or advent wreath.
• Help your children prepare gift boxes for the homeless (filled
with items like food, treats, and personal care items). 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.
• Bake easy dough ornaments—either free form or using cookie
cutters. Basic recipe: 2c all purpose flour, 1 c salt, 1 c water.
• Take a trip to a local farm, artisan bakery, or craft shop to teach kids
how food and handicrafts are made.
• Stamp recycled paper with a cut potato dipped in paint.
• Get out in nature: plant a tree, pick up trash by a stream, or go on a
hike, bringing along a nature book to identify plants and birds.
• Give a present to the birds: make a homemade birdfeeder out of
plastic bottle, milk carton, jug, or coffee can. Together you can look
up the bird species that visit and learn to recognize them.
• A hummingbird feeder can be made from any clear bottle with a
screw- or snap-on top.
21
REMEMBER YOUR ELDERS
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.
SIMPLER ENTERTAINING
For some people entertaining can be a major holiday stress.
Before we even reach Halloween, 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:
• Have a party featuring all local foods
• 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).
• Throw a decorating party where people bring materials to
make decorations from ideas on page 19.
• Delegate some of the decorating, especially if you have
young helpers in your home.
22 www.newdream.org/holiday
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Holiday Advice from Fellow New Dreamers
The year I put the most thought and care into gifts was a year that
we were living on one unemployment check. My husband was taking
slides of wildlife but had no way to show them; I gave him a used slide
projector that someone was selling. I hated our formica dining table
and wanted a wooden one; he gave me a nice tablecloth and napkins to
conceal it. We spent the least and yet gave the most heart-felt presents
that year.
---Kathy Cole
Our family has not done away with gift giving entirely, but we have created
a ritual to make the entire process more mindful and conscious. Raising
the consciousness of gift giving can certainly lead to less waste, more
simplicity, and certainly more of what matters.
We started a tradition about 6 years ago wherein we all write out several
gratitudes on little slips of paper either throughout the year, during the
days leading up to Christmas, or for some, on Christmas morning, to be
placed in a decorative container on Christmas morning.
As we all gather together to share time together and exchange a few
gifts, before anyone opens a gift, each individual gets the opportunity to
dip into the container and read one of the slips for all to hear and guess
who said what. All involved are ‘present’ to what is being spoken and
what is happening as we all watch one person at a time open their gift...
We are especially grateful for this tradition since we have recently lost
one of our children prematurely at age 23 and are blessed to have shared
these intimate mindful holidays with him and to hold in our hearts, the
memories that will live there forever.
---Colleen Bogner
Our children gets lots of presents at Christmas time, so instead of
everybody getting another gift from Santa Claus, he brings our family
only 1 gift, but it is always “something that brings the family together”.
So, as a family, we’ve been given family games, kits to make things
ourselves, and when the children were little, cookies with supplies to
decorate them.
--Amy Mann
24 www.newdream.org/holiday
I give alternative gifts! Instead
of buying family and friends even
more stuff that they don’t need,
I give a gift in their honor to a
humanitarian or environmental
cause. They get a card (that they
can recycle after reading), someone
in need gets clean drinking water,
a scholarship to attend school, or
chickens to earn income, and we all
get a holiday ‘warm fuzzy.’
--Quay Roberts
My daughter-in-law brings a bag of items to our family holiday gathering
and passes it around. Everyone is encouraged to take at least one
item from the bag. Items often in the bag: a decorated pillow case,
a bracelet, a coin purse, a scarf, a CD case, a candle or other home
decoration. Anything she no longer wants or needs that others may still
appreciate. It is always fun to look in the bag and find a treasure.
--Pat Fuller
This year we are doing away with sending Holiday cards. Not only does
this task cause much stress (picking out the perfect card, organizing
addresses of friends and family) but it creates a ton of waste! These cards
get thrown away once the holidays are over. Instead, I plan on continuing
to send family pictures via email throughout the year.
--Maresa Glass
We use and reuse gift bags when possible. Another fun thing to do is
wrap gifts using odd boxes and the Sunday comics as wrapping paper.
Recipients’ facial expressions are a hoot! My cousins were totally baffled
as to why we were giving them granola bars (their faces betrayed the
confusion coupled with the desire to be polite) until they found the
framed mini sketch of the English countryside wrapped inside. Priceless,
and fully recyclable.
--Alice Hall
25
FROM THE CENTER FOR A NEW AMERICAN DREAM
www.newdream.org
Who are we and why are we doing this?
The Center for a New American Dream helps Americans
consume responsibly to protect the environment, enhance
quality of life and promote social justice. Through outreach
programs like the Simplify the Holidays campaign, we are
working to promote sustainable lifestyles that will ensure a
healthy planet for future generations. We hope this brochure is
useful to you and we look forward to hearing your comments
and observations.
Sincerely,
The New American Dream Staff
Please help us grow.
Our work depends on the generosity and support of people like
you. By becoming a member of New American Dream, you will
be helping us to:
• Promote positive changes in the way goods are produced and
consumed
• Shift the economy toward the “green” marketplace while
reducing overall consumption
• Develop responsible and sustainable purchasing practices for
corporations, government agencies, and academic institutions
• Educate Americans to become conscious consumers
Make a donation online (www.newdream.org/store), by
phone (301-891-3683), or by sending your check to:
The Center for a New American Dream 6930 Carroll Avenue,
Suite 900 Takoma Park, MD 20912
26 www.newdream.org/holiday
Further Reading
A Mindful Christmas by Barbara Kilikevicius
Hundred Dollar Holiday by Bill McKibben
How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss
The Gift of Nothing by Patrick McDonnell
Simplify Your Christmas by Elaine St. James
Unplug the Christmas Machine by Jo Robinson &
Jean Coppock Staeheli
What Kids Really Want That Money Can’t Buy by Betsy Taylor
Winter Solstice Celebrations for Families and Households
by Selena Fox
Whose Birthday Is It, Anyway? www.simpleliving.org
Sources for Earth-Friendly Products
Alternative Gifts International www.altgifts.org
Conscious Consumer www.consciousconsumer.org
Give for Change www.giveforchange.com
National Green Pages from Co-op America
www.coopamerica.org
Ten Thousand Villages www.tenthousandvillages.org
27
Center for a New American Dream
6930 Carroll Avenue, Suite 900
Takoma Park, Md. 20912
PHONE
(Toll Free) 1-877-68-DREAM or 301-891-3683
FAX
301-891-3684
newdream@newdream.org
www.newdream.org • www.simplifytheholidays.org
Seventh Edition: Credits
Written by New American Dream staff
© November 2009, New American Dream
We are a nonprofit that never sends junk mail; we rely on word of mouth to
get the word out. Any text in this booklet may be reprinted free of charge
provided that credit is given to the Center for a New American Dream and
our website is included (www.newdream.org).
28 www.newdream.org/holiday
