Christmas in July

First, a disclaimer: We at LiveGreen do not discriminate when it comes to religion. Here, we talk about Christmas in the American sense (Santa Claus, Gifts, Big Dinners, Firends, Love). Now on to the blog.

You've all heard of the saying "Chistmas in July"... usually when somebody hits it big or when there is an unexpected windfall of money. Well, we'd like to talk about Christmas in December, the biggest shopping day of the year. As a consumer, you have the power to effect change with every dollar (or euro, pound, etc...) spent...and just around the corner (well, not really) comes the biggest spending season of the year. You can't get away from it! Holiday parties at work, in class, at friend's homes...there's the obligatory card to all of your friends and families. It's a time to spend and a time of waste as well. How many gifts have you returned or given to Goodwill after the holidays? Why do we need all of these gifts?

I'm not saying gifts are bad...it's great to give a loved one a gift showing how much you care. However, it seems that as we grow older, Christmas becomes a nostalic time best spent giving presents when really we just want to spend time with our friends and families. In the next six months we will be blogging about ways to make your holiday season green this year. From sustainably made gifts to no gifts at all.

We start in July with no gifts. My wife and I are in a similar stage with both of our families...a few of our siblings have kids, new Grandmas and Grandpas are just getting their first chances at spoiling, and siblings of long distances have but a few weeks a year to spend with eachother. We both come from large families. So when you add on a neice or nephew here and there the family becomes HUGE. The holidays represent a significant stress when it comes to gifts for people large and small...and then there's the 'Holiday Card' you should send to EVERYONE YOU'VE EVER MET! It's a little insane when you think of it.

Let's make this holiday a ZERO WASTE HOLIDAY. When it comes down to it, my family is not rich, but we can afford to buy some luxuries on our own. It's not like when I was a kid and had to mow lawns for months in order to buy a Super Soaker...I rather spend a lot of my money all the time on things like gas, food, clothes...the last thing I want to do is spend more. So what do we do?

Gifts: Make a pact with your family this season that no one will buy any gifts for anyone (except for kids if you want...and stay tuned for some sustainable gifts). Many cheap gifts are made in deplorable working conditions and are manufactured with earth UN-friendly materials. Think before you shop...can you live without the hassle of shopping in the busiest time of the year?

Cards: Send an eCard or nothing at all. What do you plan to acheive by sending a card? Data Transfer. You're trying to bring the people you care about (or even just acquaintances) up to speed on your life...maybe even bragging a little! Why do you need to use paper, ink, gas for transport, waste? Sending an eCard is a simple and efficient click of the mouse.