Ideas for a cozy, eco-friendly holiday season
13 December, 2017
If there's one time of year when our environmental conscience goes out the window more easily, it's the holiday season. While this often hectic time is meant to be about sharing, good times with family and friends, and pleasures big and small, it can quickly turn into a mad race against the clock to buy countless gifts and hunt down that perfect find to delight the children we cherish so much. But let's be honest: it doesn't always have the hoped-for effect, and the joy is often short-lived. Our find sometimes gets lost in the flood of other presents, and in the end, we realize that quantity has won out over quality and over the joy of making someone happy. With that in mind, I thought I'd share a few tried-and-true ideas for giving gifts that are a little more sustainable and eco-friendly, while passing on great values to the kids.
The Good Deeds Advent Calendar
This year, let's set aside the best-known kind of Advent calendar (the one full of surprises and sweets!) and focus instead on gestures and moments that make others happy and bring our family closer together. Altruism and kindness are values I put a lot of time and energy into in my household, and of course I want my kids to be considerate of the people around them: picking up something off the ground that isn't ours, holding the door, saying please and thank you, smiling at others, cheering them on in their challenges and congratulating them when they do something great, etc. So when December rolls around, we use the Good Deeds Advent Calendar, which encourages every member of the family to show generosity every day through small gestures. Inside, you'll find, for example, thank-yous to give (to the mail carrier, the firefighters, our bus driver or our daycare educator), easy gestures to fit into our daily lives (smiling at someone, helping parents with a household chore) and other actions that take more goodwill than money out of our pockets. This tool won't change the world, but planting little seeds of kindness and gratitude toward others can certainly help kids appreciate what's around them.
DISCOVER THE GOOD DEEDS CALENDAR
The Sweet Family Moments Advent Calendar
Here's a golden opportunity to finally take the time to take your time! We often say we're short on time and always in a hurry, and December is the perfect month to stop and enjoy some quality time with our little brood. What child wouldn't be thrilled to play musical beds, go for a drive to look at the Christmas lights, or call their grandparents and ask them to share their best Christmas memory? I bet these moments when we freeze time as a family will hold a special place in the kids' hearts.
DISCOVER THE SWEET FAMILY MOMENTS CALENDAR
An eco-friendly Christmas that's greener than green
Have you ever thought about giving a gift that lasts a whole year? Book or magazine subscriptions can be a great way to spark an interest in reading. Plus, kids love getting mail addressed to them, whether it comes every month or every now and then. It's a sustainable choice that holds up over time, since you can come back to it at different times of the year or as the kids' tastes change. What's more, it's easy to pass along to younger kids, cousins and friends. There are also subscriptions to ready-to-go craft boxes delivered right to your door, perfect for spending a cozy moment with the kids.
To save some money and give our beautiful planet a breather, classified ads for second-hand items are another great option. What you find there is cheaper, and there's none of the excess packaging that comes with new toys: a lovely, very timely solution that champions zero waste.
The gift of time
We hear it all the time: spending quality time with your child is an important part of their development. For a change, or to vary the gifts you give, here are some gift ideas that will create memories of good times spent TOGETHER:
- an outing in the city
- a day outdoors with an impromptu picnic
- treating yourselves to a “coffee break” at the neighbourhood café
- discovering a new spot in the countryside
- a trip to the movies
- getting pampered (beauticians often offer treatments for kids)
- having an ice cream cone in the middle of winter
- pulling out the craft supplies for a family crafting night
- going to the museum
- trying a new sport
- going to the theatre
Passing on the gift of sharing
Helping those who are less well-off and less fortunate than we are, during the holidays and all year round, also makes young and old alike more aware of how lucky they are, and it gives everyone instant joy and real food for thought. So it's the perfect time to dig into our pantry and medicine cabinet to donate non-perishable food and other essentials to those who can't afford them.
Happy, responsible holidays
For many of us, Christmas means magic, sharing and family, and I believe it's possible to get there without falling into the overconsumption that harms the Earth, clutters our homes and doesn't necessarily make the little ones any happier. You can absolutely give gifts and keep the holiday spirit alive while still keeping our concern for the environment in mind!
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