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From eating well to taking care of the environment, healthy holiday celebrations
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AP Photo/The News Tribune, Dean J. Koepfler
The economic challenges of the past year are likely to make for a different holiday season for many of us. Lost jobs and decreased wages have been devastating to families, and the traditional season of joy may seem like a painful contrast to reality.
While the seriousness of financial losses cannot be downplayed, perhaps some positive differences can be achieved this holiday season. Realizing the importance of health during difficult financial times may motivate us to take better care of our selves, both physically and mentally. We may be more mindful of the abundance we have wasted in the past; our own vulnerability may make us more conscientious of the needs of others and of our earth.
The following are suggestions for healthy celebrations in the midst of a strenuous economic climate.
Eating, being, and relating well
Tara Parker-Pope writes an excellent health and wellness blog, Well, for the New York Times. During the holidays, many of the blog articles focus on health during the holidays. Recent articles include recipes for a healthy Thanksgiving, recipes for a vegan Thanksgiving, and how to deal with emotional stress during Thanksgiving, particularly during the Thanksgiving meal.
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Tech. Sgt. Jennifer Myers demonstrates a Kwanzaa ritual.
(Christopher Myers)
A New Zealand-based health information website, Everybody, features an article, “Mentally prepare for Christmas and stave off stress,” that gives twelve mental health tips for twelve days of Christmas. Each tip is a reminder of a practical way to maintain sanity and peace during the holidays, such as taking time to do something you enjoy, exercising, and connecting with others.
Psychology Today’s website is another source for holiday health-related information. Barton Goldsmith’s blog, Emotional Fitness, and Allison Connor’s, Therapy in Mind, both recently included holiday articles.
Locally grown food
Locally grown produce is more sustainable and often tastes better than imported produce, and buying locally grown obviously supports your local economy. Additionally, local farmers’ markets can be less expensive than their supermarket counterparts. Find a place to buy locally grown food for holiday meals.
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(AP Photo/Holly Ramer)
Homemade decorations and gifts
The day after Thanksgiving is often seen as the beginning of preparations for Christmas and other winter holidays, particularly holiday shopping and decorating. There are many options for reusing and recycling instead of buying new products. Websites like Better Homes and Gardens and Handmade Homeschool have tips for making your own holiday crafts and gifts.
Recycled wrapping paper and cards
If buying wrapping paper and cards, check their labels to make sure that they are made from recycled material, sometimes called post-consumer waste. You may be surprised at how easy it is to find recycled cards; even traditional card carriers, such as Hallmark, often offer a green line. Recycled wrapping paper is also available from green websites, such as Endoprint, which carries candy cane snowflakes wrapping paper and holiday card sets.
LED lights
Energy-efficient LED lights can be used for holiday decorations and are widely available, even from larger stores like Walmart and Target. Environmental LED is offering a program where you will receive a 15% discount coupon when you send them your old incandescent Christmas lights to be recycled. Holiday LEDs is honoring Home Depot discount coupons for recycled lights, until December 31, 2009.
Environmentally-friendly Christmas trees
The December 2009 issue of O, the Oprah Magazine, highlights the following websites, which promote more environmentally-friendly Christmas tree habits: Green Promise lists locations where you can buy organic, pesticide-free Christmas trees; at Earth 911, you can search for Christmas tree recycling centers; you can also “rent” a living Christmas tree in Portland, San Diego, and San Francisco. The Portland website, the Original Living Christmas Tree Company, also offers information on replanting your Christmas tree if you live outside these cities. .jpg)
UNICEF cards and gifts
UNICEF offers an opportunity to help both our earth and our neighbors around the globe. UNICEF has an impressive variety of holiday cards and gifts for purchase. Their cards are made from recycled materials and from paper from well-managed forests. Proceeds from UNICEF’s sales assist in protecting and supporting the well-being of children all over the world. You can download a copy of the UNICEF 2009 holiday catalog or look for the cards at your local Pier 1.
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