Re-thinking Christmas

As the Christmas carols repeatedly tell us, Christmas is a time for joy, celebration, and giving thanks. So why then has it become a stressful time of year when families who are already out of pocket are expected to fork out for expensive gifts, mothers are stressed out with shopping in the busy malls, and our Christmas lights have to brighter than the neighbors?

Christmas has become a very wasteful time of year. We waste our money on over the top gifts, many of which are junky and unsustainable products made in sweat shops in China.

As the years have gone on, we’ve all become a little hooked on the commercial side of Christmas – don’t get me wrong I love gift giving and receiving, but sometimes we can go a bit overboard at Christmas.

I’m rethinking Christmas a little this year and getting back to the basic roots of this celebration. I’ll be attempting to make the majority of my gifts, and will be trying to give useful and sustainable things rather than junk. I’ll be conscious of which brands and shops I’m supporting and buying from, and trying to give more thoughtful gifts this Christmas.

This is really a win:win situation as I think people really appreciate home made gifts as they aren’t that common anymore. A homemade card and batch of cookies speaks many more words than a generic, mass produced product.

Right time to get making! I’ll keep you updated on progress…