MOST issues your wellbeing editor Kate tries out a treatment or event or activity each time. This issue the focus on something a bit different. Kaye’s here to help you enjoy a more sustainable, and meaningful festive season.
AS I write this it’s Bonfire Night and there are lots of bangs and fizzes going off outside my window. It feels a little premature to be talking about Christmas but even here in Totnes – where thankfully Christmas get underway a little later than in many other places – there’s no escaping the glitter and glass baubles which signal that the festive season is just around the corner.
So, for this issue’s Kate Does… the focus is a green Christmas.
I must confess to being a bit of a Scrooge when it comes to Christmas. It’s not the idea of it that I object to (after all, an excuse to party and eat chocolate is great) but I find myself becoming jaded with the brash commercialism of it all and exhortations to spend money we can’t afford on gifts we don’t want using resources we need to conserve.
A greener Christmas
However, lots of things have changed over the last couple of years. We’ve changed. The world has changed. Wouldn’t it be lovely if Christmas changed too? Instead of being a time of eating too much, spending to excess and falling out with our family, wouldn’t it be great if things became a bit greener and the whole shebang was altogether gentler on us and our planet?
What would a greener Christmas look like to you?
Shopping local
Buying from local suppliers is a great place to start because instead of your money trickling away into the tills of faceless corporate organisations, it stays local, helping to support small independent businesses and artisans who, like everyone, have struggled to make a living through the pandemic. If we value diversity and choice on our High Streets we need to support our local traders at this crucial time of year as much as we can. We’re fortunate in South Devon to have lots of lovely independent shops to choose from (and I can’t help thinking that a well-chosen gift from one of them – particularly if it’s something handmade – is likely to be well-received and may have greater longevity than something mass produced).
Christmas presence
If you don’t want to give ‘things’, why not give experiences, such as a lovely massage or treatment or afternoon tea? Again, you can choose to support local suppliers, many of whom do gift vouchers (flicking through the pages of Reconnect could give you some ideas). Some people choose to do a present amnesty at Christmas, which can be one way to relieve financial pressures and pressure on planetary resources, although probably more of an adult thing than something for children. A friend told me she values Christmas presence (friends and family turning up) way more than Christmas presents. I know it’s a bit cheesy but it’s kind of memorable and if it works for you, great.
Support local farmers
When it comes to food, buying local has great advantages too. If you’re on a tight budget, I realise it’s not always possible to buy everything locally, but check out the prices in independent shops before automatically heading for the supermarket. Farmers Markets and Farm Shops are great for fruit and veg and, even if you are shopping in the supermarket, buying seasonal and local will reduce the impact on the planet.
Gift wrap
What about present wrapping? I confess I’m no expert here. Gifts from me tend to be lumpy and inexpertly wrapped, with too much Sellotape (which ends up stuck all around the kitchen table because I can never find the tape dispenser). However, last year a friend gave me a present wrapped in brown paper, with strips of torn up Sari in place of ribbon. It looked amazing. Someone else gave me a gift wrapped in a piece of pretty cotton scarf tied at the top. Also fabulous. You don’t have to spend a fortune on wrapping paper (and if you go for shop-bought paper it’s best to avoid metallic and glossy foils because they are harder to recycle). If you’ve got old calendars or maps, these can look great, too.
Real vs artificial
I have two cats and this will be the first year that they’ve seen a Christmas tree, so wish me luck with that one! Personally I love a real tree even though I know I’ll be treading on stray pine needles for the rest of the year. Carbon calculations show that a replantable one is best (unless you live in a house with no garden like me), however even with my cut tree I figure that it will have absorbed as much carbon dioxide when growing than it will emit if it is burnt or left to decompose. If you have an artificial tree that you bring out every year that’s a pretty green option as it means you’re not buying anything. But, if you’re considering buying a new one maybe think again about an artificial tree because they are made using petro-chemicals and shipped half way around the world to get to your home. When it comes to Christmas lights LED use 95% less energy than traditional bulbs.
Look after yourself
It’s so easy to get caught up in the frenetic pace of Christmas that it’s easy to forget that it’s supposed to be fun and we need to care for our health and wellbeing. Maybe – if you can – schedule a treatment with one of our wonderful local therapists in the coming weeks. Or, if that’s not possible then make time to meet a friend for coffee or even just to have a relaxing bath. If we all take better care of ourselves, we stand a chance of enjoying the festive season rather than skidding to a halt on Boxing Day feeling frazzled and frayed around the edges.
Whatever you are doing this Christmas, however, whether your celebration is a traditional one or an unconventional one, whether you are spending it alone or with family or friends, whether you’ve got your lights up already or you’re facing the season with a degree of trepidation, on behalf of all of us at Reconnect, may I wish you a Merry (green) Christmas and a Happy (healthy) New Year.