Don't Say Bah-Humbug
Just Yet
December Article from the Eugene Register Guard

The holiday season is supposed to be a time to celebrate, to rejoice and make lasting memories with friends and family. But for many of us, it has become instead the most stressful and expensive time of the year. How much money are you spending this season? Do you find yourself trying to equate how much you esteem someone with how much money you can spend on them? Do you wish the holiday advertising bombardment would just go away or at least lighten up? If you are fed up with how the Christmas bustle for brand names cheapens and demoralizes this season of love and joy, don't go on strike yet. You may not feel you can change the "Christmas selling machine" but you certainly can choose to put your money where your heart is. Here are some gift ideas that will help the move toward a more meaningful, and less wasteful, holiday season.
Thoughtful Gifts:
Who says we have give a material item to represent our love? Remember, some of the most favored gifts are those we can share or make ourselves. In fact, a national poll revealed last year that a full 82 % of those surveyed said they would rather receive a photo album of times shared growing up than a store-bought gift. Most gifts of this type also have the added benefit of avoiding the excess resource use of packaging, wrapping or shopping.

• Give a garden -- seeds (harvest from you favorite backyard flower) pre-planted in little pots.
• Create a family recipe book, photo album or scrap book.
• Give an experience. River rafting, train trip to the space needle; or dance, photography or art lessons.
• Make a "Dress-up Box" from your own old clothes and accessories destined for the goodwill. x Make an "Idea box" or "Craft Center" with tools, gadgets and odds and ends from around the house.
• Start a savings account for the recipient or investment shares in an eco-friendly company or fund.
• A gift of service or talent such as a foot massage, a gourmet dinner for a busy couple, gardening, hairstyling, painting or the ever-popular baby-sitting,
• A gift of time could be a monthly lunch or diner date to a parent, grandparent or child; or a coupon for dog or house sitting.
  If you feel you must purchase a gift, look for gifts that are minimally packaged, without unnecessary plastic wrap or boxing. Most of all, look for --and ask for -- items made from recycled content materials.
  Purchase gifts that keep on giving: Take for example the gift of an energy-saving fluorescent light fixture or bulb. Compact fluorescent bulbs last longer and use about 1/4 to 1/3 of the energy of an incandescent bulbs, saving the recipient both money and energy all year long. And since substituting a compact fluorescent light for a traditional bulb will keep one half ton of CO2 out of the atmosphere over the life of the bulb, it is truly lasting and important gift to your children's (indeed, all of humanity's) future.
• A rechargeable battery set (solar or electric) or rechargeable batteries as stocking stuffers for those that have chargers.
• A subscription to a favorite magazine. Better yet, a coupon to share your subscription to a favorite magazine or newspaper.
• Membership to a museum, nonprofit organization or activity club.
• A gift certificate insures that your gift is wanted and not relegated to closet or thrift shop.
• A Shutoff-timer for watering the lawn, water-saving shower head, or automatic thermostat control device (automatically turns down heat at night).
• Give gifts that encourage others to use less stuff, like reusable tote bags, travel mug or gold coffee filter; refillable pen Compost bin or a No-Waste Lunch Kit (durable lunch bag, reusable containers for sandwich, snacks and beverage, and a cloth napkin)

Requesting and buying anything made from recycled content sends a most important message to manufacturers.
Wrapping of your gift doesn't have to create waste and resource consumption either. Use the comics, old maps or posters, or create reusable cloth wrapping with sheets or tablecloths. If you can't live without the look of a traditional gift wrap, that's ok, go ahead and buy it --but only if it has recycled content. If you can't find recycled content wrapping paper at your favorite store, let the store manager know that you would like them to carry it. Telling store managers and manufactures that you want recycled content products ensures that our efforts to recycle will accomplish what we hope.
These days, it may seem like Christmas was made for trade; another excuse to peddle fancy goods and finery. But as individuals families or whole communities, we do have the choice to consume and celebrate however we wish. If we make sure our purchases reflect what we respect, we will respect ourselves and feel true peace on earth.
44% of Americans feel pressure to spend more than they can afford at holiday time. only
28% of Americans feel that the holiday season leaves them feeling "joyful;"
70% of surveyed Americans would prefer less emphasis on gift giving and spending. A full
82% of Americans surveyed would rather have a photo album of times shared growing up than a store-bought gift.
47% of all those surveyed reported going into debt last holiday season. Of those, more than one in five was still paying off that debt eleven months later.
96% of 8-to-12-year-olds included a big screen TV on their 1997 holiday wish list. Yet 73% of parents would like to limit their children's TV watching.
63% said advertising aimed at kids causes them to spend more than they can afford on the holidays.
Americans make 5 million extra tons of garbage to celebrate the holidays In 1981 the average household received 59 mail order catalogues, and by 1991 the number had increased 140%, to 142.
If each household canceled 10 mail-order catalogues it would reduce trash by 3.5 pounds per year. (If everybody did this, the stack of canceled catalogues would be 2,000 miles high!)
The 2.65 billion Christmas cards sold each year in the U.S. could fill a football field 10 stories high. If we each sent one card less, we'd save 50,000 cubic yards of paper.
If every family reused just two more feet of holiday ribbon, the 38,000 miles of ribbon saved could tie a bow around the entire planet
Recycle the Holidays
Much of the 5 million extra tons of garbage produced during the holidays in America can be reduced, reused or recycled. Clip this chart keep it for handy reference.

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