Mean, green and lean for the holidays

BABY STEPS

By KIMBERLY ANDERSON
Assistant Editor

Kimberly’s blog focuses on a single objective each month intended to help her and her readers take baby steps toward better living in the spirit of New Southerner. You can keep up with her progress by checking her weekly blog, Baby Steps. She welcomes reader response and hopes you’ll share your stories and challenges in the comments section or by e-mailing her at kim@newsoutherner.com.

November Objective: Sustainable Holidays

Last month I vowed to have an energy audit done on our home, but I haven’t heard back from the utility company yet. I must admit I am a little relieved. I’m not really a “roll up your sleeves” kind of gal, so I can definitely, or rather indefinitely, wait patiently.

So instead I am focusing my attention on the upcoming holidays, which always seem to snowball out of control after Halloween. The theme for my decorating and gift-giving this season is mean, green and lean:

Mean in the sense that I am not going to worry about traditional sentiments. My Christmas tree is going to be tacky because it will be made out of plastic bottles. My 11-year-old, Parker, is excited because he hates throwing anything away, or even recycling. He would just assume see things put to good use.

Green in the sense that I am not buying truck loads worth of crap, especially toys, wrapped in so much plastic it takes a rocket scientist to get the damn thing out. And nothing should be thrown away. The presentation will be reusable grocery bags.

Lean in the sense that I am going to spend very little, and what I do spend will be on things that support my values: books, music and handcrafted items that actually mean something to someone.

I guess I’m not going to do my part in saving the economy this year. But we are going to have some fun and release our family of the countless pressures of the holidays and concentrate on our countless blessings instead.