I know, it’s just October, but we have major Christmas issues around here. Each year I think to myself, “Hey, this is the year I’ll figure out the perfect Christmas holiday traditions for my family.“  A Christmas that’s not only eco-friendly, but also fun and most importantly, something that everyone can swallow.

EVERY YEAR I say this.

Christmas Headache

I’m pretty eco-friendly, not perfect, but pretty good. Except when it comes to Christmas. Celebrating an eco-friendly Christmas is probably my least developed green living skill. It’s not like we go nuts and buy plastic crap or switch from organic food to conventional, but we just don’t have Christmas under control. Basically, no one knows what to expect.

For example…

• No matter how hard I try, someone (usually most) family members still buy Cedar WAY too many gifts and most of those gifts aren’t my idea of non-toxic or green. I can literally beg people to cut back or even say flat out, “NO gifts” and no one listens. People love to give gifts.

• If we celebrate at another family member’s house (not mine) I have to deal with paper plates and other disposable holiday meal items, paper towels and lots of non-organic foods – all of which everyone but me is seemingly down with.

• We can’t decide on the tree issue. We haven’t had a Christmas tree in years. I actually like Christmas trees. I like the smell, the pretty lights and the tradition of having one, but I can’t justify cutting one down. We’ve had a living tree before, and that was okay, but overall, I’m not too on board with a tree. The kids however do want a tree. They wanted one last year, I said no, but I’m not sure it was the best solution.

• Now, just to complicate the issue further, my boyfriend Dave, who is pretty religious, doesn’t want to celebrate Christmas at all, because he considers it some sort of affront to God, yet he’s semi-hypocritical about this because his kids do celebrate thus so does he. In my mind, if you’re not for something, and it doesn’t agree you, you shouldn’t celebrate. Cedar and I have never celebrated any holiday in conjunction with religion.

Yup it’s a big fat mess.

Basically we don’t have a winter holiday plan. As a kid, my family celebrated a fairly typical American Christmas – trees, cookies, gifts and so fourth.  As a kid, I liked it and thought it was mostly fun, but I never loved how hectic it was.  By the time I was in my early 20s I was sick of the whole planning perfect gifts mess and sort of quit. Also by my early 20s I was jumping more into green living and the typical Christmas didn’t fit my ideals at all.

It’s very hard to find balance. You could be super eco and avoid the winter holiday season altogether but that’s extreme and doesn’t really build any sort of tradition for kids. You could say screw green ethics and have a big ol’ celebration with lots of bling – the other extreme. OR you can find balance. The problem is trying to find balance everyone agrees on. It’s not just your household; it’s extended family, friends, co-workers and more.

What’s the solution?

I have no clue. Ideally, here’s what I want…

• Much fewer gifts. I hate that family and friends don’t listen to me about this. The kids sort of get it. Last year in fact we had some big talks about it. But every year they’re given so much crap that it defeats any discussions we’ve had with them about living with less.

• I’d like the gifts the kids get at least to be eco-friendly (as in non-toxic, non-plastic). Ideally this would be across the board, but if I could just get people to buy safe stuff for the kids, I’d settle.

• Some fun and nice events that are tradition – meaning year-to-year these events works for us.

• I like having a family meal on Christmas, but I don’t like when we leave the house (to say, go to a family member’s house) because then we have to deal with non-organics and disposable tableware.

• Something Dave can live with. Really, we could just celebrate without him, but how lame is that? Since Dave isn’t on board with Christmas due to the fact that he thinks it’s a God mock, we sort of have to find something that works for him too.

I’ve gleamed ideas from I’m Dreaming of a Green Christmas and Celebrate Green!, but so it seems like we need much more help because overall we don’t have a really good plan. I’ll be back with some resources I’ve been gathering that hopefully will help my family out – and maybe yours.

For now though, tell me, what’s your game plan? Does your family have eco-friendly winter holiday traditions or is this the time of year you start floundering with green living?

This year your family can kick off the holidays in super green style with a brand new book that will help you to ease holiday stress, celebrate green, and add more meaning to your holiday celebrations; all while still having fun.

BOOK: I’m Dreaming of a Green Christmas: Gifts, Decorations, and Recipes that Use Less and Mean More by Anna Getty (September, 2009 Chronicle Books).

BASICS: From the publishers…

This holiday season, Anna Getty—environmental advocate, writer, television personality, chef, mother, and organic living expert—helps families reduce their carbon footprint and save money without sacrificing style or tradition. Anna advises how to best choose a tree (real or fake?), mitigate the negative effects of necessary travel, recycle post-holiday, and more. She shares favorite holiday recipes for organic appetizers and homemade craft ideas such as pinecone wreaths and recycled sweater pillows. With inspiring photographs, extensive resources, and advice from the “Lazy Environmentalist” Josh Dorfman, Seventh Generation’s Jeffrey Hollender, and other leading eco-experts, families might just find that these tips help them stay green all year long.

COST: $16.47

ECO-PERKS:

• Book is packed with eco-friendly tips for a green Christmas. Obviously, an eco-perk for families, although, individuals will also find useful tips and ideas.
• The ideas in the book are easy enough that people will actually use them, thus making the book an actual green resource.
• Book is printed on 100% post consumer waste recycled paper.
• The author, Anna Getty has experience in green, having worked with the Organic Center, Global Green, NRDC, and Seventh Generation, among others, and is the author of the upcoming Easy Green Organic.

WHAT I THINK:

I liked the content in this book a lot overall and the style especially won me over. The book kicks off with ten great energy saving tips for the holidays and follows with chapters on…

• Nesting – including decor, basics such as LED lighting and wreaths, and stockings.
• Entertaining – including table setting, little gifts for guests, and wine table know-how.
• Trimming – all about the Christmas tree.
• Giving – including gifts for everyone, easy green wrapping, homemade gifts, and the little things like tags.
• Reflecting – including recycling and an interesting section called composting Christmas.

The book itself is gorgeous with non-glossy classic looking pages full of AMAZING images and pretty little vintage looking flowers and snowflakes scattered throughout. I especially like the various page color choices and how font is printed in a stand out, easy to browse format.

The tips for how to celebrate are great throughout and very easy to follow. Each section (or idea) is broken up into items you’ll need to gather, then the how to create the idea. Tips from all sorts of green experts are included throughout the book. Plenty of the idea offered in the book are completely kid friendly and your family will have fun doing the holiday crafts and decorating ideas together. Lastly, there is a wonderful end resource section packed full of every little thing you need to celebrate a green Christmas.

Most of all I liked Getty’s style. Lately, it seems I’ve read a rush of eco-friendly books that are seemingly trying to be hipper than hip, which works for some people but just comes off as a little pompous to me. Getty’s style is so chill, NOT holier than thou, and really seems genuine. I felt it was a very family friendly style that focused on celebrating with people not things in mind.

NEEDS IMPROVEMENT:

I found very few negatives in this book. There’s no digital version offered which would be an eco-friendly choice. Also, I felt the book was a wee bit heavy on recipes. Each section included quite a few, and I felt that many were more adult than child friendly. My son would maybe try about 1/3 of the recipes in this book – but a less picky child may be more open. As with most green books on the market, this one didn’t offer 100% new tips for people already immersed in green living (i.e if you’ve been living green for a while, there’s less new-to-you content). I did learn some new things though and think this is perfect for a family new to green living.

OVERALL SCORE:

Four and a half out of five little trees. Overall I’d highly suggest this book for green families. The focus is perfect, Getty’s style is personable and friendly, plus the book is seriously beautiful. It loses half a point because there’s no digital version offered and it could be a little better in the kids recipe department. Check it out at your local library or get your own copy – I’m Dreaming of a Green Christmas: Gifts, Decorations, and Recipes that Use Less and Mean More.

See my review criteria for green products.