The Sweet Cha-Ching of the Holidays
{Originally published on Surely You Nest}
Well, my friends. It’s that time of year again. Time to snap those wallets shut and think about the true meaning of the holidays (even if you are not religious). I really love tradition, and celebrating with my family and friends. And usually, making the green choice involves having forethought and carefully planning how to tackle an event. So here are a few successful strategies I’ve found for limiting the giving-and-getting beast over the upcoming holiday season. Consider this a to-do-list for myself for the fall.
Halloween
- Make our costumes; the more I can upcycle the better (signed up for a basic sewing class!)
- Buy pre-packaged treats to offer kids at the door (I just ordered fair trade chocolates from Global Exchange) including non-food options like stickers and pencils, but make (more alluring) homemade stuff for the kids we know — like caramel apples or silly looking cookies
- Get my kids to collect for Unicef
- Order kit to educate adults about fair-trade chocolate issues (from Global Exchange - deadline is Oct. 1 for groups and Oct. 13 for individuals)
- Make our decorations (ghosts out of tissues or handkerchiefs, paper-and-paint old-school decor)
- Head out to the country for apple picking, hay rides, and selecting the perfect jack o’lantern from the pumpkin patch
- Have a blast carving pumpkins and eating roasted pumpkin seeds
