If you want to know some tips for counteracting that obscene production of waste, you can find some here. What kinds of tips? For example, go electronic with your holiday greetings, turn down the thermostat, give gift certificates and second-hand gifts, and don't wrap anything. The idea is to live "greener" than you normally would.
While I think it's a worthy cause to draw attention to using less stuff during the holidays, I would like to make a pitch for using less stuff year-round, not because of worrying over landfills or any similar green impulses. We all simply have too much stuff. Well, almost all. I do have a friend or two who actually live sanely in this regard.
Sometimes I look around my house, which I consider to be cluttered (to be honest, many people wouldn't agree), and think, "What percent of this stuff do I really need to live a good life?" The answer: very little. I don't need all the souvenirs, all the books I've collected, the crafty stuff in storage, nor the extra appliances like the grilled sandwich maker. I don't need all the clothes or shoes I have (one outfit per day should suffice), nor all the little bars of hotel soap, nor all the linens, nor every dish I own. Our garage doesn't need to collect my old buckets or vases or boots. And on it goes. TOO MUCH STUFF!!!
The truth is, when the idea of moving to a new domicile wears you out just thinking of it, you have acquired too much stuff. (Either that, or you've moved too often.) I have always been proud of being able to pick up and move without much packing up. Now for the first time, living in this house for nine years, I can no longer brag on my mobility. Not only do I need to "use less stuff," I need to keep less stuff.
So maybe I'll let that be my goal for the holiday season. I will harbor less stuff in my house by the time the holiday season is over.
I'm sure that Husband is quaking in his boots, reading this.
Or would those boots be on the shelf in the garage? Well, there you go.
I LOVE this post....as a child and teen of the 60s and 70s, with parents from the Depression era -- I love simple, frugal ways.
ReplyDeleteAround the time I turned 50, I determined to increase my "giving away" and guarding what I allowed to enter my home/life. I am continually challenged, even after six years has passed, to live in a 600ish sq foot home...and allowing my garage to actually house my car for a large portion of our cold temp,northwestern U.S. months.
I have too much stuff. It bothers me.
ReplyDeleteThis bothers me frequently. The thought of moving DOES wear me out, and though between my husband and I we have moved approximately 20 times in the last 10 years, that's not why. We simply have too much stuff to pack. And every once in a while I get in a "clean-it-up and ship-it-out" mode and get rid of a few bags/boxes of stuff...but it is NEVER enough. My problem is that I'm a paradoxical mix between pack rat and simple greenie. Doesn't make sense...and doesn't usually work.
ReplyDeleteHence my cluttered house.