A meditation on what we seem to spend too much time doing during the holidays -- consuming -- rather than truly celebrating.
There are many reasons we celebrate during the holiday season, but, too often, it seems like the thing we celebrate most is consumption. Whether it's turkey, pumpkin pie, holiday decor, candles, chocolates, toys for the kids, another tie and pair of socks for Dad, hostess gifts, holiday CDs, bottles of wine, holiday DVDs, dressy clothes and new jewelry for the company party, noise-makers for New Year's Eve or diet books for afterward, we probably spend more time planning to consume, consuming, or dealing with the aftermath of our consumption (indigestion, a mess of wrapping paper, credit-card bills) than we do celebrating what really matters: family, health, peace, love and gratitude for what we already have.
So why not plan to spend this holiday season doing more with less, avoiding the waste and needless spending, and -- when we do consume -- making sure our consumer choices are wise, worthwhile, sustainable and green? I'll spend the next several weeks writing about ways in which to do that, but, to start, check out Co-op America's National Green Pages, a searchable online directory of green businesses across the U.S.
Here's to a happy, healthy, green holiday season!
