Season's Greetings!

Hello faithful readers of the "Little Spruce Tree",

I just wanted to wish everyone a happy holiday and prosperous new year... so I made a little holiday card via the wonders of technology.

I am going to be taking a bit of a break, and thus the Little Spruce Tree shall remain dormant for a couple of weeks. I'll be back in the new year with more introspective and humourous ramblings... so stay tuned!

Thanks for making the Little Spruce Tree the most popular blog done by a coniferous, replanted tree.

All the best.

db

The Little Spruce Tree presents...

Deck the halls with consumerism,
‘Tis the season to be excessively wasteful!

And so the song could continue. But I am not here to shit on Christmas (or Hanukkah for that matter) – I actually enjoy the holidays (for the most part). I get to visit my family, see the sparkling lights, and contentedly sip on dark rum and soy-nog while belting out an off-key version of “I Saw Grandpa Kissing Santa Clause”. Oh, the memories.

However, I think it’s time for our holiday celebrations to evolve a bit. So The Little Spruce Tree is going to give you some hip ideas for gifts and traditions that are both environmentally friendly and low cost.

First up, for Christ’s sake (literally), let’s not run out there and chop down another “little spruce tree” to use for a couple of weeks and throw to the curb. How efficient is the use of land to cultivate trees that are used for a month? Instead, what about going to a second hand shop and finding a previously loved artificial tree? And for those who are addicted to the smell of spruce, perhaps you could go to a gardening center and by a potted spruce tree. Keep it around until the spring then ask local officials if you can plant it in a school or park.

Next, let’s think outside the box for gift-giving. Does your mother really need the latest “Il Divo” CD? Would your lover really use another butt-plug? Could your muscle-head brother live without an additional pair of blue-steel spandex shorts? If you’re like me, then some of the greatest gifts that you have given and received weren’t even “things”.

Gifts from the heart are always remembered. Homemade cards are more personal. A batch of cookies or a certificate for a 30-minute massage (that you administer yourself) cost next to nothing. Concert or theatre tickets take up less space in a landfill then the “George Foreman Grill”. A three-month pass to a yoga studio is a gift of health and fitness (but be forewarned: high risk of the “Are you saying I’m fat?” response).

But seriously, what if we were to give “experiences” as opposed to “objects”?

There is more you can do to have yourself a “Merry Little (alternative) Christmas”. Why not bundle your gifts in colourful old newsprint instead of buying glossy wrapping paper? Nothing says “I Love You” like some organic date squares wrapped in the “opinions” section of The Link. How about supporting your local farmers and buying a free-range, hormone-free turkey? And if you are hooked on the idea of a physical gift, there are affordable, sweatshop-free clothes available at "Blank" (www.wearblank.com) on St.Laurent Blvd and lovely smelling, enviro-friendly beauty products at various health food stores across the city. Alternative holiday gifts are the best thing since Rudolph switched to an energy efficient red nose.

But what do you give that person who has everything?

Well how about helping this individual become carbon-neutral. That’s right, there are organizations out there that are trying to off-set our environmental slothfulness through international sustainability projects. A “Clean Air Pass” is one option to neutralize the negative effects of your auto or home. The money goes towards an emission trading system to meet Kyoto protocol, and you get a sticker for your car saying that you are carbon-neutral. Remember, however, this is not a permit to pollute! (www.cleanairpass.com)

Or you could simply express your affection for loved ones by giving in their honour. There are countless community organizations that would be thrilled to receive a holiday donation. Think globally, act locally.



Finally, if you’re like myself and will be jet-setting for the holidays, why not think about neutralizing your emissions? I paid $15.44 to Offsetters (www.offsetters.ca) to be carbon-neutral for my trip to the popular holiday destination of Prince George, BC.



So whether you are homaging Hanukah, cajoling Christ, or celebrating Santa, I hope the holidays bring you time with those that you care for, as well as a bit of rest and recuperation. But before you get all buck-wild with the credit card, remember that there are some options out there to make your holidays low-cost and environmentally friendly.

May your holidays be white (and green)!