Gift Giving At Christmas

Mark and I attended a Transition Town meeting the other week. The topic was '' A sustainable Christmas--  Is it possible?''  Tricia from Little Eco Footprints started the evening off with some ideas and then we all put our heads together to come up with some more. It seems that many people are concerned by the waste, over consumption and lack of meaning around Christmas, so very animated discussions developed.

We started with what we liked about Christmas.......Seasonal pause
                                                                                   Gathering with family and friends
                                                                                   Christmas lights
                                                                                   Good food
                                                                                   etc.

Then, what we didn't like..... Waste
                                               Unwanted presents
                                               Stress
                                               Shopping
                                               etc.

Followed by some solutions.... Solar powered Christmas lights
                                                  Simple, seasonal, local food , and dish out only as much as can be eaten.
                                                  Cut down on pre Christmas activities and shopping
                                                  Give experiences for gifts (like a Purple Pear gift certificate for a gift of knowledge)
                                                  Home made gifts
                                                  Upcycled gifts
                                                  Ethical gifts
                                                  Gifts from local businesses
                                                  Volunteering for the charity Christmas breakfast
                                                  etc.

And so much more. One thing I did come away with was a reminder to source gifts from our local LETS group.So I went online and did just that. I looked at all the offerings and items for sale and came across this....

I've wanted an overlocker for a while and now I have one.. a gift to myself! Unfortunately I didn't find anything for anyone else. But I have just finished an order for 10 dishcloths for another LETS member. Maybe a gift voucher for a massage may be suitable.

In the mean time I am busy making some gifts. I hope to spend tomorrow finishing them off, and maybe get the tree decorated.

How are your preparations going?  Are you able to keep them simple?

On My Mind

Joining in with Rhonda for this Friday photo feature.

On my mind today is the amount of citrus that grows in our area that goes to waste, left on the trees to rot. We live in an area that grows citrus really well and many people have very old trees that produce large amounts of fruit. As part of Transition Towns Maitland we have started a Citrus Drive to collect the unwanted fruit and distribute it to those who do want it.  As an adjunct to this, we will be showing people how they can preserve the excess.