Advent Simplicity

My theme for this first week of Advent is to "Cherish and care for the earth". My aim is to celebrate simply, and consume less, so I have a gentle impact on the planet.

The modern way of observing the winter holidays supports an increase in waste; one statistic says that Americans throw away 25% more trash– an additional 5 million tons– between Thanksgiving and New Year's Eve. A fun holiday season doesn't have to be a wasteful one!

Agenda Today:
1. Journal queries
2. Make fabric bags
3. Make golden pine cone decorations
4. Make sweet, salty, or spicy nuts

1. Journal queries:

What are the most wasteful things I do at advent?
What can I change to show solidarity with the poor, respect for the earth, and a desire to live more simply?

Tips for a Simple Holiday:

• Simplify your expectations. Think about which traditions are most important to you. Find meaning and fulfillment in spirituality, and your relationships with family and friends.
• Be frugal and spend less money; reduce your purchasing of wants.
• Make your own gifts or buy simple, durable gifts; avoid the latest fad; buy gifts made locally and made from recycled materials.
• Use cloth napkins and reusable plates and cups for holiday parties.

2. Make fabric bags:

Wrapping paper and shopping bags account for about 4 million tons of trash in the U.S. each year, producing a carbon footprint of 2.8 million metric tons of CO2. 

I'm not a hardcore zero-waste person (yet) but each year I make a few more reusable fabric bags to hold gifts. I think everyone appreciates my wish to conserve paper, and they can save the bags to wrap their own gifts next year.

I've been using a stockpile of Christmas fabric I found at our local recycled art supplies store, but any pretty cloth will do.

Materials: Colorful 1/2” ribbon, pretty fabric scraps

1. Iron and cut a piece of fabric so that it‘s the size you want, plus 1-inch on all sides for the hem. (For example, for a 12” x 12” bag, cut fabric to 14”x 26”.)




2. Hem the top and bottom edge of the bag, either by hand or with a sewing machine.

3. Fold the good side of the fabric to the inside, and pin the edges. Stitch the two side seams and turn right-side out.


4. Cut a ribbon at least 12" long. Stitch the middle of the ribbon to the bag at the seam, about four or five inches from the bag opening.



3. Make golden pine cone decorations:
Another way to simplify at advent is to make decorations from found materials, and from materials collected in nature. These golden pine cones look magical when stuck into greenery, or hung on a tree, and they are very easy to make.



Supplies: Found pine cones, gold spray paint, ribbon (optional)

1. Make sure your pine cones are entirely clean and dry, then set them outside and lightly spray with gold spray paint.

2. When dry, you can use them as they are, or attach a ribbon to the top to hang.



4. Make sweet, salty or spicy nuts:

This is a simple and nice alternative to baked goods. You can make them sweet, or salty-sweet, or spicy-sweet.

Ingredients:

• cooking spray
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 4 c. raw nuts (combine walnut or pecan halves, almonds, cashews, etc.)
• 1 teaspoon salt (optional)
• 2 teaspoons spices (I used half chili powder and half cinnamon on this batch, but cumin and black pepper also work)

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and lightly coat with cooking spray.

2. Heat sugar, water, and butter in a small saucepan over medium heat until the butter is melted. Cook for 1 minute and remove from heat.

3. Combine any kinds of raw nuts  in a large bowl. Add salt and spices if you want, and stir.

4. Drizzle the butter mixture over the nuts and stir to coat, the spread them out on the foil into a single layer.

5. Bake nuts in the preheated oven for 10 minutes, then take them out and stir them around to make sure the syrup has coated them all. Spread back into a single layer and return to the oven for just a few more minute- watch them because they can burn easily. Allow to cool before serving.