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My grandson's first St. Nicholas Day, 2020! |
Today is St. Nicholas Day, and we are nearing the end of the first week of advent. My theme this first week is to "Cherish and care for the earth". I aim to celebrate simply, and consume less, so that 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!
1. Advent Prayer
2. Journal queries
3. Read "Soulful Simplicity"
4. Decorate our outdoor tree
2. 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, and your own reusable, fabric gift bags.
What can I change to show solidarity with the poor, respect for the earth, and a desire to live more simply?
- 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, and your own reusable, fabric gift bags.
3. Read Soulful Simplicity:
This book by Courtney Carver (2017) is a personal journey through the author's life with MS, and along the way shows how "simplicity allowed hope to replace fear."
Section One is Making Me. She talks about how love is reflected in your daily choices - how you eat, sleep, and hold your emotions. And she invites you to pay attention to your "wake-up calls": signs of depression, fatigue, illness, stress, or a sense that you are not creating anything meaningful with your life.
"Getting your wake-up call is not the hard part, even though it might hurt a little bit. Answering the call is. ... We want the road map or step-by-step instructions, but part of making you is making the map."
The first step is to have a clear idea about the why's: What is motivating you to make a change? What is pulling on your heart? What do you want your life to be?
"Each change I made to simplify my life demonstrated that less stuff = more love."
4. Decorate our outdoor tree:
One major way we have simplified our Christmas is by not cutting down a Christmas tree each year. But we do have a small outdoor Christmas tree that we bought at the start of the pandemic, and we have planted it in our front Sanctuary Garden.
Each year during the first week of Advent we wrap it in lights and hang small ornaments on it.
3. Read Soulful Simplicity:
Section One is Making Me. She talks about how love is reflected in your daily choices - how you eat, sleep, and hold your emotions. And she invites you to pay attention to your "wake-up calls": signs of depression, fatigue, illness, stress, or a sense that you are not creating anything meaningful with your life.
"Getting your wake-up call is not the hard part, even though it might hurt a little bit. Answering the call is. ... We want the road map or step-by-step instructions, but part of making you is making the map."
The first step is to have a clear idea about the why's: What is motivating you to make a change? What is pulling on your heart? What do you want your life to be?
"Each change I made to simplify my life demonstrated that less stuff = more love."
4. Decorate our outdoor tree:
Each year during the first week of Advent we wrap it in lights and hang small ornaments on it.
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