A Green Christmas

I love this time of the year. The darkness of the evenings as they draw in doesn't bother me as it used to when I was younger; in fact I find it comforting in this ever-changing climate that, even though everything else is completely unpredictable, the sun still rises and sets at the same time as it did when I was a child. The longest day is still the longest day - and the longest night is still the longest night. This is one of the few constants in a world full of uncertainty.

Of course I understand that life is full of change, but as we approach the month of December, with Winter Solstice and Christmas just around the corner, I can't help wondering how a time that used to be so meaningful and magical has now become so commercial and excessive.

My earliest memories of Christmas are still really vivid. If I close my eyes I can transport myself back in an instant to the early 60s, when my family lived in the village of Ipplepen, near Newton Abbot in South Devon.

I can picture the run-up to the festive season like it was only yesterday. I remember making coloured paper chain decorations with my father and three younger brothers, whilst my mother created amazing arrangements with brown velvety bulrushes, gold-sprayed acorns (gathered earlier in the year) and silver fir cones. We always had a home-made Christmas cake, covered in thick home made marzipan (I still use the same Constance Spry recipe myself!) and royal icing which was spread on the top and sides like snow drifts - with little models of a log, a Father Christmas and a snowman arranged on the top.

On Christmas Day my brothers and I woke up to lumpy, bumpy stockings (my father's old football socks?) at the ends of our beds. Although we never actually saw him, Father Christmas somehow managed to sneak in and fill the stockings with little trinkets in the middle of the night - and I remember wiggling my toes in anticipation whenever I woke up throughout the night to see if mine had been filled.

We (Peter, David, Patrick and myself) were allowed to open our stocking presents as soon as we woke up - and then we got up and went to church. When we came back from church we had home baked ham on toast before we opened our ‘tree' presents. We were always extremely careful not to tear the wrapping paper, which my mother would fold up carefully so it could be used again the following year. Actually, I'm sure I remember her ironing the paper too... but maybe that's my imagination playing tricks on me!

Lunch was truly scrumptious and nothing was ever wasted; whatever leftovers we had were always turned into bubble and squeak, turkey and ham vol au vent, or eaten cold on toast with green tomato chutney. These were the days of ‘waste-not-want-not', and Christmas, like so many other things, was ‘green' without us even realising it!

It's all a far cry from the waste and excess of Christmas today, but this isn't how it has to be. In my experience, having a greener Christmas has so many benefits that it's hard to know where to begin. Not only is it a perfect time to show your appreciation for the world around you by minimising the impact you have on the environment, but ‘scaling down' is a wonderful way to minimise the stress usually caused by the trappings of a commercial Christmas.

I hope everyone who reads our newsletter enjoys the festivities in whatever way is ‘your way' and on whatever day is ‘your day'. For me, this is a time of year when I always think of all the people on this planet who are not as lucky as me, especially those living in areas of conflict. With this in mind we have chosen Peace Direct as our website of the month. It's very humbling to read the stories of some of the amazing men and women whose work is supported by Peace Direct.

I wish peace this Christmas to you and yours.

Brigit

For those of you who celebrate Christmas, here are some tips from all of us at the BGI team to help you make it greener...

Cards

We send over 1.7 billion cards each year in Britain, the equivalent of 200,000 trees. If you do send cards try to make sure they are recycled, and use the cards you receive to make your own cards or gift tags the following year... or recycle them.

Other ways to reduce the number of Christmas cards you send are to make a donation to charity rather than sending cards to people at work, or put a big sign in your front window sending greetings to all your neighbours instead, or email ‘E- greetings cards' to family or friends who live further away.

Wrapping

Save unused napkins from cafes and restaurants, as well as just about every piece of tissue paper that comes through the post during the year. Decorate with ribbons, buttons and old earrings, or dried foliage from the garden, and use all kinds of old containers and boxes.

Presents given in reusable boxes and bags, padded out with shredded paper rather than brand new shiny wrapping paper, make for a greener gift and have a lucky dip feel to them too!

Make a large material sack per person (let each person pick their own material) and put all the presents in them, or use a colourful pillowcase if you aren't very good at sewing. It becomes Santa's sack then!

Presents

Source presents from flea markets and car boot sales or from local craftspeople.

Or make them yourself, so you can be sure of their environmental impact. Home made chutneys and bottled fruits make excellent presents, and you can make little recipe tags to go with them.

If you have to send gifts abroad, go online to find suppliers close to where your friends or relatives live who will deliver. It's usually cheaper than sending things by air-mail and reduces the airmiles used by flying presents back and forth.

For more ideas for ethical gifts, read Judy's article in this month's newsletter.

Food

Christmas dinner, whether it is free range turkey, goose or a nut roast, can be sourced almost completely from local farmers, butchers and veg box schemes.

Don't throw food away. Make meals from leftovers - bubble and squeak or soups.

Energy

One area to make savings is by reducing the energy you use over the Christmas period. If you're buying fairy lights make sure you look for LED ones, and don't leave them on overnight or whilst you're not in the house.

Avoid presents that involve the use of batteries, as Christmas is the biggest battery buying time of the year and lots of those will end up in landfill rather than being recycled. If you have to give a battery-powered gift, check that the recipient has rechargables already, or add some rechargeables plus a charger to the gift, or give a battery eliminator (aka ‘wall wart' power supply) if the gift has provision for an external power source.

Close curtains to stop the heat from escaping, and encourage children to play board games together in one room rather than watch television in a number of different rooms!

Trees

Real trees are definitely more eco-friendly than artificial ones, but look for local or small-scale growers. Also, look for a tree with roots so that you can replant it.

However, if you decide on an artificial tree, go for a good quality one that will last you for many years.

Unwanted gifts

Unwanted gifts can be recycled through Freecycle or sent to charity shops.

All in all, a greener Christmas makes for a healthier, happier and wholesome experience than its commercial counterpart, and it is fully recommended!

Enjoy!

PS I've found a link to a lovely website full of sayings, customs and traditions to celebrate December: www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/customs/year/december.htm

Brigit photo (c) Salena Walker 2009

Middle 2 photos (c) Sabrina Willekens 2009

Bottom 2 photos (c) Jilly Graham 2009

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