green is universal

Waxing Philosphic on Green Holidays

Dear Mr. Green,

What are your suggestions for green gifts this holiday season? What is your favorite green gift you've given? And your favorite green gift you've received? Do you give gifts at all?

Happy Holidays!
Kayra

Dear Green-Gifter,

Although my partner and I don't swap Holiday gifts any longer (After almost 20 years...what's left?) we do entertain by having friends and family, neighbors and co-workers over for a holiday "get-together."

For us, it's not about the "stuff" we exchange but the time-shared with those who are meaningful to us--what could be greener than that? And our "green" code for gift giving is that whatever it is, it has to be consumable...edible, drinkable, burnable (...candles, incense, etc.), or time sensitive (tickets to the theater).

During the Holidays, gifts, of course, are important to many - especially children. When I was a kid, I don't remember getting many store-bought gifts. My mom used to make tons of stuff for us each Christmas. All year long she'd knit and crochet sweaters, hats, scarves and mittens from thread she rescued from outdated knitwear that she'd unravel. (Funny how our hats always seemed to be the ones first offered up for the neighborhood snowmen.)

The things she would knit weren't always the best fitting or prettiest, and sometimes the colors were even kinda gross, but in that moment - on Christmas Eve when the lights of the tree sparkled, with the scent of her handmade candles everywhere, and the quiet hum of carols setting the tone - we knew that she had made them...stitch by stitch, night after night. And remember, this is years before Martha Stewart was on the scene...the fact is, my mother was a frugal Dutch immigrant, who had survived World War II as a teenager, scraping by with her family to survive the occupation, and she learned how to make magic out of nothing - nothing went to waste, everything was re-used, and making things by hand was just what ya' did.

She sewed things, too. There were ill-fitting pants (Imagine this...pink and green seer-sucker hip-huggers with fringe. I wish I still had them!), the occasional coat, a dress without buttons (she ran out of time) and one year she created matching florescent orange Nehru shirts for Mags, my older brother, John, and me from a bolt of fabric she found in a clearance bin. (Presented in our "glowing" holiday finery, I'm certain that the ladies from church thought that we had joined up with the local Hare Krishnas.)

But when mom baked it was easy to forgive all of her fashion transgressions. She made endless batches of homemade oatmeal bars, lemon squares, pecan sandies, chocolate chip cookies (salvaging the chocolate from our Halloween booty), and our favorite - British toffee. She'd also decorate canisters rescued during the year with smartly applied compositions cut from the previous year's Christmas cards, ribbons and paper, before filling them and delivering them to our schoolteachers, Sunday School instructors, Scout leaders, band directors, and just about anyone else she had on her list.

Mom also saved glass jars in which to store her homemade preserves...apple and pear butter, and cherry, grape, apricot, strawberry, and even tomato jams. She'd prepare them when the fruits were in season, covering each with a protective coating of paraffin and then stored the packed preserves away in the pantry. And with the left over jars and the remaining wax she'd fill each with a wick and create a mountain of Christmas candles. Decorated and always available, these too made great last minute memorable holiday gifts.

Of course there were some store bought toys that came and went but the ones she and my dad made in the shop downstairs were - and still are - the ones I cherish most. There were cutouts of circus animals made from scraps of pine painted with remainders of house paint and then decorated with rickrack, buttons and notions from her sewing box. There were puppets sewn from clothing we had outgrown or detested (Definitely not the Nehru shirts!). There were toys salvaged from discount bins and resale shops that were repainted and repaired.

Money or not - on Christmas - there were so many boxes to open that we could barely see over the pile. It is one time of the year when, for a child, more is always better!

My mom and dad were resourceful. As recent immigrants to this country they offered each of their three children - in my opinion - a magical childhood. And although neither of them had more than grade-school educations, my dad worked the midnight shift at a nearby steel mill and my mom was a full time home-maker extraordinaire - their wealth of knowledge, skills and shear "chutzpa" made us feel like the luckiest family on the block.

And we never felt poor, because all of their endeavors and projects filled in the missing financial gaps especially at the holidays. I feel most especially about my mom, that if she were here today and still doing what she had been doing - she'd be considered a true eco-pioneer.

Right now we're all eagerly anticipating the changes before us, and anxiety fills the land. But regardless of whether the United States economy avoids an actual depression, the ongoing credit crisis is remedied, the dramatic slowdown in economic activity is altered, rising unemployment retreats, and declining U.S. stock prices again soar, many today are, understandably, filled with despair in a season that is ordinarily teaming with hope.

So instead of having a "Green Christmas," which can still imply financial purchases of acreage to save the rain forest, the latest eco-gizmo, etc., perhaps we just make this a "Homemade" kind of Holiday...where small, meaningful, handmade gifts from the heart are delivered in wonderful recycled wrappings and enormous bows. The more the merrier!

Happy holidays to all my readers!

about mr. green

From re-gifting, re-cycling, to natural cleaning products for your home, Mr. Green has all of your ecotiquette answers. Our Mr. Green (aka. Michael De Jong), is the author of "CLEAN: The Humble Art of Zen-Cleansing." He lives in Jersey City with his partner (Richard,) dog (Jack,) and three goldfish (Phil, Jill and Gill) all of which benefit from his natural cleaning techniques. De Jong, who cleaned apartments in New York City while working as a fine artist, began researching and inventing many of the recipes in "CLEAN" and is continually experimenting with safe, effective and eco-friendly alternatives. Raised in the mid-West by an immigrant family that valued the environment and re-cycled before it was fashionable, his quest for non-toxic solutions comes naturally to him. He is currently writing a companion series of "CLEAN" books dealing with such topics as the body, first aid, organization, and food, as well as posting a weekly Blog on www.thedailygreen.com. "CLEAN: The Humble Art of Zen-Cleansing" can be purchased at Barnes & Noble stores across the country or on-line at www.barnesandnoble.com or www.amazon.com.

Click here to send him a question and he'll put in the elbow grease to scrub out the answers!