OK, so I don’t expect you all to jump onto the freegan bandwagon, but here’s what we do for Christmas in my apartment, and how it does apply to you.

The Rules:

1. No cards.  Not even e-cards.  Isn’t a phone call always better, more personal, and more appreciated?  Make a list and call whenever you have a free moment – sitting on the bus, driving to work, waiting to pick your friend/kid up from practice.  It says “I really do care” not “I know your email address.”
2. No tree.  No driving to the tree lot, watching them saw the tree down, wrapping it in plastic and then driving back home.  No driving to Target, buying a plastic tree and driving home.  We make a tree mural out of shopping bags, and leave a few sharpies around to decorate with.  It’s personal, meaningful, and 100% recycled.  If you miss the pine scent, buy a candle.
3. No presents.  Actually that’s a lie, this is the one time of year we do some actual shopping.  But we don’t play the “present game:” guess what they want, buy it, they pretend its what they want but never use it.  When someone asks you what you want for Christmas, tell them.  It saves everyone time and money.  (There will always be that grandma who still thinks you’re 10, or wear XXL clothes.  Donate unwanted gifts within a week of receiving them, otherwise they just sit around the house forever).
4. No wrapping paper.  There’s something exciting about opening a wrapped gift, and you can achieve that by putting it in a paper bag (we all know you have a billion under your sink) and tying up the top with a nice bow.  You still get to open a present, but you’re not leaving waxy shreds of paper all over the living room.  Or you can do what my grandmother does, open each package extremely carefully, save the paper for a year and then re-use it.
5. No thank you cards. See Rule #1.
6. No Holiday Hams.  We’re all vegetarian anyway, but the idea is to stop fussing about “traditional holiday food” and start fussing about local, fresh and in season food.  Whoever decided that we had to all eat ham, stuffing and green beans (not that I don’t love green beans) obviously never lived anywhere where avocados are in season that time of year.  The idea is a dinner with people you love, not a dinner dictated by people hundreds of years ago.
7. No stress.  It’s the holidays.  Those two sentences are never found together, but they should be.  You’ve heard this from every silly holiday advice page ever, but really.  Think about this: what is the worst thing that could happen if you call someone rather than send a card, or make a tree from items in your home?  Relax and remember, this holiday comes every year, if you mess it up this time you’ll get another chance in about 365 days (which in the grand scheme of things isn’t long at all).

(Photo credit, above:  freegan.info)