Could You Dare To be Different in December?

 Here are three ideas to help make December better for you, those you love, and our planet – if you dare!

 For Them:  If you have children or grandchildren, have a conversation in advance of the holiday asking them to consider foregoing one or two gifts from you, and donating the money to a charity that’s meaningful to them.  Spend some time together on the Internet looking at various charities and what their goals are.  Whether it’s children in a foreign country in need of school books, or the library in your town in need of funds to purchase books, or animals in need of rescue – there’s something for everyone.  If you encounter resistance, compromise by foregoing one gift this year – and aim for two next year.

 For You:  If you’re hosting a holiday meal, take the onus of preparing everything off of you and ask each guest to bring something:  a salad, a dessert, a bottle of wine.  And after the meal, instead of exiling yourself to the kitchen to do all the clean up, assign tasks to various guests; for example, “Jack and Cathy, will you help me clear the table?”  And, “Rob, come help me put the leftovers away.”  Of course they won’t say “No”!  You’ll all get out of the kitchen sooner, and have more time to relax and enjoy each other.

 For the Planet:  Too many holiday trees end up in our landfill.  When you recycle your holiday tree, it can be turned into mulch and used in landscaping and gardening, or chipped and used for playground material, hiking trails, paths and walkways.  Recycled trees are also used for beachfront erosion prevention, lake and river shoreline stabilization, and fish and wildlife habitat.  And in some communities, the trees are chipped and then burned to generate electricity for area power companies and, ultimately, to power thousands of homes around the region.

 This December – dare to be different!