Bringing the light to winter
Bringing the light to winter
How do we lessen holiday consumerism and foster more joy and authentic connections?
You’re at Mother E, a free newsletter published every other Sunday. I’m telling the stories about our kinship with other species and our connections in a climate-changing world. You can read more posts here. Did you miss the last one? Remembering Lost Animals has poetic descriptions of creatures now extinct, plus the beautiful call of a long-gone bird.
This issue explores how we can bring more joy to our connections with family and friends and lessen consumer habits that are hard on the planet. Thanks for reading!
THE WINTER SUN slants low in the sky as we approach the shortest day in the Northern Hemisphere—the winter solstice. This is a time for longer sleep, inward reflection, and cheering rituals that balance the darker and colder days. It's traditionally been a time for more family and friend gatherings.
Holiday activities, though, can pick up to a frenetic pace and be responsible for an excess of material goods that overwhelm our homes and the planet. The ceaseless commercial prods to purchase gifts, cruise to warmer waters, or deck the living spaces in ample bling throw themselves at us through every medium. Somehow, this season has ended up in the hands of commercial retailers, which is detrimental to both the planet and our bank accounts. What if we opted for a smaller, less commercial, more personal time to celebrate the season? Some of you may have already done that.
I remember reading the 19th century Laura Ingalls Wilder books as a child. One of them, The Long Winter, had a description of a simple Christmas that sounded delightful. The two sisters hung stockings by the fireplace, and the girls were excited to discover the novelty of a peppermint candy stick and a fresh orange on Christmas morning. The fruit was a rare taste treat since the orange traveled over 500 miles by wagon or horseback to get to them.
That winter day may have continued with neighbors gathering for a feast, children making snow angels, sledding, and the family offering a gift for each person. The pleasures were more in the joining with others and the special foods shared, or the anticipation of making a gift for a loved one.
Today, we celebrate Christmas with each U.S. household spending over $1,500 during the season and many people going into holiday debt for several months. Black Friday ads have crept up to before Thanksgiving, and Cyber Monday and other buying days have cropped up.
Let's bring back the rituals that grow authentic connections and ditch those that don't bring sincere pleasure. Consumerism can go sit by the Elf on the Shelf and get dusty. I hope you will gather with those you love and keep the celebrating manageable. Here are a few non-commercial ways to celebrate.
One family's favorite Christmas Eve/winter tradition is gathering a few family members or friends around a fire in the fireplace, sipping cider or mulled wine, and reading aloud short stories, humor, or poetry. This used to be a household ritual before the age of radio and TV. Doing anything around a glowing fire makes it more memorable, and who doesn't like to hear a good story narrated for an intimate gathering?
My southern California relatives traditionally spend the day after Christmas packing a picnic, taking their four-wheel-drive vehicles, and venturing up a nearby rocky desert canyon only a few miles from home. After an hour or two spent hiking the smoke tree and palo verde-dotted ravines or climbing the nearest desert-glazed mountain to catch a view of the Salton Sea, they start a campfire and the picnic begins. People catch up with family members not seen for a year, keeping the connections alive.
Some families' special tradition is cooking together. My sister is known for bringing her tasty chocolate chip and sugar cookie doughs and spending an hour or two with any children present rolling out and decorating cookies for eating over several days. Who cares if the bell-shaped cookies are slightly crooked or are crunchy with excess red sprinkles? The trays go into the oven, the sweet buttery smell fills the house, and memories are made.
Other families gather in the kitchen to cook favorite ethnic foods and pass those skills onto the younger generation. I've tasted German stollen bread, Mexican tamales, and Polish pierogis at holiday gatherings. The preparation of special foods enriches many holiday celebrations and preserves cultural traditions.
A break in the holiday routine also creates memories. One Christmas week, when I was in my teens, my family opted to take a driving trip to Mexico. My parents announced that there would be no gifts, as the budget was for the trip. We all bundled into the family station wagon and set out for a long day of driving from Southern California. After arriving at the seaside town, my father used his limited Spanish to rent a small house for the week, complete with banana trees in the courtyard. We explored this foreign town, a new culture, and different foods every day. (Ah, that first taste of fresh coconut and mango ice cream!) My parents' vacation gift was an adventure that left fond memories.
Service to others is another non-commercial way to honor the season, make new acquaintances, and enrich your holiday. This last year has reminded many of us that we have more privilege in our lives than others. Food banks and other charities often welcome extra helpers or funds during the holidays and throughout the year.
These styles of celebrating are not tied to the commercial message to buy. They step outside that consumer pressure and focus on sustaining close, meaningful connections with others. After all, that's where we derive the most pleasure and form those stronger bonds that support us.
I wish you special foods, a glowing fire or candlelight, music, and the presence of those you most want to be around. That's a recipe for a happy holiday season.
I welcome reader comments! What non-commercial holiday traditions bring joy to your household? You can comment at the button above, reply to this email to reach me privately, or on Twitter @RobinApplegarth
What I’m reading or watching:
The Wolf that Roamed to Southern California
https://www.newyorker.com/news/afterword/the-wolf-that-roamed-to-southern-california
Completed Redwood Genome Sequence Reveals Genes for Climate Adaptation and Offers Insights into Genetic Basis for Survival
Don’t Look Up
A star-studded movie that adds humor to an end-of-world scenario. What will humans do under pressure, whether it’s an asteroid or climate change? It’s out on Netflix Dec. 24, 2021. Here’s the trailer:
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