Thursday, November 18, 2010

... and then it rolled away...

The ball I mean.  I dropped it and it is now rolling away.  I wonder if I can catch it?  Ok, enough with the metaphors.  What I am referring to is the fact that I had a brain fart.  Thankfully, one of my readers (thank you Cindy) was kind enough to awaken me from my holiday stupor, but alas, it was too late.  As such, I regret to inform you that I am sending out Christmas cards again this year.  (By too late, I mean that they have already been ordered - we send out the picture-card kind).  This is something that we have always done and I didn't even think of it as 'cheating'.  Never mind the fact that they are expensive and TERRIBLE for the environment.  I am such an avid lover of the snail-mail postal system (who doesn't like to get friendly mail, right Tess?) that I didn't even think about the effect that sending out cards in a mass mail-out would have. 

So, my bad.   This got me thinking though... what other 'traditions' was I about to just 'do' without thinking?  One of them is the Christmas Tree.  Now, I love a good Christmas tree: the lights, the smell, the sparkling decorations, I mean, they are a really powerful symbol of the season.  We have always made an effort to buy a local tree (sometimes even taking a half-dead one off our land that was crowding another healthy tree).   Let's just say that I am NOT above a Charlie Brown tree, in fact, I prefer them.

See?  This was Christmas 2006

Anyway, I am committed to making up for my card flub and as such, I have been researching the greenest option for a tree this year.  Here are the choices:
  1. Buy a fake tree (no, no never.  They are bad for the environment, they're made of PVC, and they are expensive)
  2. Take down another Charlie Brown tree on the farm.
  3. Source out a locally grown organic tree farm (there are tons of them out by where I live, and these are apparently a pretty green option b/c they provide housing for birds and clean the air while they are alive and then get replaced by 2-3 more seedlings when they are cut down and sold).  One more thing about this option, if you go this way, it is important to consider the disposal of it... landfills = NOT GREEN, composting, mulching, or sinking it into a local pond = GREEN.  And I am not making this stuff up.  Check it out at: http://www.treehugger.com/files/2004/12/how_to_pick_a_g.php
  4. Go treeless (GASP!)
After careful consideration (not really, it was more like, 'Trent, we're going treeless this year', followed by a 'sweet')... oops, I gave the answer away.  Yup, we picked option #4 and have decided to convert our beloved fig tree into a Christmas tree.  I'll post pics as soon as I get it 'decorated'. 

The tradition tides are turning... Do you think that this make up for the Christmas cards?

Marebare

10 comments:

  1. Hi Marebare.

    I have been enjoying your blog. For the past two years we have had a rosemary plant as a Christmas tree. It is small and at the end of the season it is edible. We have been growing and trimming it since summer.

    If you are still looking for green and vegetarian ideas you might like my blog.

    http://greeningupourimpact.blogspot.com

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  2. I can't wait to see the Fig converted to Christmas Tree. I bet it will be even more awesome than the Charlie Brown tree!!

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  3. @Toby ~ thanks for stopping by! I like the Rosemary suggestion and we have done that in the past as well. Great blog btw, I will have to try some of those vegetarian recipes!

    @Meggy ~ it is up... well, it is always up, but now it's decorated. Happy holidays to you!

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  4. I was kinda surprised to see the card in the mail- but i have to admit it is very tasteful and was nice to receive. I am battling with xmas this year as well. It was never a big deal for us but now i have someone (who happens to be very cute and knows my weaknesses) already asking for a tree. Luckily- we are going to nan n gramps' for the festivities and can rely on them to supply a healthy dose of festive crap. However- we have yet to buy Sierra an xmas pressie and every year it gets harder and harder to resist the temptation. I think i might cave on knitting a toque.... dont tell darcy.
    Amanda

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  5. Oh Amanda! Your efforts always put the rest of us wannabe non-consumers to SHAME! Don't be silly... and for heaven's sake, knit that girl a TOUQUE! You are crazy... I guess that's why I stive to be more like you :)

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  6. i'm just stupid cheap!! Alright- i'll knit the touque- but seriously- don't tell darcy. I can see the evil- 'i thought we banned christmas' look already!!

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  7. Gee... all these years I just thought I was cheap, lazy and misanthropic for not sending out Christmas cards. Now it turns out I've been a green pioneer for several decades without knowing it!

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  8. And Maren- I am a consumer whore just like the rest of us. -have you seen me at MEC???-

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  9. I love that I got a cameo in your blog!

    I am such an avid lover of the snail-mail postal system (who doesn't like to get friendly mail, right Tess?)

    :)

    With my "no malls" Christmas, I actually got really into sending out Christmas cards. It seemed important to connect with people in my life with the time I saved staying away from shopping. I did struggle a little as I cut the paper for my cards... but I made it a bit of an artistic project and think that sacrificing a little tree for a bit of artsy time in my life (and then hopefully in others when they receive my card), makes it all worth it. I think it is neat to try and be as green as possible when making the cards. I did very small cards this year. Next year, I plan on making the envelopes out of newspaper/already used paper.

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  10. @Mrs. Letailleur: I loved your card... it was so YOU! And I look forward to our continued conversations through the snail mail system... xoxo

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