Simplify The Holidays

Here are some ideas to make your party less stressful and more sustainable (for you and the environment):

Plan ahead and finalize your menu early. Knowing exactly what you want to make and how many people you’re expecting will reduce last-minute grocery store runs and help reduce waste.
Feature only local foods on your menu. This can help simplify planning while supporting your community.
Have a gourmet potluck party instead of doing all the cooking yourself. The food can still be scrumptious, but each person cooks only one dish.
Celebrate with appetizers and cocktails or coffee and dessert instead of serving a full meal.
Host a cookie swap. Double or triple one recipe to share instead of baking batches of several different kinds of cookies. Six friends who each make six dozen of the same kind of cookie can go home with a dozen of each kind (minus one or two, perhaps).
Throw a decorating party where people bring leftover crafting supplies to make decorations and then everyone gets to take home some of what’s made.
Delegate some of the decorating, especially if you have young helpers in your home.
Create a theme for food and decorations. Focusing on a color scheme or idea lets you do more with less.
Encourage guests to bring reusable containers to take home leftovers and reduce food waste.
Make sure guests know what can be recycled and composted.

People aren’t always excited about changing holiday celebrations and rituals, so it’s a good idea to talk to your family about it ahead of time and get their feedback. Talk about what everyone loves the most about the holiday or tradition, and how the changes you want to make will foster an even greater sense of meaning and connection. Share your ideas and enthusiasm. This isn’t about taking anything away from the holiday but creating new traditions that are more strongly aligned with your family’s values.

You may be pleasantly surprised by who shares your concerns and enthusiasm, especially once you start talking about new ideas. But even if your family resists change, you can still gradually incorporate new practices into your old rituals. Creatively planned activities and thoughtful homemade gifts will often win over cynical friends and relatives, and even the smallest changes in your routines can make you feel better about your holiday while reducing your impact on the environment.

Simpler Entertaining

New Traditions, Same Family Values