Dear Planet Earth at christmas (Warning: might bring your festive spirit down)

Dear Planet Earth (the same Earth my children will inherit),

I'm really sorry that in a few weeks time you will be dealing with hundreds and thousands of ridiculous plastic toys that are thrown away in the rubbish - cheap junk that someone bought just to satisfy some social construct. Thousands of rubbish presents that adults gave each other in 'Secret Santa/Kris Kringle' at work. And all the associated packaging.

I'm not perfect. But I am proud of the choices I have made this christmas. Some beautiful clothing gifts made by other SAHMs. Food gifts, homemade kids costumes.

I wish you all a Merry Christmas. Try to help the planet out a little bit though - don't just buy for the sake of it. It doesn't show the other person that you love them the most - it shows the rest of us that you don't care about the world we live in.

Show some respect and some restraint. And then be proud.

I think this is a good point (as I'm sitting looking at some useless items I was given last year...)

Brilliant points - I am completely over buying for the sake of buying. Trying to do better this year with buying what is more of a need, than a frivolous want.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?f...type=1&theater

Relevant I think.

I've been trying to declutter my children's toys. I feel kind of sorry for them - their extended family give them so much junk they're drowning in it.

I'm with you

Agree 10,000%. If only I could get the IL's to agree :think:

Love it.
Thanks Lenny

I think about the environment when there are small or large events or other occasions!

Like Christmas, Australia Day and NYE etc....for example.

With Christmas even the amount of wrapping paper we use is incredible.

This year I am making gifts for my kids, nieces and nephews using recycled bottles, fabrics, crafts etc. I have a feeling they will enjoy these gifts way more than a plastic car from a cheap shop that will fall to pieces in 5 mins.

i say xmas only comes around once a year. make the most of it :D unwanted gifts can just be regifted :lol:

M&D I think you're missing the point :)

good point, its something to think about

Deleted post :wall: (What's the point in trying?)

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Deleted post :wall: (What's the point in trying?)

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Because you can educate and change the mind set of people who are unaware of sustainable development, that meets the needs of the current generation without comprising those of future generations.

I'm conscience of my impact on the environment so that I can give my future children the same quality of living that I've been fortunate to enjoy.

Re the wrapping paper.... I try to use green shopping bags, tea towels, sarongs etc. So I give small fabric gift as well as the gift. Tea towels with nice ribbon look surprisingly festive.
I know some people use the art that their children bring home through the year rather than buying paper.

Yep- i'mwith Onyx- tea towels, green shopping bags and kids art make awesome wrapping paper.

Great post Lenny.

Great post Lenny. I have made a much better effort this year with the gifts I have bought but I love the idea about fabric for wrapping paper. Hopefully in a year or two when my kids are old enough not to tell all their friends about santa so I can be honest with them I can start getting reusable giftwrapping for them without them questioning why santa uses wrapping fabric from mum's stock :lol:. Until then I will recycle what I use.

Agree! I have gifted plants, books, clothes, food, soaps and other more useful gifts this year rather than plastic rubbish. It's good to try and keep this in mind though.

I haven't brought any plastic toys for the kids this year they are all wooden toys oh wait I have one plastic toy a truck for DS that is made of recycled plastic. I prefer to spend more on something that will last. And I'm not a fan of plastic.

I use wrapping paper though, most paper comes from trees from sustainable growth forrests ie. trees that are planted just for harvesting. My dad works at a paper mill so got to keep him in business ;) although they use a lot of recycled paper as well as from trees.

I get that you want to keep your dad in business but the issues with paper aren't just the trees. There is also the water, bleaching and yes they use for a product that is destined to be used once and thrown out. Although fabric wrappings also use water, dyes and bleach they can be re-used over and over again before being disposed of.

Hey no need to have a go at me I fully breastfeed have not used one disposable nappy ever as I use cloth and cloth pads. I do my bit and if paper is my only downfall I 100% own that :)

Oh I'm so on this! When I think about it this sort of thing is the reason behind my lack of festive cheer most years. I hate the waste

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cheap junk that someone bought just to satisfy some social construct. Thousands of rubbish presents that adults gave each other in 'Secret Santa/Kris Kringle' at work. And all the associated packaging.

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Agree entirely - I have managed persuade MG not to have Kris Kringle this year - none of the kids need anymore toys (several people had already bought stuff showing how ingrained the idea is - they will just go to others now). I particularly like your phrase "to satisfy some social construct" and think this applies at so many occasions, I often read and hear about people hating lists of all kinds or requests for money not gifts because it "takes away their joy of buying" but getting something you want or money to buy something wanted is really the best thing environmentally. I can never understand why people can not respect my wishes and give me the gift of "nothing".

Re-gifting is fine but it doesn't stop the things being produced in the first place using up valuable resources. I particularly hate when you see whole racks devoted to "Stocking Fillers" - what happened to stuffing a stocking with an orange - and it seems that shops are in on the whole Secret Santa thing too with areas for Secret Santa presents.

I do think sometimes plastic is given a hard time - in some forms plastic presents are fantastic - they last multiple life-times (duplo my kids have was mine when I was a child - and anyone who bins lego or duplo should be fined in my opinion) - playmobil again we have from when I was a child. In addition to the focus on cheap plastic items, the focus really should be on the amount of items regardless of whether they are plastic, wooden or expensive.

The kids get presents from in-laws (clothing - is all I allow them to send because I don't buy any myself for them) & mum and dad will send present back with my brother after Christmas - stuff from Father Christmas has come from Salvos and from us I am converting some furniture into a dolls house and a play kitchen - that way when they are too old for it it can go back to being furniture. All the furniture for dolls house I am making from stuff I have recycled or got from Resource Rescue. I have never been so excited about a present for them before - hours and hours and hours of pleasure it is giving me making the stuff. All our decorations this year are from Resource Rescue or saved cards and again it really makes me feel festive making them. It is also important I think that little ones see the making of decorations and presents - then grow up thinking that is how you get decorations and making or opshopping presents is what you do rather than go to a shop and buy them - is about breaking those ingrained social constructs for the next generation.

We don't do presents really for each other and all other family in the UK (my side gave up doing presents long ago even when we were in the UK, and DH's are getting there) - we wrap up stuff we already have so can open something with the kids on Christmas day. Money we get given for children use for Zoo membership, Museum membership etc. and DD really wants to go on a horse and carriage round city so will probably do that as a gift too from someone. I think experiences are great as presents as long as people don't then say have to get them something little to open on the day too.

wysiwyg - glad i wasn't the only one who got an orange. I wish it was a terry chocolate one but alas, it was the real off the tree variety! i think my kids would be bemused! They have a stocking each this year in which santa will place his one gift + one book to them in. It needs no stuffing thank you very much!

Hehe my MIL told me to bring DS's stockings down to where we are stayin over Chrissy and she is going to put an orange in each of them! I had never heard of that before. I just got choccies in mine.

I also agree that good solid plastic that I made to last is awesome! We still have Lego from when my dad was little.
The only thing I hate is when my friends or my grandmother think they are being awesome and buy $2 toy cars from the cheap shop. They open them an literally they just crumble into pieces. Which is not only devastating for the boys but makes me wonder how they can make things to sell that just break!

So many things these days are built to break I swear! The money you think your saving on an item goes out the window if it breaks the second you use it!

We always got an orange too.
And Father Christmas.... wysiwyg, you made me miss my Mum. No-one in Australia say Father Christmas. It's always Santa Claus.
I have some origami paper packed so we're going to be making origami stars, angels, santas and boxes for our 'tree'.

Em...., I wasn't having a go at you. Sorry if you felt that way. Just chatting about paper.

I heard about the oranges today. Whats that about? I'm confused :dunno:

The original legend of St Nicolas had him throwing bags of gold down the chimney of some poor sisters who were drying their stockings in front of the fire. So the oranges symbolise the bags of gold and until recently in the Northern hemisphere and orange was unseasonal and hence a bit of a luxury in the middle of winter.

Aha!! Thanks for the Orange thing. I always wondered what is the deal with stocking fillers. I vetoed gifts for DD. I don't like plastic stuff and have made it quite obvious to all who are potentially buying present for DD. I just tell them
To give money if they feel they need to. Then I go give it to charity one way or another.

The stocking fillers for my kids are a toothbrush and toothpaste, underwear, a small box of cereal for their breakfast, and a small long life milk. Kids love it, as they get to eat their special breakfast! So no plastic stocking fillers here.

I dread to think about what I will get for the work KK. I have bought a 'green' keep cup for the person I got. He enjoys good coffee, so I think he will like it.

I'm sorry, my kids would firstly think its a joke then be upset if I put toothpaste and breakfast cereal in their stockings!! LOL!!

in our house stocking fillers are fruit, new socks, lollies and a hot wheels car. I was thinking a new toothbrush this year too, it's so ideally shaped for a stocking :lol:

What great stocking filler ideas! I have swimming goggles, gingerbread and candy canes to put in my kids ones so maybe some toothbrushes and special breakfast would be good too!

We used to get our school supplies for the next year.
I love the cereal idea. More sleep in for you too! Win.

I think my boys are happy to get anything since they know it's only something we do out of respect for my family and their traditions.

Woah the tea towel idea is brilliant! Wish somebody would wrap our presents in tea towels, we only have two and it never seems enough when all little people want to help haha.

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And Father Christmas.... wysiwyg, you made me miss my Mum. No-one in Australia say Father Christmas. It's always Santa Claus.

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I hadn't really noticed until you mentioned it about Father Christmas vs Santa Claus (I never noticed people don't use the word pushchair here for ages either) - sometimes I say Santa as we did use that in England too but normally is Father Christmas for me - DD is obsessed with the differences between the two countries since I told her the different versions for Heads Shoulders Knees and Toes, and Hokey Cokey vs Hokey Pokey. Every song she wants to know the English version now (most are exactly the same).

Father Christmas is eco friendly here and doesn't wrap presents in the stocking - he never did for me either (he also had to staple the tops to stop me looking in my brother and sisters) - and we never ever thought it was weird as kids that others got wrapped presents from Father Christmas and we didn't. Funny is a question adults always ask but we never thought twice about it - I think as grownups we think children are always wanting to catch us out about Father Christmas but really they are just happy to believe and aren't doing CSI style investigations to discover the truth (not till older anyway). One year I discovered a list of what had been in my stocking by my dads bed, I asked him about it and he said when you came and showed me I wrote it down so I wouldn't forget (and I just accepted that). We also used to accept that sometimes he made mistakes and put things in the wrong stocking, or leave things in various cupboards around the house which wouldn't be discovered till March.

Breakfast cereal and a toothbrush! Awesome ideas! They're going to love it. Especially because those little boxes have great colours and pictures on them.

Awesome thread!!! I have been doing this since I had kids. My mum is a classic, she buys crap and says even if it only last five minutes at least they had a bit oh fun!! SCREAM.... grrr they get as much joy from a walk, a book or some quality time!! She has actually changed over the years and can see that giving can be more then plastic not so fantastic!!

Just a bit of cross promotion.

The Gift of Death

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People in eastern Congo are massacred to facilitate smart phone upgrades of ever diminishing marginal utility(3). Forests are felled to make “personalised heart-shaped wooden cheese board sets”. Rivers are poisoned to manufacture talking fish. This is pathological consumption: a world-consuming epidemic of collective madness, rendered so normal by advertising and the media that we scarcely notice what has happened to us.

In 2007, the journalist Adam Welz records, 13 rhinos were killed by poachers in South Africa. This year, so far, 585 have been shot(4). No one is entirely sure why. But one answer is that very rich people in Vietnam are now sprinkling ground rhino horn on their food or snorting it like cocaine to display their wealth. It’s grotesque, but it scarcely differs from what almost everyone in industrialised nations is doing: trashing the living world through pointless consumption.

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