Is A Green Christmas About Abstinence Or Mindfulness?



The NY Times has an article that looks at what it means to be green during the festive season. Thankfully it avoids a lot of talk about ‘green gifts’ and looks at people’s growing concern about consumption and how they influence their families. An extract:

Frivolity versus severity. Materialism versus sacrifice. Welcome to the 8220green8221 holidays. The holidays have always been an emotionally combustible time for families, bringing together a sometimes volatile mix of siblings, crotchety grandparents and ill-behaved children. But in recent years, a new figure has joined the celebration, to complicate the proceedings even further: the green evangelist of the family 8212 the impassioned activist bent on eradicating the wasteful materialism of the holidays.

It’s not just the greens who feel this emotional tug at the end of the year: A 2005 survey by the Center for a New American Dream showed that 78 percent of Americans wish the holidays were 8220less materialistic.8221 At the same time, the average American spends about $900 on presents each year, according to the National Retail Federation.Still, to some ears, the call for less excessive consumption during the holidays sounds almost un-American.

Jolly and Green, With an Agenda – New York Times