Rethinking Christmas: Finding Meaning Through Sustainable Celebrations

Rethinking Christmas: Finding Meaning Through Sustainable Celebrations

Commentary By Sarah Henn Hayward

I have long admired the teachings of Jesus. Even now, as an agnostic atheist, I appreciate many of the values and lessons that our record of Jesus’ life instills.

Jesus’ teachings and behavior were counter-cultural for his day. His treatment of women and ethnic minorities was shockingly inclusive compared to the dominant attitudes of his culture. Jesus was radically forgiving, radically inclusive and radically non-judgmental. In a culture famous for stoning “sinners” to death, Jesus was surprisingly gracious and open-minded.

Consumer Christmas

Christmas, the celebration of Jesus’ birth, has become an ironic holiday. Within the dominant culture, Christmas is a time of excess—lavish gifts, extravagant decorations and parties stuffed with sumptuous treats.

For a man who spent much of his energy questioning the status quo, overthrowing norms and harshly critiquing the rich, his celebration does not seem fitting to his lifestyle.

I’ve tried to push back against the consumer-heavy Christmas culture for reasons outside of religion. I’m deeply concerned about our planet’s health. Filling it with more garbage is a significant issue. The amount of packaging and waste around our Christmas decorations, advent calendars, and gifts is astonishing.

Sustainable Celebrating

I’m not a complete Scrooge. I love Christmastime and Christmas decorations. My house is merry and bright. I don’t mean to imply that we must pack away our garland for good.

My meager solution is to acquire my Christmas stuff from thrift shops. Spokane has over 20 thrift and consignment stores, many of which stock household items and seasonal decorations. I’ve found great treasures from Global Neighborhood Thrift, Goodwill, and Value Village. And it is like hunting for treasure—you never know what you’ll find! These items are saved from a landfill and—bonus—are much easier on my budget!

I keep my Christmas knick-knacks from year to year, getting as much use out of them as possible. It’s become a lovely tradition, pulling the tubs and boxes up from the basement and greeting the Santas, nutcrackers, and snowmen like old friends.

This year, my extended family is doing a gift-basket-themed gift exchange. I opted to thrift my gifts, creating a lovely, themed basket with finds from Global Neighborhood Thrift. Even the basket itself was thrifted: I arranged the assorted presents in a beautiful old popcorn tin.

From wrapping gifts with old newspaper and recycling gift bags to ensuring Christmas lights are LED bulbs, Christmas can be a time of good cheer without being a blight on the environment.