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I just finished reading the book Green Christmas - How to Have a Joyous, Eco Friendly Holiday Season by Jennifer Basye Sander and Peter Sander. It is a small book but packed full of great info on how to green your holidays.
The beginning of the book discusses all the reasons that our conventional Christmas celebrations are so UN-green… rampant consumerism, hefty energy usage, lots of garbage, etc. Yes not only do we have to worry about the massive debt that this season can cause, we also need to think about the lasting effect we leave on our planet. The book goes on to explain how we can make Christmas and the whole holiday season an extension of our green values. It has lots of great tips and suggestions. It is truly a book with practical answers.
My favorite part of the book was about eco friendly family time. Many seem to lose track of what this time of year means…I don’t mean the religious significance, as that isn’t a factor for everyone. It is a time for families to spend all important time together and the book has several eco friendly, quality family time ideas and activities. There is also some great info and charts on how to choose a Christmas tree and what is better…the old fake versus real argument. It was VERY clear on which was better and why. And of course it had great suggestions for reducing energy usage because Christmas can create pricey energy bills….pricey for us and pricey for the environment.
This book even had a great chapter on how to green your holidays when you travel as well. Overall a great book with some great ideas. I would recommend it to all. 
Dirkey said,
November 11, 2008 at 8:46 am:
Great will have to see if the library has it ***crossing fingers***
One thing that my friends and I do that I love is that we do gifts that are homemade or from a thrift store thats cost is $5 or less. Its a great way to fight consumerism, recycle and learn new skills (this year I made soap). A nice green tradition.
Mia said,
November 11, 2008 at 2:45 pm:
Always remember, if your library doesn’t have a book you want, and it has mass appeal, you can always ask them to buy it. The library I work at has a form right on their website to request a purchase. If it is a very niche item, or something out of their scope (like textbooks) they won’t get it, but if they think there will be a lot of interest then they just might!
Miss Kris said,
November 11, 2008 at 2:45 pm:
I just checked the Seattle Public Library’s catalog and they do not have it
So disappointing.
Elisabeth said,
November 11, 2008 at 5:14 pm:
Sadly, I didn’t get very far into the book (Amazon preview) before I find myself disagreeing with her on the causes of climate change. Ahhh, if only all these agendas weren’t so transparent.
Jennifer said,
November 14, 2008 at 6:59 am:
I have found that one of the best ways to have a green holiday season is to just spend time with family and friends, make some homemade goodies, and donate to a good cause that you truly believe in. For the last 4 years, my husband and I have been doing this and we feel so much better about the holidays. With all the crazy, consumerism, hustle & bustle, it’s nice to take it slow at this time of year. Yes, we did have to explain to everyone the first couple of years why we weren’t buying gifts, etc. But, now they know and know what to expect from us. It makes such a huge difference in how I view the holiday season now.
Best wishes!
Lauren said,
November 20, 2008 at 5:22 pm:
If I promise to read it soon
will you just tell me what the verdict of the real vs. fake tree argument is? I’m considering fake for the first time, and want to know the “green” consensus is!!!