Green ABC's Tip # 6 for a Green and Healthy Holiday Season

This can be a pretty tough time of year for lots of folks. Many do not really relate to the joys and sounds of ecstasy that spew forth from the mouths of the always beautiful and rich people that are depicted on holiday commercials. In this year of 2011, many are worried about losing their homes, keeping the heat on, where they are going to get their next meal, and the disappointment they are going to see in the faces of the children in their lives when Santa doesn't come through very well this year.

So, let us try to look at things from a different viewpoint and see if we can come up with some inexpensive ( maybe free) and green ways to celebrate the holidays and hold our chins up even though it may not always be the way we are told it should be.

In the coming year, even though we might still be looking grim in the economic platform, a great many individuals and families will continue to want to go green. How can they do this when for many they connote 'going green' with 'going broke'? How about using everything old and making it new again? Putting a little foresight into original purchases might pay off in the long run this holiday season. Let me give you an example!

What if you were to buy a great pair of Nike's Free TR Fit Winter's for $85.00 for Christmas, either for yourself or mom or sister, or daughter? First, of all they will last forever, and feel great- which will motivate you to get out in the winter weather and walk, run, or skip to your hearts' content! After a year or two or three, they just might begin to wear down. What do you do then?

Take them to the nearest Nike Re-Use a Shoe program drop off store. Nike offers a great recycling program where they take old shoes, use the materials still left and turn them into tennis courts, playground courts, and tracks for schools and other physical fitness sports.

The Nike Re-Use a Shoe Program is just one example of how many corporations are using up what is old and making it new again- and putting sustainable practices into communities using good old fashioned know-how.

Now, I am not so naive that I think most people in these tough times have $85.00 bucks lying around to go out and buy a pair of Nike's. So, let's try the nicest way to come together during the holidays and lift your spirits at the same time. Instead of throwing out a lot of money for a big deal dinner, turn your holiday feast into a potluck. Use table wear, not plastic wear. Be imaginative and make dishes that are in season in your area of the country. That might not be easy- but it is worth a shot. And, why always have the tried and true each year? Instead of ham or turkey-try a Chinese meal filled with fresh veggies, and fruits.

More than anything, continue to hope, keep working towards change, if not in your living circumstances then in your mindset- and strive for an appreciation of the little things that make our lives worthwhile.