By Kathy Chavez
Are you down to the wire and looking for ideas to make your holiday or New Years festive, meaningful, and also environmentally friendly? Spend a few hours at home cleaning out your closets and drawers. That fancy old party dress might make the perfect gift for a creative child who enjoys dress up. The bracelet sitting in the drawer could become a family keepsake for a young or old relative. For the person that truly has everything, get them a goat, a chicken, or even some manure for a person in need from the Oxfam unwrapped online store. (It's not too late, you can still go and print out their downloadable card at check out!) And don't forget that your time can be the most valuable present you can give someone. Invite a friend to join you for shopping, and running errands may become a time-honored tradition.
If it's too much of a hassle to bake all your holiday treats, have a cookie exchange or invite friends over for a baking or tamale making party. If you want to throw a party and don’t have time to do it all then host a potluck or white elephant party. White elephant parties are a personal favorite because they provide a way to reuse and recycle those perfect items that could be better used elsewhere. Wrap packages in colorful dish towels, newspaper, or decorate brown paper bags with pictures from old calendars or magazines. Wildlife calendars and magazines are a hit with my family and friends.
My best Christmas memories are of making tamales with my mother while my sister decorated the tree. Our trees were live ones, since my dad planted them on our property. The oldest one is twenty five years old and over ten feet tall. However, if a live tree is hard to come by, try making one out recycled materials such as old ribbon, cardboard, gift cards, and greeting cards. Here are some other fun ideas for creative tree variations.Wherever you may be this holiday season, we wish you joy, peace, and lots of great food!
--Your New Mexico Oxfamily :)
