Grateful At This Holiday Season

Getting caught up with friends and relatives during the Christmas season is almost as natural as breathing. It’s something I do every year. But now that things are getting back to normal, I’m writing again.

And, I’m thinking about how blessed I am. I’m grateful that God sent his Son, Jesus, into the world to save our souls.

I’m also thankful God allows me live on this beautiful planet, with gorgeous sunrises and sunsets and so many brilliantly colored plants. In gratitude, I vow to take care of it next year.

Wasting Energy During the Holiday Season

No, I’m not recommending wasting energy during this, or any, season. From living through a number of Christmases, I know how easy it is to use more gas, electricity, and just blow money during the holiday times. I’ve listed some don’ts to mention ways that we’re apt to fritter away energy resources. Do’s list how to be good at still saving at this busy time of year.

Don’t:

1.      Go shopping without knowing what you intend to buy. That goes for food and drink for the holiday table as well as presents.

2.      Drive all over looking for things on your list when you can find a number of items at the same store.

3.      Buy items that will waste energy when there are energy-saving products available at a reasonable price.

4.      Say “Yes” to all parties out. It will blow too much gasoline money and you probably have offers that are more appealing anyhow.

5.      Leave your Christmas lights on all night. There are timers that will automatically turn them on for a limited number of hours.

Do:

1.      Use public transportation to visit relatives if they live a distance away.

2.      Go shopping with a friend. You will use one less vehicle, less gasoline, and also have someone along to help decide if the price is right.

3.      Some of your shopping online. This saves energy since one delivery person can bring a number of items in one trip. I like to see most items I buy–not just a picture of it–but do buy some things online.

4.      Turn the heat down if you’re out of town. Why have it 70 degrees when your houseplants will survive at a much lower temperature?

Conservation: Two Steps Back and One Forward

I’m back in town after a week of helping my daughter and her husband fix up their recently purchased home. My husband and I helped with cleaning and patching to make it livable. When we left, the inside painting still wasn’t complete. Thank goodness professional installers will put in new tile and carpet.

I must admit that I took two steps back in my earth friendly lifestyle during this period away from home. Recyclable items were thrown in the trash all week long as we rushed along to finish things like cleaning bathtubs and closets. And, we used many paper towels as we worked. There’s a neighborhood recycling service but the recycling bin hadn’t arrived yet at my daughter’s home.

A step forward was when the air conditioner vents were either cleaned or replaced, as needed. This should allow better flow of air and cut down on electrical usage.

The majority of us environmentally concerned folks have good days in taking care of the earth as well as not-so-good-days. If most days are spent doing the right things to conserve energy, our good days cancel out the energy wasteful ones. We can still make a difference in the world we leave behind for the next generations.

I thank the great teacher who motivated me–as a college sophomore–to start thinking of leaving behind a greener planet. I just need to keep listening to good advice on how to preserve our resources and pass on that knowledge.

I’d love to see middle school children learning about how to preserve and protect our planet. If only half of them start living an earth friendly life, what great changes could occur in their lifetime. We still can’t say, “It’s up to the next generations” but we need to continue to save energy and keep on picking up trash.

Note: Before publishing this post, I got a message from my daughter saying the needed painting was finished!