living thoughtfully this holiday season

It's December, which means it's the most wonderful time of the year, albeit, the most insane time of year. There are more parties, extra sweets, lots of alcohol, so many gifts, so much cheer, and in turn so much waste. According to this study by Stanford University, Americans throw away 25% more trash from Thanksgiving to New Year’s, which amounts to about 1 million extra tons per week. We want to keep the cheer alive and not bring the doom and gloom to the holidays this year, so we decided to round up a few ways to navigate the holidays with a little more thought and a little less waste.  

 

Décor:

Dried Orange Garland – you just need oranges, an oven, and twine or string!

Homemade Clay Garland – a great activity for a cold day indoors!

Vintage Ornaments - check your local thrift store for vintage ornaments!

If you are in the Red Hook area:

The Red Hook Thrift shop has a whole floor dedicated to Christmas décor

Vintage ornaments spotted below at the Annex Antiques center in Red Hook

Food as gifts:

Homemade cookies in a vintage tin – there is nothing better! My mothers peanut butter kiss cookies are a Christmas favorite, recipe below!

Lisa's Famous PB Cookies:

1 14oz eagle condensed milk can

3/4 cup of peanut butter

2 cups biscuit baking mix

1 tsp vanila

granulated sugar (for coating)

chocolate kisses (for adorning)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl beat condensed milk + pb until smooth. Add biscuit mix + vanilla. Mix well. Shape into 1-inch balls. Roll in sugar, place 2" apart on baking sheets. Flatten with fork. Bake 6-8 mins or until lightly browned. If using chocolate kisses, press into center of cookie immediately after baking (do not press with a fork if using kisses).

Homemade vanilla extract – all you need are vanilla beans, vodka, and a cute jar. I'm sure you can find a solution for the leftover vodka. ;)

If you’re hosting:

Homemade Hummus – skip the plastic tubs + weird ingredients and make your own.

Reuse alcohol bottles as candle holders to set the mood.

Thrift your gifts!

There are plenty of beautiful items out there waiting to find the right home. Look for vintage glassware to gift with a bottle of wine, or a silver tray for jewelry, a cozy hoodie (we’ve got plenty 😉 just sayin), vintage toys, books or records.

Wrapping your gifts:

Use your old brown paper grocery bags, vintage scraps of fabric (most thrift stores have stacks of fabric pieces for very cheap), newspapers, or even use an old book or magazine for those smaller boxes. Use vintage post cards as the card!

Experiences or services like massages, facials, a day trip to a museum, a ski trip, etc., are always great ideas. If you want to give the gift of organization and simplicity, we suggest offering our closet styling service as a gift to a loved one. More information can be found here, reach out with any questions!

If you have any other tips and tricks on how to live more thoughtfully this holiday season, please share! We will be sharing our personal journey with you as we move through the season. We want to remind you to also take time to breathe, take a walk, and remain present. The greatest gift we have is life itself.

Wishing you and your family a wonderful holiday season and we hope to see you at one of our events coming up!

Cheers xx

Kaitlyn