What is a 1.5° holiday? Perhaps it could best be described as an eco- and socially-conscious, green and responsible holiday. It is when we try to create a festive atmosphere, prepare food and drink, and organise care and gift-giving, while being mindful of our environmental and social impact. At GreenDependent, we've been calling it a small footprint holiday for years.
What exactly do we mean? For example, buying local, seasonal, and organic food whenever we can. Experimenting with meat-free, plant-based foods. Making sure we don't have food waste. Using recycled things and materials we already have to decorate. Giving the gift of experience, or giving our own time, or handmade goodies as presents. There are lots of things you can do, and to make it easier to think about, we've put together a list of the most impactful options to help everyone think about what they already do and could do this holiday season, or in the future. And in this blog post, we tell you how we do it.
Benigna Boza-Kiss – Reverse gifting
Christmas is almost here! For many, this causes not only joy but also anxiety. The average Hungarian adult planned to spend around 71,000 forints (171 EUR) on presents in 2023, according to a representative survey, which is 11,000 forints (27 EUR) more than last year, although inflation means it will be worth around the same. In addition to the financial issues, anxiety can be exacerbated by the pressure to give gifts, the uncertainty about what to give, and the fact that many people do not have time to relax and spend time together while doing other things.
Toys account for the majority of gifts, around 40-45%, and we overwhelm our children (and ourselves) with them. According to the Statista database platform, the toy market is growing year on year, reaching €32 billion in Europe - and that's just including new toys. Research proves that 'less is more'. US researchers have found that too many games reduce the quality of children's play because they are constantly distracted, find it hard to engage and their social connections are reduced. By the way, the same thing happens to adults, when we have to work in a crowded, cluttered, disorganised place, we simply find it harder to move, distracted and concentrate. Others have also shown that toy overload negatively affects parental and carer engagement. Fewer toys also make it easier for parents to cope, and they are not tied up in time and attention by constant packing and lack of space. Many of us have come to the point where the accumulation of unnecessary possessions is already causing stress.
In our family we start the "What can we buy children that they really enjoy?" dialogue in October. While we totally understand the need of relatives wanting to give them the best, newest, most exciting toy, we also fear for our kids that they literally won't fit in their room with all the toys they already have.
Since my sibling has children of a similar age to ours, we decided to stop the gift flow. Still, we couldn't let go of the gift-giving spirit. In agreement with the children (6-14 years old), they can donate the money they receive to charity. We also tried to make it a tradition to make this a shared experience. In advance, we gathered 15 different organisations and put together a spreadsheet with information about them, their major causes and their bank account numbers. Some of them were social organisations (e.g., SOS Children's Village, Hungarian Food Bank, the movement of the Hungarian teachers for the freedom of education), some were animal welfare organisations, some were environmental organisations (10 Million Tree Foundation, Saving The Amazon), but also, due to their topicality, a generator for a hospital in Kiev. We thought it was important to have a diverse selection, and although we had no specific connection to any of them, it is good if they are somehow connected to our lives.
At Christmas, instead of giving gifts, we sit around the living room and tell the children what each organisation does, why they are important, what larger purpose they serve (social inequality, climate change, war relief, etc.). Then we start talking and discussing. In the end, each child chooses which organisation they would give their share of the money to. Of course, we are sad that we can't give to all of them, but we have to learn to do that too. So, last year we gave a small gift to orphaned children, teachers who fought for the freedom of education and got fired, abandoned animals, and we "planted" a tree in the Amazon rainforest.
Edina Mihály – Christmas tree from local farmers, gifts from second hand stores or social enterprises
I usually find it very easy to write the posts for GreenDependent’s 1.5° lifestyles blog, as there is nothing easier than describing how we are greening our lives. But now I've been staring at the blank document for 10 minutes and I'm finding it hard to start writing... Mostly because I feel, our Christmas celebrations are not green enough. We eat more meat than usual, buy presents (mostly for the kids, though) and put up a Christmas tree.
Like Benigna, the main challenge for us is not to give too many presents to our child. So instead of lots of small things, we usually choose 1 or 2 larger, quality toys, usually wooden (and I also buy second-hand toys without hesitation), but we have also got him a sledge and a bicycle for Christmas. It is important to communicate this idea to grandparents and other relatives in time. In fact, we are already paying attention to this during the Advent period, and this year our Advent calendar will not include chocolate or small toys, but a shared experience for each day: baking gingerbread, a ride on the carousel at the Christmas market, reading a new story in the evening, ice skating and, if we are lucky, snowballing or sledding.
In our family we usually only buy/send bigger gifts to the children, my husband and I only give each other small, symbolic gifts, and the others adults usually get handmade gifts (e.g., soaps, bath balls, fermented delicacies or jams) or gifts for experiences (e.g., concert tickets). But I also like to buy gifts from social enterprises and NGOs, so not only the recipient is happy, but I can also support a social cause.
The Christmas tree in our house is always a real pine, either rooted, which we later plant, or cut, but then we get it from our local farmer friends. Sometimes we even help cut our own Christmas tree, in connection with a farm visit. And when we're there at the farm, we also buy the goodies for the Christmas table.
We also make an effort to decorate our tree in a minimalist way, using existing and natural materials. And we reuse Christmas tree ornaments year after year, we use pine cones we have picked as decorations on the table, or my favourite is this easy baking soda ornament that can be made with children.
Speaking of Christmas dinner... at Christmas I never make a new recipe or a meal with a special new ingredient, just the well-known classics that everyone loves, so no food goes to waste.
Anita Szőllőssy – Can we break free of family habits?
Christmas is one of those subjects that I find difficult to write about. Even as a child, I was disturbed by the "holiday madness" of my mother and grandmother cooking non-stop and running around at the last minute to get presents. I very quickly started to 'deal with' this by taking myself out of everything as much as possible - for example, by taking on a job.
Over time, of course, I realised that this was not the solution. Last year was my first Christmas living in my own apartment, and I decided to try to let go of my bad holiday habits, but within moments I found myself there, I was making my sixth bowl of tiramisu for the family Christmas on the morning of the 24th (big family and luckily they all ate it) when I ran out of sponge cake and my husband ran to the store, where he claimed there were only husbands, each trying to buy something last minute: yeast, butter or breadcrumbs. This is an example of how NOT to try to participate in family holidays, I caution everyone against taking on any last minute baking (or food, gifts) at anyone's request. I always try to learn from my mistakes, and this year I want to spend the holidays in a spirit of calm preparation myself. (I may make tiramisu, because my family was "unfortunately" very enthusiastic, but certainly not 6 bowls, and not on the morning of the 24th!!!)
Regarding the Christmas tree issue, unfortunately I can't say that I have found a good solution. Earlier I did try the potted tree, but unfortunately it didn't survive, no matter how much I watered it and loved it. This year I haven't made a decision on that yet, because I feel I would miss it if I didn't have it. My dad has always been a keen fan of decorating the Christmas tree, and it's hard not to get involved - it's hard to let go of family traditions like that.
Of course, that's not to say that I don't have success stories when it comes to Christmas. For example, I managed to convince my mum, after many years, that there was no need to cook fried meat AND duck for our small family of seven, especially as I've been a vegetarian for years. We don't overdo the decorations either, we just use a little orange essential oil and a few pine branches to decorate the festive table.
In terms of gifts, thankfully we are getting better with both my own and my husband's family. My parents and I either buy each other something practical (which we agree on beforehand), often concert or theatre tickets, or something edible. My extended family and I don't give each other presents, only my youngest cousin gets a nice toy every year - last year I bought a really cute plush unicorn at a charity shop. My husband's family has a lot of kids, so Secret Santa is the solution - last year I bought a really nice bracelet from a social enterprise for the one whose name I pulled.
My advice to everyone, including myself, is to take a step back from our plans and try to experience the holidays in peace. Moderation is always a good principle to follow, and it is one of the foundations of a more sustainable, low-impact lifestyle.
Edina and Kristóf Vadovics – a combination of minimalism and maximalism
Reading and re-reading the story of the Moomins - The fir tree is a regular part of the festive season for us. Edina first heard it when she was a child, in a church as an alternative to the nativity story, and since then we read it often and hope that if someone sees us during the holidays, they won’t say of us, "Mama, wake up! Something terrible seems to be happening. It's called Christmas."
In our house, an important part of getting in the mood is lots of little lights and festive, mostly natural decorations. We are minimalists in our use of materials, in the sense that we use what we already have at home or can gather from the garden. This is how we have made a row of Advent candles, how we have decorated the beams above our living room/kitchen for several years, and how we have made a festive spiral in the garden. This year, these things have already started to move in.
We also start thinking about gifts in time. We both have large families. In one of our families we don't generally give presents, but for the festive meal we all contribute something, partly agreed in advance, which is a form of gift giving. In the other's family, we adults play Secret Santa, we each give a gift to just one other couple, which could be a treat, something we made ourselves, or something we know the other couple will enjoy or need. Dinner cooked for the other couple and theatre tickets + babysitting combo can be a treat. The children often get a gift of experience, too: summer camp with aunty and uncle, theatre or cinema tickets, a trip to the adventure park, etc. There are also material gifts, usually negotiated with the parents beforehand. In such cases, we try to support a local craftsman or producer, or some other social cause with the purchase. Since it is sometimes more difficult to gift an experience to children, as we are forming a new habit and trying to break a social norm, we make a gift voucher for them. This experience voucher also helps if you have to wait a while for the experience, by having a reminder that can be hung on the wall.
In food and drink, the combination of mimimum and maximum is also the key: we aim for minimum environmental impact and maximum experience. We haven't cooked a varied menu for ourselves for many years now, but that doesn't mean we don't have a festive feast! In the morning, we usually have homemade scones, also with homemade apricot or strawberry jam. For lunch we have something light, which varies from year to year, and for a festive dinner we have some kind of fish with a seasonal vegetable side dish, followed by dessert, which is almost never the same, because we like to try new things, like vegan treats that don't require baking. Ingredients are sourced from local producers, vegetable box systems and the farmers’ market.
And with the extended family, we've managed to arrange for everyone to bring a dish in advance, so the work and cost is shared and there are fewer leftovers.
In conclusion..
Once again, we can say that there are many ways to celebrate in a different way, in a small-footprint and 1.5° way, which is green way and socially responsible. The basic principles are the same or very similar, but the way they are implemented varies, depending on the individual, the family members and circle friends concerned, as well as the current and acceptable traditions and norms. Challenging these and transforming them is not always easy, but it is possible step by step: we can start with exchanging a dish or a cake for a plant-based one, or change the concept of "gift". Let us all experiment and be patient :)
We wish you all a very nice, relaxed, and of course, 1.5° preparations!
(And if you have some energy and time left, please think about sharing your green, responsible and 1.5° holiday experience with us, it would be very nice to hear about your story. You can use this link to do it.)
The GreenDependent team
