Halloween has been yesterday, the weather has stepped into winter, the shops along the street have changed their advertisements to Black Friday promotions. All of these remind you to prepare for the gratitude season. Besides some of the traditional ways to spend Thanksgiving from food, activities, and decorations that we have been doing for years. You may be wondering if there are other additional meaningful ways to celebrate this Thanksgiving.
There are many ways to spend the holiday, but first, you need to take some time to think about the true spirit of Thanksgiving. The spirit behind Thanksgiving is to Show Appreciation and Give Back. Here comes the point, who you should appreciate, how to give your thanks. In this article, we will take an overview of some “green” ways to celebrate Thanksgiving.
Green Living
The Earth is the planet we live on. It provides us with every resource. However, climate change can cause disasters (floods, drought, extreme weather, etc). Excessive carbon pollution is the main cause of these problems. If we do not take action now, the climate will only get worse.
During the holiday season, what we can do to express our appreciation to our planet?
Reduce the use of plastic products and disposable dinnerware.
If you plan to host a small gathering to celebrate the holiday, don’t use plastic wrappers, straws, disposable plates and bowls, disposable gloves, and disposable tablecloths.
Use reusable dinnerware and tools.
Buy seasonal food from the local traditional market if possible.
Not only is the food on the traditional market fresh, but it also reduces unnecessary wrappers and labels.
Bring a basket or reusable shopping bag with you. All fresh food can be put in just one basket.
Nowadays, food and commodities in supermarkets are always excessively wrapped in plastic wrappers and labels, which can do harm to our environment.
Reduce waste by planning before shopping
To homeowners, if you have a good habit of planning well before the holiday, you will find that the holiday goes smoothly. Most importantly, you will not waste too much. Because a lot of waste is caused by big and repeated purchases.
Spend an hour with your family after dinner on the weekend, ask them what they want, negotiate, and determine what you want to eat and what decorations you need for the holiday. If you know the preference of everyone in your family, then write your plan in your notebook. Follow the checklist to purchase.
Stay well inside during pandemic
Due to the pandemic, people have to reduce gatherings to prevent the spread of the virus. During the Thanksgiving holiday, the best way is to stay at home and only celebrate with those you are already together with. You can still send your blessings to friends and family through the internet.
Green Giving
Who do you want to show appreciation to?
Most people will agree that their parents are the first two people they want to thank. Most parents would unconditionally help their children grow into happy and fulfilled adults. However, when we were young, we didn’t pay much attention to the daily love things. We didn’t understand them just like thought they didn’t understand us. That’s okay, you were just a child.
Luckily, as an adult now, if you have not expressed your gratitude for a while or have never said thanks to them, there’s no better time than Thanksgiving to do that.
If you are a mom or dad, please don’t forget to say thank you to your partner and children. Thank them for their company, help, and happiness.
Your gratitude will strengthen your relationships with your family, and also you will be rewarded with courage and optimism for the future life.
These are several simple, yet meaningful ways you can do it now:
Cook a healthy, delicious meal for parents
A home-cooked meal is the best way to show your love. Just as the joy you felt as a child when your parents made your favorite meal. Now it’s time for you to do the same.
Don’t know their favorite meal? Try to remind what meal appeared the most frequently in the past dinner table.
Are you a novice cook looking for inspiration? Try to search for some cooking tutorial videos on Youtube and make a plan ahead. The things you were afraid to do as a child will be a lot easier to finish after you grown up.
Help with household chores
Undoubtedly, housework is daunting and endless for every family. Spend a Saturday or Sunday helping the homeowner with chores like house cleaning, repairs, and even laundry. It is a great way to show appreciation to the hostess.
Send services gift instead of goods
If you are not ready for the above two things, you can send them a service to get them out of chores for a while.
Service gifts are sustainable and require very little or no natural resources.
They usually come with personal and thoughtful services for specific gift recipients.
For example, seniors already have various physical things. They may prefer some thoughtful gifts that allow them to experience or solve problems such as online courses, teaching them to use smartphones, take beautiful photos, and sharing with their family and friends.
Your help in downloading the latest APPs and teaching them how to use them will be more welcomed than material gifts. An easy-to-read “How to” guide will make them more than happy each time they forget how to deal with it.
Send a one-time house cleaning service to a hostess, let her get a moment of relaxation from the endless housework.
A one-hour massage at a local spa would make a great gift for people who are busy with work all day.
A tutoring session or some childcare with the older children would be a great gift for parents.
You can also give a car wash, vacuum, or scheduled dog walks as a gift.
Many homeowners would appreciate the gift of gardening, window-washing, and lawn care.
Giving makes happiness
Giving to others is a great way to be thankful. This can be done through cash donations or goods donations. On weekends, encourage the whole family to freely collect their gently used but cleaned clothes, toys, books, household goods, pack them and donate them to local charities. Tell the children that if they buy one less toy and donate the money to the children in poverty, they can enjoy a healthy meal. When you are free to choose to give, giving will make your family feel happy, trusted, and needed.
Green Creating
Create special memories with them
Nothing is better than spending quality time with your loved ones. Everyone is busy with studying, working, parenting, and other things we think are important. As Thanksgiving day is approaching, why not invite your loved ones to get close to nature and bring your own children along to have a special, multigenerational, and meaningful experience?
Enjoy some outdoor activities, picnics, hiking, and fishing based on family. Share some interesting and special stories in life, prepare delicious food, and make some DIY handicrafts. Even during a pandemic, it is safe for outdoor activities as long as it is not crowded and keeps a safe distance.
