Events - Slow Luxe Society

What to write in a Christmas card

Erin Cadogan — Wed, 25 Oct 2023 04:42:30 +0000

The Christmas card trend has slowed a little over the past decade or so.

Half the population is becoming lazy or disinterested (and unfortunately, disconnected), and the rest are increasingly aware of the environmental cost of sending a flap of paper across the country to a relative, just for them to open it, read “Seasons greetings, Love Mum, Dad, the children and the dog,” and toss it.

It’s not economically sound, either, at maybe $5 for an average card plus a dollar for postage. And you can double that for a premium card, because let’s face it – we don’t like sending average things. That might not sound like much, but if you have a large extended friend and family network, it adds up.

If you’re not going to personalise the card and make it something worth keeping, it’s really just expensive rubbish. You’re throwing away $5 or $10 notes each time you send one. You’d be better off calculating how many people you’re thinking of sending a Christmas card to and instead donating the money you’d spend on buying the cards.

The thought doesn’t matter, either. What thought did you put into it?

Christmas cards can be really nice to give and receive – if you do it right. This year, make it worth your money and the environmental impact.

How do you do that?

Rather than write “to” and “from,” use the more-than-ample white space to write them a letter. Take the time to meaningfully connect with them. What you write specifically depends on how well you know your recipients and how often you see them. It will differ person to person, too. If it doesn’t, you’re not doing it right.

If you know them and see them often:

reflect on good times you both enjoyed
if they were extra supportive or motivational or inspirational this year, let them know what they did that helped and how much you appreciated it
express a genuine, specific wish for them for the future. What do I mean? If you know they have a goal to achieve something fitness related, for example, write that you can’t wait to help them celebrate running their first half-marathon, and that you’ll be with them all the way
end with a simple salutation such as “Here’s to another year of success and happiness.”

If you’re not quite as close and don’t speak/see each other too often, e.g. extended family that lives across the country:

update them on things they may have missed/exciting events throughout the year
suggest a possible chance to catch up during the coming year
ask for an update on something you know they were working on this year
enclose photos and be sure to include a blurb, either on the back or in the card
end with a simple salutation as above. Don’t overthink it – just write something that you mean. It could be “looking forward to seeing you in March,” or whatever your plans are.

If you’re helping your children write in them, be it to family or friends, talk about it with them. Why are you giving this person a card? What are you going to say to them apart from “Dear so-and-so“?

Their reason for writing the card may be the very thing they should write in it. If they want to give a certain person a card, it may be because the intended recipient was kind to them throughout the year and it’s something your child remembered. It’s important to help them articulate their appreciation to their friend.

You may even be able to get the rest of your family onto it, and trade stories, photos, and uplifting comments each Christmas. It’s a nice way to stay connected if you can’t see each other very often.

When it comes to buying, try to buy cards made from recycled materials, if at all possible. The amount of paper that goes into making Christmas cards each season is astonishing.

I hope you’ve gained some inspiration from this post and now have something a little more creative than “season’s greetings” to write. If you did, please consider sharing this post with a friend so that it might help them too.

The post What to write in a Christmas card first appeared on Slow Luxe Society.

How to: Waste-free Pass the Parcel

Erin Cadogan — Mon, 16 Oct 2023 23:02:40 +0000

No child’s (or fun adult’s) birthday party is complete without Pass the Parcel.

The thrill of who the music might stop on, the speculation of what the parcel may contain…

Pass the Parcel is a party favourite, that’s for sure.

But, as a conscious consumer, you may have been put off by the waste the game generates. Considering that the parcel consists primarily of virgin wrapping paper (often not recyclable) and plastic tape (only recyclable via Redcycle), and is so commonly filled with cheaply made, mass-produced, useless trinkets – you’re right to feel reluctant about creating a parcel for your upcoming party.

As with most waste-related issues, there’s a simple workaround that doesn’t detract at all from the fun.

Make your wrapping reusable

Aside from being infinitely less wasteful, using fabric to wrap your parcel is an easy way to add a little luxury to your game.

If you have fabric wrapping for birthdays, Christmas, or other events, this would be an excellent opportunity to make use of it.

Scarves, tea/hand towels, and (clean) handkerchiefs also work well, as do solid (not mesh) produce or other drawstring bags. The bags make for especially quick and easy wrapping.

ALTERNATIVELY: If none of these options are appealing or available to you, consider renting linen (i.e. fabric surviettes, placemats, or even small tablecloths) from a local party hire company. I particularly love this option for matching the wrapping to the colour theme of your party.

Choose responsible gifts

I encourage you to use your imagination here, and try to support a local business or commission a local artist or other creator to help you out.

First and foremost, consumables, especially sweets, are always well-received in Pass the Parcel. You can still include them in your waste-free parcel, you just need to think a little differently to avoid the plastic.

Dedicated bulk lolly shops have been around for a long time, and general bulk food shops are becoming increasingly prevalent in local communities. Pay one a visit and buy a range of sweets without the packaging. Encapsulate them in small tins (reused if possible) or even small twists of decorative fabric.

Secondly, little felted (or even carved wood) toys or puppets can bring joy both during Pass the Parcel and also afterwards, to play make-believe or put on a play. They encourage the use of imagination and open-ended thinking.

Another easy inclusion for each layer is to write something on seed paper (which you can plant together sometime after the game is over). You might choose to:
– write jokes;
– describe ideas for charades that the person has to act out (either during Pass the Parcel, or as a separate activity after your game);
– write tongue twisters;
– create join the dots;
– illustrate parts of a treasure map, that when joined together lead to something special that you’ve set up; or
– as an alternative to music, you can write a riddle for each layer that must be solved to determine who receives the parcel next. Everyone gets to help solve the riddles.

Yet another option: bubble wands. They’re easy to make but provide hours of fun. Try different shapes such as a heart, star, moon, leaf, and even animals if you’re feeling game. Whether you’re making them or shopping local, try to opt for the recycled option – there’s no need to use fresh wire, there’s so much available for reuse already.

Once your Pass the Parcel is over, bring out the homemade bubble mix and let the bubbles commence! There’s always something magical about having bubbles floating through your garden or street, don’t you think?

Your final option (in this list, anyway) is to make recycled crayons. Gather the small, forgotten, and rejected pieces of crayon from around your home, and ask other participants if they can contribute too. Place the pieces in a silicon mould and heat in the oven until melted.

The old crayons will combine to form new, multicoloured, exciting crayons that are even more fun to use than they were originally.

This is just a small cross-section of what you might include in your Pass the Parcel. So long as you’re keeping it local and natural, you can’t go wrong.

The better you make the experience, the more successful you will be. Make it fun, do what you can to get the most out of it, and most importantly, ask for feedback for the next Pass the Parcel.

If you know of anyone charged with organising a game, please share this with them, or Pin it for your own use in the future.

The post How to: Waste-free Pass the Parcel first appeared on Slow Luxe Society.