For over half of the American population (which is hundreds of millions of humans) who celebrate Christmas, let us consider some of the traditions that currently exist and the ramifications of these behaviors and how they are beneficial or harmful for our biosphere. This commercialized holiday is based upon a sacred-ness, but it has for some strange reason transformed from inherent goodness to that of degradation and imbalanced consumerism. Our spirituality has become supplanted by our materialism and it has harmful repercussions...
The primary tradition of Christmas centers around the Christmas tree. The tradition used to exist whereby we would string berries and popcorn and other types of food and place them as offerings on the trees outside to feed the fauna during the food scarcity of winter.
Now, however, we cut down baby and adolescent trees, bring them into our homes and dress them up with all manner of metal, plastic, glass, etc... How many countless trees are killed every year in celebration of Christmas? For that matter, I doubt a significant amount of the population still place food out for the animals during winter... I believe the majority have removed themselves from the spirit of nature in this particular act alone. That in and of itself is dissonant with my sensibilities, (flocking the tree with fake snow takes it even further).
Does anyone even consider the sanctity of the life of the tree? Bless all those precious firs, pines, and spruces~ the sacred evergreens for spending years growing only to grace your living room for a month and be thrown out onto the curb. It seems far too counter intuitive to the spirit of the season IMHO. The solution to the costly practice (in more ways than one) of paying for a tree that has been severed from its roots would be to purchase a living tree in a pot. After years of enjoyment, it can then be planted somewhere.. Now isn't that a better alternative? I can see however, that many are lazy and wouldn't care for the tree anyways and perhaps it would die from not being watered, or being watered too much.. Not to mention, the tree might not be properly transplanted it into the earth when that time comes. Nor will there be a significant amount of the population that will take the incentive to make the effort necessary to find a suitable place for the tree to be planted where it will thrive and grow for future generations.. It is far too easy to drive over to the tree lot and pick a pretty something to discard later. It is a phenomenon that deserves more contemplation. At least a few people have thought this through.. There is a company in Oregon that offers the service of renting live trees out for Christmas and then planting them which is nice. Bless them for their splendid service! (They offer a franchise opportunity if anyone is interested). Of course there are the farms which cut the trees in such a manner as they are able to grow back.. But what is the percentage of farms that do so?
All those who mindlessly continue the practice of killing trees in the "spirit' of Christmas ought to think more about what the holy spirit is. Sure we view the birth of a human as sacred, but so too is the birth of a tree. ::::All things in nature are a reflection of the one supreme being::: With complete disregard for the life of the tree, it is high time humans should begin to consider live trees instead. Many can counter this form of callousness by making the shift in conscious consuming as well as teaching our progeny about the sacredness of seasons, of the winter solstice, and placing food out on the trees for the animals. The more we act in ways that are mindful of nature, the more we will be in tune again with the sacred spirit of the season.
Also to be considered in relation to the tree is our use of paper.
How many additional trees are killed for our wrapping paper? How wasteful is this practice of dressing the gift up only for this one time event? How much of it is coated with plastics and metals and all manner of chemicals that families end up burning in their fireplace complete with ribbons and tape and bows? It is not a very considerate practice for the health of our atmosphere if you ask me. How much of it is recycled? How much of the paper produced is made of recycled paper? These are all things we ought to consider. Things as simple as this make a huge difference upon our environment when you consider the scale of our consumption... How much of humanity does this act? All of our collective actions are a hallmark of our society and world.
How many actually think about any of these things we take for granted? The tree & the wrapping paper... Everyone does it because everyone does it. That doesn't necessarily mean it is necessary. I am not trying to be all "Bah Humbug" about Christmas, but am rather trying to elucidate you on mindfulness and being aware of what you are doing and consider the impact of such things...
Another tradition begging the question is that of Christmas lights.
This is a relatively modern development and did not exist before the invention of the light bulb. It began with a string around the roof, but now, homes, bushes, and trees are covered. Although it is delightful to look at, what are the ramifications of this practice? How much more energy is consumed during the Christmas season on light strings alone? Not to mention, how many consider how this contributes to the carbon debt by burning more fossil fuels and coal?
Instead of considering the effects on our environment, we consider the effects on our pocket book. Sure, the LED light options use less electricity and they cost less. But really, is it about saving money? It always seems the way we can get others to go green is because it saves us money, but what is money anyways but more paper?
From what I have discerned from this particular holiday is that at its foundation and root is a holy something. And quite succinctly, the allegory of the Christmas tree is quite a parallel isn't it? Perhaps we have severed ourselves from our roots? It is that holy something that many are not in touch with that I long for society to help reconnect with. For certainly if we were reconnected with this foundation, we would be honoring this time in different ways than we are now. It would begin with a reverence for life and nature and would spread through all aspects of the way we consume the goods of the earth and share the resources which the earth provides.
Gift giving is a nice thing certainly, but how much more money do we spend gifting each other with material goods that we end up not using or throwing away? Instead of buying a bunch of stuff for everyone this year, I will be giving money to the Seva Foundation and to Heifer to provide a family with chickens, so that they may have eggs to eat and to sell. I would rather help feed families in Africa, because they really need our help right now, than purchase the latest remote control robot wrapped in plastic for example. There are families who haven't eaten for days and days, there are literally nearly a billion people in the world starving and yet we sit around our tables with more than enough food, in total abundance.
This is something we ought to think about.. I mean REALLY think about. Just think, for all the money we spend on killing trees (don't forget the number of animals slaughtered for Christmas dinners) and consuming things that are gluttonous and wasteful, we could actually have a tremendous impact on creating better living conditions in countries where a majority of humanity lives in poverty.
The true spirit of the season is about the holy spirit. The spirit of love, of giving, of sharing, of compassion, and we ought to embody this spirit by providing for those with less.. This is the time to donate, to give back to the planet, and to each other, and certainly to those of us who live in war torn countries. It is my sincere wish that more people consider having living trees rather than to killing them, to give a significant portion of their money toward humanitarian aid, to purchase goods that are more environmentally sustainable, and to teach our children about the solstice. It is far more important for us to be mindful of the web of life at this time. To give that which provides for a more sustainable future, to give what is truly important and useful. Indeed, it is time to learn the true spirit of Christmas. The more we embody the spirit of salvation the more we can help heal the damage we have wrought in our collective ignorance and unconscious consumption.
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