Easter is just a couple weeks away, and if this fact has caught you off guard, you might be tempted to load up your cart with bags of candy and trinkets from the grocery’s seasonal aisle (that has featured bunnies and eggs since the day after Valentine’s) or even grab a whole new Easter basket … More 10 Ideas for Less-Stuff Easter Baskets
It was the twelfth day of Christmas. I knew we’d be taking our tree down that day or the next, so it was bittersweet to bask in its glow early in the morning, before anyone else was awake. I hadn’t turned on any other lights in the house and was struck by the beauty of … More Imperfect Christmas
2018 was a huge year for our family. A year ago today, I thought to myself, “Will this be the year we make the big change that’s been an elephant in the room for years?” As it turned out, it was. But things were up in the air for months. January just daydreaming, February yes … More One Key Trick for Successful Decluttering
The day we’ve been preparing for has arrived. The gifts under the tree might be the perfect ones to make your loved ones smile. Or, they might not. They might be handcrafted by a local artisan or shipped from a factory halfway around the world. They might be forgotten by New Year’s or cherished for … More Let Your Heart Be Light
Twas just days before Christmas / when I looked ‘cross the lawn / to see a UPS man / with stuff from Amazon Yep—unless you’ve got Prime shipping, your online shopping better be all done by now! I’m waiting on a few things I ordered from elsewhere and just hoping they arrive by Christmas Eve! … More Experience Gifts in Every Price Range
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I believe that shopping secondhand is the easiest way to pursue ethical spending. It’s hard to know the whole production story of the stuff we buy, how the raw materials were sourced, the working conditions of the people who made it, the environmental impact, etc. Buying … More Gifting Secondhand . . . without Being Tacky
My family made a big change this year. We moved about 200 miles, my husband got a new job, and I went from working 30 hours a week from home (ah, heaven!) to working full time in my company’s office. The work transition, for me, was certainly easier than it would have been if I … More Things that Bring Joy
A few Decembers ago, I was driving along a narrow country road at sunset, singing along to the Christmas music on the radio, when one of my favorites came on: O Holy Night. Chains shall he break, for the slave is our brother And in his name, all oppression shall cease. I was struck by … More In His Name
I woke up the other morning struggling to remember the words to the Serenity Prayer: GOD, grant me the SERENITY to accept the things I cannot change, the COURAGE to change the things I can, and the WISDOM to know the difference. — Reinhold Niebuhr It was the day after Black Friday (Small Business Saturday, … More Christmas Gift Anxiety
I often wonder how Americans would react if the government tried to ration something today. Sugar, aluminum, meat, gasoline, butter . . . References to rations in books or movies set during World War II seem quaint, and our reaction—consciously or not—is probably something along the lines of “glad we don’t have to do that … More Do We Have a Duty to Shop?
