Sandbagging

It is almost time to start my project and I have to confess that I feel like I am sandbagging a little.  Since opening my Christmas gifts, I have been delaying writing my thank-you notes so that I will be able to use them for my New Year’s Resolution.  My rationalization is that I will need a little extra help to get going.  One thank-you note per day (or seven per week) is going to be a challenge.  I imagine just finding addresses to send the notes to will become an issue. 

I have been collecting supplies ~ i.e. thank you notes. I have been thinking a lot about it lately: “Who would I thank today if I were going to send a note…” Often I think, “I wonder how I would get the note to them?” I guess we’ll see ; )

First Day of Christmas

Our first day of Christmas plan was for me to give one pint of blood.  Thankfully, the lady who drew my blood hit the vein on the first try – although she had to wiggle it around a little!  She happily informed me that I have almost donated two gallons just as I was remembering how much I dislike giving blood.  My daughter read pop-culture magazines to me while I dripped into my little pint bag and then joined me for cookies and juice.

Our second day of Christmas plan is to buy two cups of coffee for the people behind us in the drivethru lane of Starbucks.  I would have picked a local-type coffee shop but the drivethru offers more annonymity and is convenient.  My daughters love to hide out and watch the expressions of the people who find out they just got a free cup. I will need to pull the girls out of school for lunch for this little escapade, but – this is what holiday memories are made of, right?

Runner-Up Resolution

If I had to pick a runner-up resolution it would definately be to eat only local food on a regular basis. Perhaps I would pattern it after one of my kids favorite stories, “Chicken Sunday”, where every Sunday is a family meal and a place to connect. So, I would plan Sunday dinner around only locally grown foods. 

 Living in Colorado, I bet I could do it – even in the winter.  Yesterday at the store, the regular grocery store, I found butternut squash from Colorado, and dried beans from Dove Creek, Colorado, without really looking.  I bet with a little determination, I could come up with one dinner a week with little problem.

I have been reading Barbara Kingsolver’s book, Animal Vegetable, Miracle.  It has been a great winter read and has me dying to plant a garden as soon as the snow melts.  In the book, she and her family try to eat only local food for an entire year.  Similar to the 100-mile diet people in Vancover, Canada, they chronicle their experiences with the added bonus of their adventures farming an old Virginia farm, and of course, Barbara’s excellent writing skills.  I had to wait months to check this book out!!

One of the primary points in the book is that eating food flown in from around the globe has a tremendous cost in energy. The taste suffers, the biodiversity suffers because only shippable varieties are being grown, small farmers can’t compete and are going out of business, etc. etc. 

Anyway, if I didn’t already have a resolution for the year – eating Sunday dinner – Local Food Sunday, would be it!

Twelve Days of Christmas

Since I have a little time before my thank-you note project begins, I thought I would share what our family does for the Twelve Days of Christmas.  Each year we sit down and brain storm ways we can help the world for Christmas.  Because we have a really small budget, we usually have to get creative.  Here are our plans for this year starting on Dec. 13th:

First Day of Christmas: Donate One Pint of Blood

Second Day of Christmas Two cups of Coffee sent unknowingly to the
 person behind us in the drive up lane

Third Day of Christmas Three people protesting the War in Iraq – a
 Saturday picketing event we have wanted to do

Fourth Day of Christmas Four plates of cookies to local assisted living
 home

Fifth Day of Christmas Five craft bags full of stuff for bored kids in the
 hospital delivered to the nurse station

Sixth Day of Christmas Six Bus Tokens at a bus stop

Seventh Day of Christmas Seven spring bulbs planted along the walking trail

Eighth Day of Christmas Eight apples to teachers

Ninth Day of Christmas Loving nine kitties at the cat shelter

Tenth Day of Christmas Ten balloons passed out at a Mall

Eleventh Day of Christmas Eleven anonymous Holiday wishes ~ cards on windshields

Twelfth Day of Christmas Twelve goodies for the animals by decorating an
 outside tree with edibles- like they do in one of our favorite holiday
 books: The Night Tree

My kids have loved this activity and look forward to it each year.  I think it is a lovely antidote to the seasonal consumerism.