Christmas on the Homestead
You may have sleet covered grass or a picture of pure white all around at the moment. You may have a milder climate, with a lovely coastal breeze that freshens your face or, like me, you may be in the middle of an Australian summer. Whatever the view is from out your back window however, it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas and the world over folks like you and I are preparing for the biggest celebration of the year.
From previous articles you probably know how I feel about the consumerist mentality and it's grip on modern society, so we won't dwell on that. Instead, for this article I'd like to present a few little pieces of the self reliant philosophy that can be applied to this "silly season". It is a time to ponder, reflect and decide if changes need to be made. If you have decided things need to slow down and simplify, this is a great time to be making goals and plans for next year. While it may seem absurd to be already thinking about NEXT Christmas now, with a little of the "simple abundance" philosophy, Christmas can return to what it used to be; a celebration of life, love, family and joy.
If you haven't yet read my last article called "Christmas Shopping - You Can Give it a Miss", please take a few minutes. If you are feeling frustrated about the whole gift giving process, it may offer some solutions. Keeping it simple is the key, and never giving a gift with feelings of resentment or anger will help transform the feeling of this time of the year.
There are many other parts of the self reliance philosophy that pertain to the Christmas season. For example, have you considered raising your own meat for Christmas dinner next year? Victoria Ries, editor of Rural Country Living, has an article called "Gobbling the Turkey", all about raising your organic Christas dinner. You will find the link at the bottom of the page so take a look. Here in Australia, turkey isn't a requisite for Christmas, so chickens can be raised instead. There is no easier animal to raise and care for than the chicken, and it will reward your efforts with the tastiest lunch you've ever had!
For those of you that like to take a more homespun approach to your gifts and decorations, make a note of things you can start to collect throughout the year. Corrugated cardboard, shells, leaves and flowers for drying, plant pots etc can be stored in any spare corner you have in the house, attic or garage. Take a new outlook and reuse and recycle!
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