Have Yourself a Green Christmas

Instead of dreaming of a white Christmas, try doing a green Christmas--that is, an environmentally friendly Christmas.

• Help reduce disposable items that land in landfills. Give an electric razor, a pen with refills, cloth napkins or canvas shopping bags.
• Consider earth-friendly gifts such as compost bins, solar-powered items, biodegradable soaps, organic cotton clothing.
• Purchase rechargeable batteries for toys.
• Make a donation to a charitable organization in a loved one's name. A gift to Catholic Relief Services  will support the delivery of food and water, medicine and blankets to the neediest people around the globe. A contribution to Catholic Charities Christmas-basket program will put food on the holiday table of a local family.
• Your diocesan justice and peace office might offer an array of gifts that support human rights and human dignity in Third World countries.
• Buy a real evergreen for your tannenbaum and plant it after Christmas. If you buy a cut tree, see if your city has a tree-recycling program. Or saw off the branches and use them to mulch gardens in cold climates.

From  Grace in Action, Our Sunday Visitor's new stewardship resource. Can be used as a bulletin insert, in a special mailing, on the parish information table, in a diocesan newspaper, or as an individual subscription. Call 1-800-348-2440 for more information or visit www.graceinaction.org.