Have a very Eco Christmas
Im not sure if its an age thing, or if Im just seriously behind the curve, but I've found it hard to get worked up about the environment where others have been blazing a trail in the past few years. Don't get me wrong, I listen to and believe the science and I think it's appalling that we are still chucking plastic into the oceans etc, but I just haven't felt particularly motivated to do much about it personally. Shame on me I can hear you cry. And you are doubtless right. I should be doing better.
The recent coverage of the COP 26 brought the facts to the fore once again and I suppose the steady drip drip of information has started to make a change in my thinking. I don't think I live a terribly bad life. I do drive a petrol car but I never buy a carrier bag from the supermarket. I do eat more meat than I probably should, but I barely throw away any food at all and buy all the stuff that's on its sell by date, thereby preventing it from going to landfill . I buy all my clothes ( and most everything else) from charity shops so I'm not contributing directly to the pollution that the fashion industry causes. But if I'm honest, I don't live my life with much regard to the state of the planet. I'm more concerned about living within my means.
Yesterday was a day off and I was doing a bit of shopping in Lisburn. As I pottered in and out of the shops, Christmas was in full swing. The city always goes overboard with the Christmas lights, there was festive music playing in the precinct, all the shops were decorated and full of seasonal wares. Usually at this time of year I would be writing something about all the unnecessary plastic tat which goes against the very heart of the Christmas message, but yesterday as I walked into Poundstretcher and surveyed the shelves of red and green sparkly nonsense I had a rather surprising thought. The thought was that God actually quite enjoys this!
Please feel free to tell me that I have utterly lost the plot, because that is entirely possible after the spiritual desert that 2021 has been. But is it possible that in a small corner of God's heart He actually quite likes the jolly holly positivity which hangs around our streets at this time of year? I know this season can be very hard for lots of individuals - but as a society, come Advent the tone starts to become more upbeat. The adverts on the telly are sweet and hopeful. There's an excuse for people to get together to sing. Or to hum along to the tunes played in the shops. The churches are given permission to be front and centre. The movies all have happy endings. The streets are full of words like Merry and Happy and Joy and Peace. Charity becomes more important to more people and, despite the best efforts of the enemy of our souls, the name of Jesus is spoken and sung and proclaimed.
I suspect that in 30 years time the shops at Christmas time will look a bit different. We will have worked out how to do the festivities without so much plastic, so much waste, so much profligate expense on nonsense. In the meantime my one good thing for yesterday was a departure for the Hamilton family from the Christmas norm. I bought a real tree. With roots. In a pot. For the past 20 years we have had a plastic tree and Ive never really liked it. It sheds acres of tiny plastic fronds all over the place, it doesnt look much like a real tree and its too big for the new layout of the living room. So this year we shall enjoy the smell of pine needles and hopefully, sometime in January, we shall take the tree up to Grandmas farm and plant it in the field. Where it will grow and do its bit to combat global warming.
Well, its a start isnt it?
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