The tilt of our magnificent globe has brought us round leaning towards the darkness. Thus we seek out colored lights, baubles, tinsel and song. This whirl of the winter solstice means the light will once again be born, and so we celebrate. You may give gifts, or chortle choruses of carols. The glow of the menorah may light up your latkes. Or perhaps you are one who with great humbuggery rejects the entire pageant and so you go on a tropical vacation. However you celebrate this winter holy darkness, be you Christian, Jewish or Pagan, you can add an organic twist to your holiday jig.
Prepare an Organic Feast to share with friends and family: Find the season in your organic meal. You can create a delectable organic feast with simple whole organic ingredients. Bake organic yams from Livingston and simmer wild rice grown in the Sacramento valley. Locally grown winter squashes and pumpkins, spunky roots of parsnip, and white Tokyo turnips all have a place next to the free range fowl or grass fed roast. Serving organic fare affirms your commitment to a cleaner planet and fostering the health of those who partake.
Craft organic gifts that are delicious and good for the planet: If you’re a jammer, slice your organic granny from Wenatchee and commingle her with organic spices from far-flung tropical forests. Organic cane sugar is always non-GMO and pairs well with the juice of a good Meyer lemon from San Juan Bautista. Cook well until the bubbly froth is ready to be poured into jars festooned with ribbons.
If you’re not a cook, but a couch Googler, you can find a web full of organic offerings and gift baskets with a click and a $. Give the gift of organic to remind others of its importance.
Support you favorite organic non-profit or NGO with donations: The end of the year also means the end of the tax year and since it’s the time of appreciation, why not take care of those who have given you so much throughout the year? Do you daily scour a favorite organic news source? Are you bent on reading blogs covering food democracy, pesticide residues or GMO technology? Is there an organic science and research organization that has helped you understand the mélange of organic media in 2015? If any of these sources boast 501c3 status, you can benefit them and get a tax break in one swell swoop. Give now and give prodigiously to your favorite organic non-profit organization.
Volunteer at your local soup kitchen, food bank or food drive: It’s a time of giving and the most organic gift is one that comes from your heart, hands and mind. Volunteering for those who have less is humbling as well as enriching. Your life blood will pump warm through every portion of your being as you work for others, your heart swells with love. Volunteer voluminously and thus be rejuvenated with the very act of giving.
Make one organic resolution to help the planet: Endeavor to identify one thing you can change or do in the New Year to help ease our warming planet. Is it time for that solar array, electric car or bright shiny bicycle? Is it time to walk more and ride less? Eat less meat, sugar and processed foods? When the towels and sheets are tattered, organic textilery is the next good purchase. In fact just choosing organic in your daily shopping plan can make a world of difference towards a cleaner more diverse ecology. Will you pledge to put your dollars on the USDA organic seal?
Nurture your family and friends as your most cherished gift: Take several moments to just sit (or stand) and behold those around you who bring you joy, laughter, and daily succor. True there may be times of tears, tantrums, and tumbledown twists, but this family, be they of blood or friendship, are what makes life real. They give poignancy and meaning to every breath and pulse of our being. The most organic thing we have is this circle of loved ones. One never knows when the last moment shall be shared, so cherish each one.
Stir up a recipe of gratitude for the abundance we enjoy: Yes, it may be dark when we leave and again when we come home, but the light will return. All things must ebb and flow. The darkness reminds us that we have so much blessed prosperity in this part of the globe. We eat, drink, read and speak with a cornucopia of options at our whims. So it’s time to whip up a recipe for holiday gratitude. Wake up this season, but before you arise, conjure up deep gratitude for just one thing that you have. Hold it closely inside your sleepy head and bask in its glow, feel it. Arise and go forward with this organic gratitude in your heart. Repeat daily and feel the glow gratitude gives.
As the earth tilts and the light returns, let us remember to celebrate this season with an organic theme. You will be richer for it.
Happy Holidays
