Northwest Earth Institute: How to Enjoy the Holidays with Less Stress and Less Stuff

This article first appeared on Northwest Earth Institute on November 20, 2017 

The holiday season is quickly approaching. Yet too often, the holidays—meant to be a time of peace, reflection, and celebration—exhaust us rather than uplift us. Our friends at New Dream have created a variety of resources designed to help people escape the shopping, spending, and frenzied preparations that have become synonymous with the winter holidays.

At NWEI, we’re always looking for inspiration and helpful tips on how to plan holiday celebrations that reduce stress, waste, and expense. In the spirit of our newest course book,  A Different Way: Living Simply in a Complex World, we want to emphasize meaning over material goods, strengthen relationships, and build community. Each year, New Dream offers resources to support a more meaningful and simple holiday season – and we’re excited to share them with you here as we head into Thanksgiving this week.

Ready to enjoy the holidays with less stress and less stuff? Check out these New Dream resources:

• A guide on how to create a more meaningful holiday season that’s focused on sharing, laughter, creativity, and personal renewal.
• An online six-week calendar with new simplifying tips each day.
• An alternative gift catalog, filled with hundreds of meaningful gift ideas designed to strengthen relationships and improve lives without breaking the bank.
• New Dream has also just released a tip sheet on how to create Commercial-Free, Fun-filled Family Holidays.

Invite your family and friends to wrap their holidays in more of what matters—meaning, connection, and joy—and less of what doesn’t (stuff, stress, and waste). We at NWEI are wishing you a wonderful Thanksgiving this week—and a holiday season that is meaningful, memorable, and rejuvenating!