Maybe we should count the number of times people ask us "are you ready for Christmas?" It's just one indication of the layers of complexity we tend to put into the holiday season, the sense that we have to do and buy and give a lot. It's not only potentially unnerving, it can be extremely wasteful: buying things we might use only this time of year, or giving gifts that people dislike enough to take back to the store.
The Center for Biological Diversity says December is the month that creates the most waste, 23% more than in other months. CBD developed a website, Simplify the Holidays, to offer suggestions for celebrating in simpler and more sustainable ways. Malia Becker is CBD's resident expert on simplifying holidays and our guest.