Responsible Consumption and Grinchy Ideas
by Jenny Willis
Northern Hills Fellowship
October 15, 2000

"And he puzzled three hours till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before. 'Maybe Christmas,' he thought, 'doesn't come from a store. Maybe Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more."'

          — From you know what book by you know who.

You may rightfully be saying that it is too darn early to be thinking about the holidays, the seasonal aisles at the grocery store having already irritated you with mounds of prematurely displayed Christmas junk. The Center for a New American (CNAD) thinks it is not too early to think about simplifying the holidays so that when the call does come to get on that treadmill of stress, we have the strength to resist. CNAD has a helpful pamphlet entitled Simplifying the Holidays, available for $2 by calling 877-86D-REAM or free online at http://www.newdream.org/holiday/home.html.

I have one idea their pamphlet doesn't mention: Decorating your home with stuff from your backyard or that of a friend with a few evergreens and bushes with colorful berries. After the holidays, all can be tossed in the compost or behind a bush and you will not have purchased any greenery or mistletoe trucked in from Oregon or ripped out of forests. The same wreath forms and ribbons can be used year after year. (I use my own dried up grapevines for wreaths.)

One of the best shrubs for intensely red berries in winter is the deciduous holly called Winterberry (Ilex verticillata). Winterberry is native to Southwest Ohio and is an important late winter food source for hungry birds. Female shrubs are covered with masses of red berries by Yuletide and look beautiful from a great distance, especially if planted in groups. In December branches can be cut and set off with a backing of evergreens for a simple and elegant look, if that's not too Martha-Stewartish to say here.

Cultivated varieties are available at most nurseries. They get about 6-10 feet tall, like the soggier areas of the yard and are flexible about light. (Mine live happily in the shade of a red maple.) Make sure to plant at least one male for pollination-usually nurseries carry compatible (blooming at the same time) male and female plants so you can purchase them together. Now is a good time to plant a patch of these beautiful shrubs for wildlife cover and food as well as holiday decorating.

Reader Response
Did you like this publication? Was it helpful to you? What elements do you agree with? In what ways do you have a different view? You may send your comments and thoughts to Jenny Willis at jwillis@uunhf.org.

Copyright ©2000 Northern Hills Fellowship