With the holidays already upon us, Emory faculty and staff offer these tips for surviving, and enjoying, the holidays.
Internet access will be the really "hot" gift this holiday season, according to Eric Fliegel, executive director of Information Services for the Emory System of Health Care. Fliegel has a warning for those whose loved ones will go on-line this holiday season: "Internet access is a wonderful gift, but it's very habit forming. A whole new world of information exists out there. If your spouse or partner gets on the Internet, they may ignore you for hours while they wander around."
Fliegel advises those who are willing to take a chance on loneliness by giving an "Internet gift" this year to:
*Get the fastest modem you can get--at least 28.8 baud;
*Buy the best screen you can; and
*Be ready to install a second phone line.
Much of the frenzy associated with the holiday season is really a search for ritual and rest, says Don Richter of the School of Theology. "We live in a `been there, done that' culture and we fill up our time with activities and trips. But we're ritually starved as a people, because there are no recurrent rituals in our lives. We have a compulsion to cram all our needs for ritual into the larger national liturgies of the holiday season---shopping, cards and parties."
Richter says that people need to leave time and space to help process the meaning of the holidays. "The whole idea of rest, or Sabbath keeping, is built on four steps. First, we must cease from our labor and endless routines. Then we reach the second step, where we can really rest. Then there is the letting go and taking on of new rhythms, such as prayer or worship. The last step of the sabbatical rhythm is feasting together.
"One simple thing that families can do is schedule time to go out to eat; that being together and sharing is the whole agenda for the night." Richter also says that people should choose selectively among all the holiday activities and chores; "You may just not have to go see the Nutcracker this year."
Richter also suggests that we look to become creators of culture and ritual activity, not just consumers. Don't just buy all the gifts; think about what you and your family can make to give to relatives. Don't just buy cards, make them.
Taking time and space isn't all narcissistic. "This is not just about looking inward; the holidays can be a time to think of the needs of those beyond ourselves," he says. "A really important way to celebrate and commemorate the holiday season is to render service to others."
A little planning up front can make for a much more environmentally friendly holiday season, says Eloise Carter, an ecologist at Oxford College. "Find out what can be recycled through your home trash pick-up and what nearby recycling centers will take, then get organized before the holiday rush," she says. "Get a container for all those two-liter plastic soda bottles that you'll use for parties, and a container for aluminum cans, find a place where you can recycle cardboard, and lightly tape packages so the bows and paper can be used again next year."
Carter says you don't have to feel guilty about buying a natural tree for the holidays. "You can complete the circuit of buying a real tree in an environmentally friendly way by participating in your county's efforts to recycle the tree into mulch, or put the tree in a lake to enrich the fish habitat," she says. "Whatever you do, putting the tree in a landfill is not acceptable."
If you're entertaining large groups and need dinnerware, Carter says to use sturdy biodegradable paper plates or plastic that can be washed and reused and to stay away from Styrofoam.
The holidays can also be a great time for a lesson in wildlife habitats. "We make cranberry and popcorn garlands, strings of sliced fruits, and pine cones covered with peanut butter and dipped in birdseed, and then we go out one night and decorate a tree," says Carter. "This is a great family tradition that usually turns into a mini science lesson."
"If you're only going to do one thing to help the environment this holiday season," says Carter, "make plans to recycle."
-- Jan Gleason