Today is your day Boomer! And maybe today is the day to rethink Christmas.....yes, the average Canadian family spends about $2500 on gifts, decorations, and food every Christmas. And $1300 of that just goes to presents, mostly new stuff from stores like Lululemon. By the way, with high inflation....that number will likely be higher this year! So, how about "Thriftmas" instead? A new way of doing things with lots of "used", recycled gifts and decorations that other people don't want anymore. A perfect example is that old sled in the basement that your kids used, but now just takes up space....or a wreath you bought 10 years ago, but is now the wrong colour. Here are some other thrifty ideas: Unique stemware, glasses, teacups or mugs. You can add a bag of fair trade coffee that supports a local business. Decor, such as retro hand towels, vases or candlesticks.
Flower pots and used house plants. A lot of people purge plants online. Baskets or canisters. You can add consumables like local chocolates. A book you own that you loved and know a friend would love, too. Add a handmade bookmark. Brand-name winter jackets or boots. (Some people sell or donate new items they can't be bothered to return.) Gently used sports equipment, like skates, for kids. Their feet will grow out of them by next year, anyway. Board games and puzzles. (Just check that all the pieces are there.) And you know alot of these gifts are on social media sites, like Marketplace, are are easy to access. Boomers, shall we try? Happy Thriftmas!
Today is your day Boomer! Relaxing in my hot tub this morning, I had reflections of the 1970 CCR song "Lookin' out my Back Door". Yes, that kind of druggy, but catchy song, about the view of your backyard. Mine is spectacular: colourful sunrises, big ponderosa pines, cheer, apple, fir, and weeping willow trees, two mountains, sheep and chickens next door, two frolicking golden retrievers, beautiful green grass and what seems like a thousand birds...including quail, pheasant, chickadees, woodpeckers, and blue jays. And what else? Well....the quiet, the solitude, and the chance for reflection with no sirens, car noise, yelling people, or neighbours invading your privacy. It was...is...just beautiful, and I am so blessed to live in a rural area in BC's Okanagan Valley. Boomers, what's out your back door? John Fogerty's "tangerines and elephants" or something like my cheeries and coyotes? Check it out and appreciate the little things in life. Cheers...

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