20 + 10 Things I Liked in 2010: Part Three

It's here! Part Three of 20 + 10! It's funny how writing this has clarified some of my personal passions when it comes to pop culture narratives (redemption, genre-bending, character-drivenness). Here's hoping 2011 brings us more pop goodness.

21. Bobby Womack

I don't know if you can say Bobby Womack is having a revival, but he popped up throughout 2010, enriching our ears with his raspy/smooth soul swagger. His version of "California Dreamin'" was featured in the British film Fish Tank, as the soundtrack to a young girl's lost innocence (if you could call her innocent to begin with). Later in the year, Womack showed up again, this time paired with Gorillaz and Mos Def for the propulsive "Stylo" and the dreamy "Cloud of Unknowing."

Which brings me to...

22. Fish Tank

Fish Tank was released in 2009 in Britain, but didn't hit American shores until 2010, and won't be available here on DVD until 2011. It's a rough portrait of a young girl, Mia, living in a council estate and waiting for ... something. When her mom brings home a new boyfriend, who happens to be the scorching Michael Fassbender, the results are predictable - and not quite predictable. While most American movies about kids in trouble involve at least one adult who gives the hurting child a hand up into a better world, Fish Tank's Mia has only other kids to rely on. It's the sort of gritty realism that breaks your heart, makes you nervous, and sparks a tiny ember of hope, all at once. Hopefully, the fact that Fassbender is in every movie being released in 2011 will bring Fish Tank into the Netflix queues of more Americans.

23. Cairo Time

My other favorite film of the year was Cairo Time, and it could not be a greater contrast to Fish Tank. Cairo Time is about the First World problems of a dazed American woman (a stunned-looking Patricia Clarkson) who plans to meet her husband in Cairo and sightsee. When her husband is delayed, she is left in the hands of Tareq, a former employee of her husband's, and a true gentleman, played with a gimlet gaze by Alexander Siddig. Cairo Time is a love story, a culture-clash film, and a travelogue, but mostly it's a story about two people who don't really know what they want out of life and how they almost find out.

24. Fauxlivia/Olivia, Walternate/Walter. And Peter.

Fringe is a show with a lot of geek going on -- it's got a dotty, drugged-out mad scientist (Walter) and an FBI agent with special powers (Olivia). And Peter. Peter's the kind everyman through whose eyes we view this landscape of out-of-control viruses and trans-dimensional typewriters. When the plot began to move back and forth between our world and an alternate-universe version of our world, the show could have spiraled even further into geeks-only territory. Thanks to savvy writing and an amazing cast (most of whom had to play both their regular characters and subtly-different alt-versions of themselves), Fringe actually became more accessible and character-driven. And Peter may have some special powers himself.

25. Mockingjay, by Suzanne Collins

Any kid who grew up on Star Wars or punk music knows that fighting the power is the right thing to do. Fascism must be stopped at all costs. But Suzanne Collins dared to ask the question -- in a "young adult" novel, no less -- : even if our war is righteous, can we come out of it clean? The Hunger Games trilogy, of which Mockingjay is the final installment, has been heralded as the next "Twilight", yet it digs deeper into the human soul than RPattz could ever dream of.

26. The dance scene in Harry Potter: The Deathly Hallows

Ooh! Controversy! The interwebs were all a-twitter when rumors of a dance between Harry and Hermione that wasn't in the holy JK Rowling text was filmed for the penultimate installment in the movie series. And it could have been weird, pushing the idea of a love triangle that doesn't exist. Instead, it made complete sense, a moment of respite in a film that is basically an elegy for lost friends and destroyed innocence. As Daniel Radcliffe pointed out in an interview, it's the coolest Harry's ever been, when he comforts Hermione to the strains of Nick Cave's "O Children", setting us up to believe that he's grown up not only into a savior (they're a dime a dozen) but a real man.

27. Florence + the Machine perform live everywhere

You know how, when you were 13, and you liked something and suddenly it became popular, and then people would say, "Have you heard about (insert your favorite thing)?" and you were all, like, "Duh! I invented liking that!" OK. I sort of feel that way about Florence + the Machine. I used to listen to Lungs on MySpace before you could get in the US. (I just wanted you to know how cool I am, in case you were confused). I don't begrudge anyone who has just discovered Florence, though. Her rising popularity has meant stunning live performances everywhere from the VMAs to The Ellen Show, bringing her wailing vocals and pre-Raphaelite tresses to the masses. Go, Florence!

28. The Kids Are All Right

There's always at least one summer movie for adults, and this year, The Kids Are All Right was it. Sure, it's going to get lots of awards love for its great performances and topical subject matter (siblings with two moms find bio-daddy). However, if it existed only for the moment when Annette Bening sings "Case of You" at the dinner table, it would be worth it.

29. The Good Wife gets good

Last season, I really liked The Good Wife, but watching felt a little like eating a bran muffin. It was pretty tasty, but you had to work yourself up to taking that first bite. Episodes languished on my DVR all week, but when I watched them I wondered why I waited. In season two, however, there's no waiting. Aside from Julianna Margulies's wardrobe, one of the best things about The Good Wife is its portrait of a big corporate law firm as a place where moral compromises happen, good guys lose, and sometimes there is no "right." In other words, it's a portrait of the way "justice" really plays out.

30. Internet archives reveal modern life to be a series of LOLs, OMGs, :0 s

The human brain is a pattern maker and categorizer, so no wonder that the internet has spawned methods to organize and disseminate every single element of our lives -- and now that texting has become a main method of communication (USA Today declared 2010 "The Year We Stopped Talking" - OMG! That sounds bad!) not only for teens, but for my mom as well; the internet reveals the hilarious and vaguely sad side of our wired life. With sites like Damn You Auto Correct! and Texts from Last Night chronicling our texts, and Twitter feeds spreading our tiniest most boring thoughts to the world, the alien archaeologists who pick up our radio waves will have plenty to work with. Let's just hope they don't decide we need to be invaded.

Happy New Year's, friends! Thanks for reading and I look forward to sharing 2011 with you!

20 + 10 Things I Liked in 2010: Part Two

This is Part Two of my "best of ..." year-end list. These are just things I liked (and this doesn't have anything to do with the environment) so I'm not making any claims about quality, although I do think I have pretty good taste.

11. Summer Pop Music
This was the summer I rediscovered the joy of pop. For a long time, pop music has seemed… well, lame. But when the music is right, there's nothing better than flying down the parkway, windows down (or air conditioner blasting) belting out Lady GaGa, Ke$ha, or Katy Perry at the top of your lungs. Not only was pop fabulous this summer, the ladies who created it were ultra-fabulous as well. As NPR pointed out, young pop chanteuses are creating alter-egos the way drag queens or glam rockers used to, bringing not only brilliant beats, but also a flair for the dramatic that is reviving music videos, Saturday Night Live performances, and even glee club.

12. Sherlock
It sounds like a terrible idea - "reboot" Sherlock Holmes as a texting nicotine-patch addict with Asperger's and Watson as an Afghanistan war vet with a blog. Luckily for us, all the right pieces came together in Sherlock, which aired in the US on PBS: Doctor Who producing vet Steven Moffat at the helm, The Office's Martin Freeman bringing humanity and humor to Watson, and Benedict Cumberbatch (who has the coolest name ever) portraying Holmes as a man of insatiable curiosity and cleverness who barely fits into society (modern or otherwise).

And speaking of "The Doctor"…

13. Doctor Who
You know how sometimes, there are things you know you're going to love, but you just haven't had the time to dive in and get obsessed? Well, this was my year to finally take the plunge into Doctor Who and its spin-off, Torchwood. What makes Doctor Who different than other camp sci-fi shows? Well, as Craig Ferguson put it so well, Doctor Who celebrates "the triumph of intellect and romance over brute force and cynicism" -- and that's a message that we need in this time. Whether starring Christopher Eccleston, the divine David Tennant (also great in this year's BBC1 Single Father) or the current doctor, Matt Smith; Doctor Who can be considered an adventurous romp or a window on the human psyche, depending upon your mood. And don't forget the glorious Doctor Who Christmas carol - a steampunk fantasy with flying (literally) fish, frozen (literally) lovers, and a little peak into the origins of the sonic screwdriver.

14. "… And I'm a Mormon" ad campaign
I'm oddly obsessed with the Latter Day Saints' campaign to improve their image with the general public. No, they haven't convinced me to convert or anything. I just find these small video vignettes, most of with normal people talking about their faith, to be fascinating tidbits of Americana in 2010. Profiles of celebrities, geniuses, politicians are available in every magazine on the shelves, but a profile of a golfing Dad whose son has Down syndrome? We don't get many windows into those worlds. And all of the Mormons in the videos happen to be extremely attractive as well.

15. Pavement reunion tour (I saw the Greek Theater show in Berkeley, CA
My friend Ron used to wear a shirt that read: "Who the F#%@ is Stephen Malkmus?" It's the kind of question that reveals geek insiders and confounds the rest. Who, indeed, is Stephen Malkmus? Well, for one thing, Malkmus is cool. As front man for the old school alternative rockers, Pavement, Malkmus commanded the stage at their reunion shows with his lanky teen boy's disaffected charm, although he's now in his forties. And just to add to the crazy fun, at some of the band's California shows, including the one I saw, the band was joined on stage by their original drummer, Gary Young, who greeted concertgoers by stumbling around outside the venue mumbling, "You know Pavement? I used to play drums with them!"

16. The dream team in Inception
I was intellectually taken with Inception, but found the whole film to be a little emotionally hollow. In particular, its core love story seemed more of a way to get a puzzle onto the screen, rather than the other way around. Luckily, Leonardo DiCaprio and Marion Cotillard's tragic love didn't have to maintain the whole film. I found myself completely absorbed in the team of dreamweavers who accompanied Leo -- especially Joseph Gordon-Levitt, flying through the air and kissing Ellen Page, all in a dapper three-piece suit; and Tom Hardy as the charming, identity-bending forger.

17. "Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)", by the Arcade Fire
Fighting the inevitability of the suburbs is a theme as old as post-war subdivisions, and in their album The Suburbs, (gracing a year-end Top 10 list near you) the Arcade Fire both fight and accept this inevitability -- no more so than on "Sprawl II" a whirling dervish of a song that evokes those dreamy teenage moments of abandon in nighttime playgrounds and the lost darkness of modern, light-filled cities.

18. "How it Ends", choreographed by Travis Wall, danced by Kent Boyd and Neil Haskell, So You Think You Can Dance
Dance is a mind-opener, and So You Think You Can Dance has probably done more to introduce different genres of dance to the American public than anything in recent memory -- take it from someone who has seen old Texas grandpas reduced to open-mouthed awe at the live touring show. And if one dance has the power to melt cold hearts, it has to be this one: a story about two male friends who have a falling out. Now, no one affiliated with the show ever said that this was a "gay" story, but it is clearly a love story between two men, however you interpret that. In a year when the president had to shoot a video telling gay teenagers to hold on through the dark days that they perceive themselves powerless to avoid, this dance was a little shred of light.

19. Russell freaks out, True Blood
True Blood is glorious, florid, Southern gothic, but nothing was more bloody good fun than when Russell Edgington, vampire king of Mississippi, fueled by insane grief at the death of his lover, went nuts on the nightly news.

20. "Madder Red" video, Yeasayer
Kristen Bell loses her pet. The fact that the pet is a pus-filled blob doesn't make it any less poignant. Well… maybe a little less poignant.

20 + 10 Things I Liked in 2010: Part One

I'm a big fan of year-end "best of" lists, and so I decided to create my own, even though this has nothing to do with green living. Pop culture is one of my great loves, along with natural foods, DIY, and cavorting with dolphins and unicorns. So, here are 30 pop culture gems I liked in 2010, in no particular order. These are the first ten. Stay tuned for more.

1. "Dumb" comedies that weren't

This was a bad year at the movies. Of course, I haven't seen a lot of the year-end Oscar bait yet. I have to say that very few of those films feel really compelling. As I looked through the list of films released in 2010, a couple stood out: The Other Guys and Easy A. Nope, not high art. But there's something sweet about going to the movies with medium expectations, thinking to be mildly diverted by a buddy-cop film or a teen movie, and then laughing your ass off. Both of these films earned their laughs honestly with smart writing, game actors, and plots that teased the edges of their genres while still working within their constraints.

2. "The Suitcase" episode of Mad Men.

Last year, I almost quit Mad Men. I was so fed up with Don Draper's downward spiral that I just didn't think I wanted to be feeding it into my brain anymore. And then ... this season began with the words "Who is Don Draper?" and I was sucked back in. It wasn't until this episode's marvelous duet for Jon Hamm and Elizabeth Moss, however, that I began to love the show again. As Don and Peggy struggled to write a suitcase ad, they acknowledged the true connection that lies beneath their working relationship, the truth of knowing another and being known. Redemption is a journey, friends. Pack Samsonite and choose your traveling companions wisely.

3. "Tightrope" by Janelle Monae (feat. Big Boi)

My dad always loved classic R&B and soul, and Janelle Monae's "Tightrope" takes me back to the songs he loved, while remaining utterly modern. And even better than the music, is the brilliant old school dancing in the video.

4. The end of Lost

Sometimes over the last few years, it seems that the art of story-telling has gotten a bit lost as, in our po-mo world, stories fold back in on themselves, twirl around, and dance the limbo. We might admire many of these works, but really care about them? Not so much. But Lost did something special. Combining post-modern meta-commentary, time-shifting stories, and a rip-roaring great yarn, Lost might have been what Dickens would have written if Dickens had grown up on comic books. No matter what you thought of the finale, Lost kept us questioning and questing, like its heroes, until the very end.

And speaking of Charlie Dickens ...

5. Oprah chooses A Tale of Two Cities for her Book Club

When I was in 10th grade, I was in love with Sydney Carton, the drunken, be-pony-tailed antihero of Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities. Ah, I've always loved a man searching for redemption (see #2 above). A Tale ... has a little something for everyone - rich characters, revolution, prison, courtroom scenes, a love story, mistaken identity, and the best first line and last scene you could imagine. Oprah will have more people reading this book than all the 10th grade teachers in the world ever could.

6. Parks and Recreation

Poor Outsourced. Even if it wasn't lame, it didn't stand a chance of being beloved by the hipster crowd -- it replaced our dear Parks and Rec. Thankfully, Parks will be back this January, because its second season, which ended in June, took the comedy into the realm occupied by early episodes of The Office and 30 Rock. Focusing on the workings of a small-town parks department staffed with a lovable bunch of weirdos, Parks manages to be topical (parks director Ron Swanson fiddled while Pawnee burned ... ahem, fell prey to state budget auditors who closed the government), sweet (slackers April and Andy found romance), and just plain nuts (pasta-loving children's entertainers, anyone?)

And to make Thursday nights "must-see" again, Parks and Recreation was paired with ...

7. Community

Community might be a whole new genre of television -- the pop-culture-riff comedy. Its detractors write it off as a string of references to other media. Well, welcome to the 21st Century, folks, where conversation often takes the form of movie quotes and real life feels familiar because we saw this scene in a movie once. What elevates Community is that all the wackadoo (paintball action movies, zombie plagues, stop-motion animation) is grounded in characters who truly care for one another and who would spiral into their own self-obsessed neuroses without each other.

8. Eminem and Kanye are still pissed off

I don't know why I worried, but I was a little concerned that tragedy and recovery (for Eminem) and multiple public lashings (for Kanye West) might somehow soften two of hip-hop's angriest Angry Young Men (now more like Elder Statesmen). Ah ... I didn't have anything to worry about. Along with new albums from each of them, 2010 brought epic videos and awesome live performances on awards shows and television - all couched in the burning anger - at themselves, society, women, themselves again -- that have made them great.

9. Ondine

You haven't seen Ondine. It was released for a few moments to a couple of theaters and to OnDemand. You can now see it on Netflix Instant. Ondine is a slight little Irish fairy tale about a fisherman who catches a woman in his nets, a woman his daughter believes is a selkie, or seal woman. It's a classic Gaelic tale, translated to modern day. Ondine won't change your life, but it boasts beautiful coastal vistas and a genuine and touching father-daughter relationship at its core, brought to life by Colin Farrell and Alison Barry.

10. Netflix Instant/OnDemand "Now in Theaters" feature

Speaking of Netflix and OnDemand -- I saw some of my favorite new releases this year in the comfort of my own home. Sure, it's greener and cheaper to watch a movie at home, but it also allows people who aren't in "select" cities to see smaller indie fare that they would only get to see on DVD, at the same time as big city folk. It's a brave new world we're living in.

Coming tomorrow! Part Two of 20 + 10 Things I Liked in 2010

Happy Christmas

To celebrate, here's my favorite Christmas song:

Best wishes to you and yours on this lovely holiday.

Coming up 20+10 Thing I Liked in 2010, and some new year's resolution fun.

All Aboard the Crazy Train! Next Stop? Irony Junction.

This December, I've been writing happy posts about my attempts to have a greener, less consumerist Christmas.

Little did I know, I was making Jesus sad.

Because, according to a new video released by the Christian right's Cornwall Alliance, environmentalism is "the cult of the green dragon" and people need to be "rescued" from it.

The video is called "Resisting the Green Dragon." Here's the promo:

Have you stopped laughing yet? Exaggerations, lies, and bad science? Sounds like environmentalists ... oh wait. That actually sounds like ... the people who produced this video.

If you watch the extended promo on the website (which I did ... it's sort of like a car wreck. You know you shouldn't look, but you must look) they say that environmentalists want to CONTROL POPULATION GROWTH!! And then they show an ultrasound, so in case you didn't get the message, you realize: ENVIRONMENTALISTS WANT TO ABORT BABIES!!

They tell us that environmentalism is threatening the world's poorest people, and show a bunch of little brown children huddled around a spigot. ENVIRONMENTALISTS HATE POOR PEOPLE!! AND ARE PROBABLY RACIST!!

But worst of all, they say environmentalism is "deadly" to the gospel. ENVIRONMENTALISTS HATE JESUS!!

But you can figure out the real problem that these folks have with environmentalism when you watch this clip from Glenn Beck's show:

Yep.

The real reason to hate the green movement: Environmentalists don't want you to buy stuff.

Now, I don't talk much on here about faith or other serious personal matters, but the Jesus I know and love was this guy who said "And again I say unto you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God." (Matt 19:24). He distrusted the powerful, and loved the prostitutes, thieves, and handicapped, seeing in their very distress the hope for their redemption. Whether you believe that he died for your sins, was a cool guy with some good ideas, or feel like he was the start of a whole lotta trouble, you've got to admit that the story of Jesus is the story of those who have the least - least stuff, least power, least hope.

That seems like a world view that aligns nicely with environmentalism: a view where we have to share, love others enough to sacrifice some of our comfort for them, where things are less important than people.

And yes, environmentalists tend to fall short because we judge others just as often as do the people of the Cornwall Alliance

I struggle not to judge the people that produced this video, and I fail. But at least I struggle.

** If you're interested in reading a Christian viewpoint opposing the Cornwall Alliance's, check out A Climate For Change.

It's Not Too Late to DIY!

Christmas may be less than a week away, but that doesn't mean you have to rush out and purchase the first Snuggie you see on the shelves. There's still time to create a lovely handmade gift that will be treasured over the years.

When making quick and easy DIY gifts, the key is to select quality materials and ingredients. A simple scarf made out of a single skein of hand-painted alpaca wool will be kept for years, while one made of the army-green acrylic remnants from the clearance bin may just find itself at the bottom of the closet (of course, your family members would never do that to something you made ... right?)

A few quick DIY options ...

Fleecy, Flannel Throw

(Est. time 1-2 hours)

Who doesn't love a snuggly throw to curl up with while they drink egg nog and watch and re-watch the stop-motion animated Christmas episode of Community? This quick and easy throw demands only rudimentary sewing skills (thank goodness, or I wouldn't be able to hack it).

Even I can hem... although not always in a straight line.

The pattern came from Design*Sponge (click here for directions). I modified it slightly by using a ribbon for the edging, rather than fringe. I believe Fringe belongs Thursday nights on Fox, not on my home decor (cymbal crash!).

Garter-Stitch Scarf

(Est. time 3-5 hours, depending upon how long you want the scarf to be)

One can never have too many scarves. Choose some cool yarn and start knitting while you listen to carols on your iPod. Bet the grandmother who taught you to knit would never have envisioned that.

Click here for some instructions from Light Green's past.

Spiced Cashews

(Est. time: Less than an hour)

To me, this recipe always says: "Christmas." Unfortunately, I don't have a very precise recipe -- I just make it up as I go along every year.

Garam Masala Cashews

(garam masala is an Indian spice blend you can find at most grocery stores)

Ingredients:

One can of whole cashews (about 10 oz)

2 Tbsp. butter, melted

1-2 tsp. garam masala

dash cinnamon

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Mix the spices into the butter, then toss the cashews in the butter mixture to coat. Spread on a cookie sheet and bake for about 10 min. (Roasting nuts is a finicky business -- once you start to smell the delicious aroma, they're about to burn -- get them out of the oven ASAP).

Put into a nice jar with a ribbon around the lid if you're going to give as a gift.

Note: You can experiment with different spices of your choosing.

The Cozy Cat

When I have a box or bag, I often leave it on the floor for a day or so, because my cat Wily thinks these are fun toys to jump in and climb on. So when a gift arrived in a gigantic box, Wily was very intrigued. He started tunneling through the paper the second I had finished opening it.

Yesterday I looked over and saw this:

Wily had burrowed into the packing and decided this was a perfect bed. It must have been quite comfy and warm, because he stayed there for a long time.

Now there's a cat who knows the meaning of "reduce, reuse, recycle." I must be rubbing off on him.

On being light green

I am decidedly light green.

There are people who are dark green. They have given up paper and beauty products and deodorant. I am not one of those people.

Just to illustrate; it's December and I have the air conditioning on.

In November, I gave myself the goal of making all of my Christmas gifts for adults, or buying them from fair trade/artisan/or sustainable sources.

I've done fairly well, but the other day, I thought of a great gift to buy for a friend. And then I got all worked up because it wasn't a "green" gift.

But I have to remember that Christmas gifts are about making other people happy. They are about knowing someone really well and figuring out the exact thing they would like, and trying to make it happen (please forgive all the grammatical inconsistencies in that sentence). So I bought the gift.

Yes, the spirit of Christmas giving has gotten all wrapped up in weird consumerism and some national contest to get the best deal on a flat-screen TV. But at its heart, the spirit of Christmas is as green as the Douglas fir in your living room. It's about making little sacrifices for others. That's a pretty great, green thing to do, and it's a spirit we will need as the crisis of global warming grows (yes, Virginia, there is a global warming crisis).

And because the Muppets can illustrate a point much better than I can, I leave you with:

Stuff a Stocking, Conserve Water

A couple of years ago, Santa gave my nephew a water bottle in his stocking. Way to go, Santa! It's a perfect little present. A cool water bottle promotes sustainability, yet doesn't annoy people in the same way that a gift to an eco-charity "in your name" would. (I mean, really, is there any body who would rather sponsor a mole rat than receive a present?)

But if you give a gift, give to charity, and make Matt Damon smile -- all at the same time -- you can give this water bottle from water.org, the charity Matt promotes. These specially-designed bottles benefit projects to help bring clean water to people in developing countries. Aww. (Check out the website for adorable Matt hanging out with adorable children who need clean water).

But, if you want to put a little hipster cred in someone's stocking, check out this water bottle from The Onion store. It makes a statement by making you laugh, and that's the best kind of statement to make. Hmm. Maybe Matt Damon should take notes. Sincerity is so 2009, Matt!

Yankee Dirty White Elephant Santa Swap

You know the game, although you may know it by another name:

White Elephant

Dirty Santa

Yankee Swap

It's a holiday tradition in many families and workplaces, a gift exchange in which goodwill and generosity go out the window in favor of Machiavellian maneuvering for the perfect gift. Wikipedia explains the rules like this:

"Each person takes a turn choosing a gift. The first person picks a gift, opens it and shows it to the rest of the company. Then the number two participant picks a gift and chooses to either unwrap it or to exchange it for the previously unwrapped gift. If the gift is exchanged, the person who had their gift taken from them gets to unwrap the chosen gift and then the turn passes. When all the gifts have been opened, the game is over."

There are many variations, but the general theme is the same no matter where you are: show no mercy. Who cares what that baby Jesus said!

Often, these exchanges come with directives to spend $10 or less on a gift that no one would really want -- which just seems to add more junk to the world that will eventually get thrown away. So, why not add an element of green to your exchange this year?

Some greener ideas:

Wine:

Who doesn't want a bottle of wine? At the last Gleetini Night of the year, my regular gang swapped wine, and the trading got vicious as the cabernet sauvignon was the hot item of the night.

Cookies:

At many cookie swaps, participants have to bring dozens and dozens of cookies. But where's the fun in that? Then nobody has to choose what kind they want. When there's only one dozen of Aunt Suzie's coveted S'more Delights, you'd bet the swapping will get crazy.

Already-Read Books (or Never-Read, but sitting on your shelf)

Trading books is a great way to bring friends together. But fighting over books? That's even better.

"Previously-owned" Items

A common way to play White Elephant is to bring gifts that have already been used. Not only does this cut back on consumption, it can result in lots of crazy gifts getting into the mix. One of my all-time favorite White Elephant gifts was an antique radio tube like the ones you see above. It decorated my room for years.

What are you going to bring to your gift exchange?

Have an owly Christmas!

Let's say you are sitting at home, thinking: Man, I want to have a greener Christmas that is all about love and not about disposability and consumerism. I don't want to fight the crowds. I wish I could create handmade gifts ... but I have the talent of a left-handed lemur when it comes to DIY!

Well, here's the project for you!

A friend who knows I have a teeny obsession with owl motifs sent me a link to My Owl Barn, where you can create and download a FREE CALENDAR with beautiful original owl artwork. And because you can print it however you like, you can use recycled paper, ribbon and anything else you like to make a cool, green version.

Also on the site was a link to a tutorial to make an owl Christmas ornament. It's extremely simple and would make a great gift for the office ornament exchange, stocking stuffer, or an activity for bored kids to do during the break!

Soy to the World

Because my home is very small and I have a little artificial table tree, one thing I miss about the holidays is the smell of pine wafting through the house. I use candles to simulate this scent, and also to add sparkle to the holiday.

All candles are not created equal however -- some are created from paraffin, and some from soy.

If you explore the interwebs, you'll find lots of people claiming that soy candles are healthier for you because they don't create soot, meaning that chemicals aren't spewing into the air of your home. Hogwash, I say. I have a soy candle right now that produces enough soot to blacken the faces of ten Victorian chimneysweeps.

There is an eco-benefit to soy wax candles, however. Paraffin is a derivative of crude oil -- therefore, non-renewable. Soy, however, is a renewable resource. Because, you know, it grows in the ground.

If you want your house to smell like a pine forest, I recommend the Mrs. Meyers Clean Day Scented Soy Candle in Iowa Pine. It has a strong, tangy scent that is perfect for the holidays. (It's about $10; click here to find out where you can buy one in your area).