Photo courtesy Flickr
Christmas clean-up is simple if one uses fresh greenery. A traditional tree, alive and decorated with fruit, popcorn, and strings of berries can simply be parked in the garden as a fancy bird feeder. Wreaths and swags can be mowed into mulch.
During the year I keep an eye out for interesting bandannas and scarves. I use them as “furoshiki”, the traditional Japanese carrier/wrap combination. Spread the square of fabric flat, straight, and with one corner facing you. Lay the contents in the middle, lift the facing corner and its opposite number and fold them together tight against the contents. Turn the remaining fabric close against the contents to secure the edges and then tie the excess into a square knot. I like to tie a small ornamental item into the knot in lieu of a bow. Small toys or stuffed animals are welcome. A reusable wrapper is part of the gift, and it’s usually a welcome relief to the recipient. Flickr offers a rich selection of examples of furoshiki-I'll have to tighten up my game.
This year I bought a cardboard suitcase from the local shipper’s concierge office, turned it inside out, decorated the face with flame tape and a Marvellous comic poster, and set a bulky gift into it. With the box flipped right side out again, it was ready to ship home, where the box can store flat until it’s needed for something else.
Christmas is easily over-amplified. I have come to appreciate a safe and sane approach to decorations, food, and gifts. I set gifts under the tree on the afternoon of the twenty-fourth. It helps to remember that Christmas was originally a feast for the deprived. What I find precious now is undisturbed time with the family, particularly when we cook together, and the knowledge that, for now, excess is more of a problem than want.
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