Zach Napper knows that their new Christmas traditions are fun, creative and sustainable. (Photo: Erin Napper)
Story by Gabiann Marin
For many families looking forward to Christmas, the cost of living, as well as sustainability, have been at the forefront of their minds. Two families in the Springwood area share how they’re creating fun and affordable ‘new’ traditions.
Key Points:
- Christmas is one of the most wasteful periods in Australia, with an estimated 50% more waste created as we celebrate the festive season.
- Australians receive over 20 million unwanted gifts on Christmas day and dispose of over 15000km of wrapping paper.
- A number of families are looking at different ways to celebrate Christmas that incorporates more sustainable, less wasteful and less exhausting Christmas traditions
Erin and Jared Napper of Winmalee
The summer holiday period is the most wonderful time of year for Blue Mountains residents, but it can also be the most wasteful. Recent studies have suggested that during the festive season our waste increases by 50%, with the vast majority of that going into landfill. Because no one wants to put a damper on celebrations, or look like a nasty old Scrooge ruining Christmas for everyone, it can be hard to tackle the problems of over consumption, over indulgence, shopping fatigue, stress and disappointment that often characterise an Aussie Christmas.
But for Erin and Jared Napper of Winmalee, creating a more sustainable Christmas is something they have been doing for years. The parents of four realised six years ago that celebrating the old fashioned way was something that simply wasn’t working for them.
“It was exhausting,” Jared explains as he and Erin sit at their handmade kitchen table, crafted by Jared from reclaimed wood. “Trying to do Christmas the traditional way is huge and often ended up with the kids in tears and tantrums.”
After a few years of disappointing, expensive Christmases that left everyone tired and emotional, the Napper family started to think about how to create a new kind of Christmas that focussed on family and sustainability. With four children aged between 5 and 14 years, the way they do Christmas also has to be flexible enough to change every year to serve the needs of their ever-changing family requirements. The traditional mall shopping, opening presents on Christmas morning and serving a huge family lunch in the afternoon was not something that Erin could see serving the family in the longer term.
“Being sustainable of course is about the environment and about money but it is also very personal: what we can achieve in our lives, where we are at, with the resources we have available.” – Erin Napper
So, six years ago the family came up with a new, and unique approach to celebrating Christmas in a way that worked for all of them, and the environment. Surprisingly it is one which borrows from an even older Christmas tradition: the European Advent calendar.
Advent calendars were first devised in 1850’s Germany, although the tradition of Advent itself dates back to the 4th Century as a way for Christian communities to prepare for Christmas celebrations. Usually beginning on December 1 and lasting up until Christmas Eve, Advent was used as a way to prepare the heart and spirit for the celebration of the birth of Christ, and consisted of days of prayer, reflection and community activities. With the introduction of the Advent calendar the period became synonymous with small gifts received each day.
Advent Calendars have been helping people celebrate Christmas since the 1850’s. (cc. BY-NC-SA 4.0 DEED)
“We never celebrated Advent when I was a kid, but I did have an old vintage poster in my bedroom. It was a Christmas picture and had all these little doors you could open. I was fascinated by it, and always wanted to do something like that”, said Erin.
As the years passed the old Advent calendar was gone but not forgotten. When Erin and Jared began thinking about ways to refocus their family’s Christmas to something more sustainable, Erin recalled that old poster and came up with a new and innovative idea.
“We don’t call ourselves religious, we used to be but not anymore, and I don’t like the idea of giving my kids chocolate every day or having to buy trinkets for four kids for 24 days (it can get expensive!) I also don’t want all that clutter and mess and stress of having to find things that would be suitable.”
Instead, Erin’s Advent calendars focus on creativity and family engagement more than gifts and religious traditions.
“I was exploring different ways of doing Advent without it being a materialistic, wasteful, giving gifts kind of thing. I landed on the idea of it being a calendar where we structure in what we have to do in the lead up to Christmas: like baking or making Christmas cards, but also include different creative and craft activities, outdoor excursions and factoring in just some quality family time by doing a puzzle or going on a bushwalk.”
By focusing on activities which could be done with their children: Charli (14), Sam (12), Zach (9) and Max (5), Erin and Jared had hit upon a way to make Christmas not just less materialistic, wasteful and stressful, but more about family, creativity and sustainability. Erin and Jared also appreciated that the Advent tradition gave them a way to spread their Christmas celebration and preparations across the entire month of December, getting the kids actively involved not just in the gift receiving, but all the elements that make Christmas such an important time for families and friends.
Erin’s Advent Calendars are always made of reclaimed paper although they can be paired with decorations found in op shops or made from native flora. (Photo: Erin Napper)
It took a bit of trial and error to find the right way for the family to adapt the tradition to something that worked for them. The first year Erin found herself wrapping different items from their home which symbolised the Advent activity for the day: a bike helmet wrapped up for a family bike ride, or a paint brush for an art project.
The couple laugh as they recall how impractical an idea that turned out to be! They found themselves having to either unwrap an item when one of their children wanted it for another purpose, or having to explain why it was missing, which kind of ruined the overall surprise.
After that Erin decided to craft a creative ‘calendar’ each November: usually out of paper, recycled materials or things she already had. She simply places a written description of the activity inside, which will be the ‘gift’ for that day. The Calendar is then hung up or placed around the house and each morning the children open that day’s calendar item. There are no actual material gifts, as the Napper Advent tradition is all about “capturing those joyous experiences of Christmas but spread out so that we have the energy to get through the whole Christmas period.”
The Advent calendar needs careful planning, as coming up with 24 different activities which are suitable for all the children each year can be difficult. Their oldest child is now in her teens and although she still enjoys the fun and magic of Christmas, she is also at a stage where she doesn’t always want to be surprised every morning in December by an activity that may ‘hem her in’ for the day. Thankfully the flexibility the family had initially baked into the Advent Calendar idea has helped them cater it to the different needs of the family over time.
Erin and Jared plan their calendar activities in advance. (Photo: Gabiann Marin)
“We really have to think about what we include and when. We have learned through experience that the activities have to be carefully structured throughout December to make sure it is all achievable.”
To do this Erin and Jared start planning their Calendar in early November, writing up a list of possible activities and then scheduling them throughout the month. The children all suggest activities which could be included in the calendar, although which of their ideas will be part of the Advent month still remains a surprise until all the windows are opened.
Proposed activities have included things like rock climbing, a family trip to the city and a Christmas movie night. Other really practical activities, such as making gifts for teachers and decluttering the house, are also interwoven into the purely fun stuff.
Trips and excursions are a great alternative to material gifts. Three of the Napper children, Charli, Zach and Sam love the option of getting out as one of their Advent surprises. (Photo: Erin Napper)
“Our eldest son is not materialistic at all. In fact, as we were preparing for the bushfires [in 2019] and I asked him what he wanted to pack from his room, he was happy to leave it all behind. All he truly needed were some clothes and a book.”
The Nappers have created a family tradition of acquiring experiences, not things, and as a result they have strong family relationships and are raising children who will naturally adapt and thrive in a less materialistic and more sustainable future.
“Our kids get as super excited about doing Advent as they would about Santa coming to visit.”
It’s not surprising, because the idea of 24 surprises over Christmas is exciting. Not only are there great activities to uncover as each calendar date is opened, but the calendars themselves are often a work of art, demonstrating Erin’s talent for creativity and artistry.
Each calendar is always crafted from reclaimed paper which is repurposed into magical Christmas decorations that fill the house with a creative Christmas vibe. “It’s really important that it is part of the Christmas decor,” Erin insists, and as a result each year’s calendar is often three dimensional and highly decorative.
Recycled bottles with small scrolls create a three-dimensional Advent calendar for the Napper Family (Photo: Erin Napper)
In recent times the calendar has consisted of a number of hanging paper origami Christmas trees which opened to reveal the activity, or small scrolls beautifully presented in 24 individual reclaimed glass bottles which sat on the Napper bookcase. The creativity of the calendar has become one of the most beloved of the family’s Christmas traditions.
Charli and Zach enjoying family and craft activities that replace chocolates and small gifts in the Napper’s Advent tradition. (Photo: Erin Napper)
Erin has even planned for an adult’s version of the Advent calendar for her and Jared for when the kids are grown up with families of their own.
“I love the idea of creating a Christmas cocktail as one of the activities, experimenting with a mint or a gingerbread one,” Erin laughs.
The flexibility and creativity of the different Advent ideas means they could work for anyone. (Photo: Erin Napper)
Jared sums up the real benefit of the Napper’s Christmas advent tradition. “By the time you get to Christmas Eve and Christmas Day you already feel like you have experienced Christmas, so it doesn’t have to turn into a big day.”
Max and Charli Napper with their living Christmas tree which can be reused year after year. (Photo: Erin Napper)
The Ankers clan of Springwood
However, for some families, like the extended Ankers clan of Springwood, the big Christmas Day is the point of Christmas. With multiple family members across the Mountains and Western Sydney, just trying to achieve that in a sustainable, affordable and environmentally considerate way can pose a real challenge.
“It’s all about focusing on family, in a way that we can all afford,” Janette Ankers explains as she shares her family’s approach to the Christmas season. “We want to make it as stress free as possible, so we have become quite organised.”
Rather than focusing on huge Christmas shopping sprees and mountains of presents, the Ankers centre their Christmas celebration around a family festive lunch where the whole family all shares a meal and exchanges just one gift each. “There is so often a pressure to buy gifts even if you know the person doesn’t need anything, so we have simplified it down.”
The big family Christmas Feast has been a long-held tradition but can result in a lot of food and packaging waste. (Photo: Creative Commons license CC0 1.0 DEED)
Changing multiple presents into a Kris Kringle option, where each person buys just one gift for a single member of the family, determined by a random lottery, has taken the expense and stress out of present buying and reduced the waste the large family was formerly drowning in each Christmas.
“So much of what people buy ends up in landfill or is broken by the end of Xmas day.” – Janette Ankers
Janette’s observation is supported by a survey done by Huffington Post which estimated that in 2018 Australians spent about 20 million dollars on gifts that no one wanted, a figure that is estimated to have risen by about 18% each year since then.
Some of these unwanted gifts turn up post-Christmas in Op Shops or listed on internet sites such as Gumtree, but an estimated 80% of unwanted Christmas presents end up being thrown away. Simply by cutting down on buying presents the Ankers are part of a growing trend to greatly reduce the cost and impact of the millions of unwanted gifts that are bought each Christmas in Australia.
Like the Nappers, the Ankers Family found that the amount of energy and money spent just on hunting down and purchasing the gifts can lead to a huge let down on Christmas day as packages are opened and then quickly discarded as the next gift is presented.
It’s also incredibly taxing, particularly on the female members of the family like Janette, her sister Marissa and sister-in-law Meg, who are usually the ones tasked with most of the Christmas preparation. A recent survey has found that women spend an average of 20 hours shopping for Christmas presents, and an additional 7 hours shopping for food and beverages, with the overwhelming majority of these hours spent in the lead up to Christmas in late November and early December. The Ankers try to share the burden across the family through having different family members hosting each year.
The shopping fatigue can still be draining though, so Janette and her family have found a way to overcome this as well.
Not only do they limit the number of gifts bought across the family, but also add a fun theme to the shopping. “We have had gift themes like having to give something handmade, or a re-gifted present. Last year the theme was that each gift had to be second hand and start with the same letter as the person you were giving it to.”
This can result in some funny and unexpected Christmas surprises, such as 14-year-old Ffion unwrapping a pretty impressive frypan or young Marley receiving a colourful makeup bag. The craziness of the presents adds a fun element at Christmas and turns shopping or making the gifts into a creative experience rather than a retail slog through fluorescent lit shopping malls serenaded by celebrity inspired Christmas carols.
Ffion Ankers shows off her customised present during her family’s fun second-hand themed Christmas (Photo: Janette Ankers)
“We also source all our Xmas decorations from Op Shops. It is amazing what you can find, and we often donate them back again so someone else can enjoy them the following year,” Janette explains proudly. It’s all part of a circular economy that is the underlying ethos of the Ankers festivities.
The Ankers also have an almost waste free Christmas lunch.
“Because we know how many people are coming to our Christmas lunch, we can cater for it properly. Everyone has a food or beverage that they are in charge of and so we cut down waste by making sure no one is bringing food that is simply there for the sake of it, everything is eaten on the day and we almost never have any leftovers. We have it down to a fine art now,” Janette says.
Festive Traditions have always evolved over time, melding into different environments, different religious and cultural groups to create a true myriad of experiences enjoyed across the globe and across our communities. It is this flexibility which has helped to keep Christmas and other festive celebrations such popular and perennial holidays, even as so many have moved away from the original religious tradition. As we evolve and shift towards a new more sustainable future, our Christmas Traditions are doing so too, combining and offering all sorts of ways in which we can reflect on and celebrate what is important to us.
“It comes from us.’ Erin suggests. ‘It’s what we choose to do and focus on. Not what we are told is important.”
Max Napper looks forward to that evening’s Advent activity. (Photo: Erin Napper)
Take Action:
- Have a living Christmas tree which can be reused each year
- Instead of buying wrapping paper, reuse paper (newspaper, children’s artworks from school and last year’s wrapping paper) or use fabric such as scarfs or fabric remnants and use string or ribbon instead of sticky tape. And try this: How to wrap without using tape
- Make reusable Christmas crackers: How To Make A Reusable Christmas Cracker
Share this article:
This story has been produced as part of a Bioregional Collaboration for Planetary Health and is supported by the Disaster Risk Reduction Fund (DRRF). The DRRF is jointly funded by the Australian and New South Wales governments.
More from around the region
LIVE MUSIC PROGRAM @ PLANETARY HEALTH DAY
A huge thank you to Blue Mountains Folk for organising our live music program for Planetary Health Day on Saturday 1 March. Come and chill with a day of great music, art (photos of frogs of the BM), coffee and an amazing selection of different plant based foods, talks, demonstrations (like the mobile saw mill), workshops (darning and upcycled fashion), stalls with local produce, native plants, mushroom grow kits and more ... even play some ping pong and outdoor chess or do some hands on Bushcare. This photo is of Max Dalkin, from Crime Show, who`ll be playing at 12 noon.
Please SHARE to get your friends along, and book for the day here (link in profile): bit.ly/42HZ623
Performance times:
10am
Ian Tanner and Rob Thompson
10.40am
Skye Evans
11.20am
We Are From Mars (Ant and Andy Mann)
12.00pm
Max Dalkin
12.40pm
Ellie P
1.25pm
Gilberto Nova
#livemusic #bluemountainsfolk #familyday #chill #planetaryhealth #planetaryhealthday #katoomba #bluemountains
Civil engineer Mark Liebman has worked closely with the Planetary Health Centre to explore ways we can manage water to reduce the impact of severe weather events, from flood to bushfire. At Planetary Health Day on Saturday 1 March he`ll be giving a presentation and tour of the Centre`s Bushfire Sprinkler Demonstration Wall and the prototype of an underground water tank that could be built at the end of flame zone streets around the perimeter of the City to reduce both stormwater and fire damage. Our video of the Bushfire Sprinkler system has already been helping survivors of the Palisades fire in the US prepare for future fire events. In this week`s story for Blackheath Area Local News you can also read about the green roof Mark built on his garden shed to reduce the impact of extreme weather events at his home in Blackheath. You can see all the videos and reserve a place for Mark`s talk at Planetary Health Day here (link in profile):
https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/future-proofing-with-community-water-tanks-and-bushfire-sprinkler-systems-tickets-1255928087719
#bushfiresprinklersystem #watertanks #disasterriskreduction #stormwater #bushfire #greenroof #planetaryhealth #katoomba #blackheath #bluemountains #beprepared
Our popular Upcycling Fashion Program has now been running for over a year! Come and check it out at Planetary Health Day on Saturday 1st March. As well, you can build your skills to reduce textile and plastic waste by sewing your own Boomerang Bag with @bbagsbluemtns , joining the Repair Network and learning darning with Elizabeth from @lacebrookstitchery Elizabeth has been studying how people upcycled and mended clothing throughout the centuries. She`ll be demonstrating some basic darning stitches that can be used on woven and knitted garments. She also shares her passion for the timeless crafts of stitchery, crochet, knitting, Victorian lacemaking, and darning skills, through her classes and workshops. You can find out more at www.lacebrookstitchery.com.
NB. There will now be a $10 cost to participate in the Upcycling Fashion Program with pattern maker Sherlie McMillan. Book your place here (link in profile):
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/fashion-upcycling-program-on-skillshare-saturdays-tickets-1254329957669
#repair #repairnetwork #upcycledfashion #reducingtextilewaste #reducingplasticwaste #boomerangbags #learntosew #patternmaking #planetaryhealth #planetaryhealthday #katoomba #bluemountains #community
Our homes profoundly influence our lives, our health & the health of the planet. At Planetary Health Day on Saturday 1 March, Kirstie Wulf & Karina Rafailov will share their extensive experience in the session: Building Smarter Using Passive House Design & Natural Building Materials. Kirstie Wulf is the award-winning founder of @shelter.building.design & spoke to a packed room last year about building fire resistant homes with hempcrete. Karina Rafailov is the founder of @earthy_haus & specialises in creating energy-efficient, healthy, & nature-connected spaces.
You can reserve a place for this inspiring presentation here (link in profile):
https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/building-smarter-using-passive-house-design-natural-building-materials-tickets-1235896873819
#buildingsmarter #passivhaus #naturalbuildingmaterials #hempcrete #planetaryhealth #planetaryhealthday #katoomba #bluemountains
We are thrilled that the internationally renowned physicist, Professor Emeritus Hans Coster will be joining us for Planetary Health Day to address the question of Life and Energy with his presentation: Evolution and the High Life, but Where to Now?
The options that are there for individuals and communities and society as a whole will be examined. An example of a viable energy system constructed with nickel iron batteries at Middle Earth in the Kanimbla Valley will be briefly presented. But is that approach viable for the larger community?
There is no simple way to address all of the issues. How can individuals operate in this energy environment? How do we maintain a healthy industrial sector? What are the Planetary implications of all this?
Whilst not attempting to provide answers, some food for thought will be presented. If you’d like to attend this presentation, reserve your place here (link in profile): https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/prof-hans-coster-on-life-energy-middle-earth-nickel-iron-batteries-tickets-1235955960549
#energy #life #nickelironbatteries #evolution #science #physics #planetaryhealth #middleearth #planetaryhealthday #katoomba #bluemountains #kanimblavalley #inspiration
Celebrating local innovation we`ll be kicking off Planetary Health Day at 9am on Saturday 1st March with a talk by Lithgow inventor Frank Inzitari. He and his cousin Frank Capomollo were featured on Shark Tank Australia with their invention Fire Halo: a fire-prevention system that cleans your gutters and can keep them flooded with water during bushfires. The product is designed to make it easier to prevent homes catching fire from ember attacks, which are the cause of around 75-80 per cent of bushfire damage to properties. It can also provide redirection of chemicals away from your tank when cleaning your roof or solar panels. If you`d like to find out more reserve your spot here (link in profile): https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/reducing-the-risk-of-ember-attack-with-a-fire-halo-tickets-1250666470079
@firehalo.au @sharktankau #firehalo #bushfire #disasterriskreduction #emberattack #planetaryhealth #planetaryhealthday #bluemountains #lithgow #katoomba
We had a fabulous day at the launch of the Birds of Australia STORYBOX in Springwood yesterday, giving everyone a preview of our Frogs of the Blue Mountains exhibition that will be on display at Planetary Health Day on 1 March. Our exhibition of Birds by Warren Hinder, Merryl Watkins and Holly Kent is now on display at Springwood. Worth checking out! If you`d like to find out more about all the frogs of the Blue Mountains, and come to Planetary Health Day you can register at the link in our profile. #birdsofthebluemountains #frogsofthebluemountains #frogs #birds #bluemountains #springwood #katoomba #planetaryhealth #planetaryhealthday
If you weren`t able to catch our fabulous exhibition of Bird Photography by Warren Hinder, Holly Kent and Merryl Watkins you can now pop down to the Blue Mountains Theatre and Community Hub where they`re on display to complement The Birds of Australia STORYBOX. We`ll be there sharing information about the Planetary Health Centre for the launch today from 10am to 12 noon. Lots happening for the whole family: presentations with the Australian Museum and STUDIO ESEM, WIRES, Wagana Dancers, a replica of Gould`s book in the library, Craft activities, environmental information stalls and more! Come along and say hello.
#planetaryhealth #birdsofaustralia #springwood #bluemountains #birdsofbluemountains
Research is indicating that increasing the number of plant-based meals we eat is better for our health and the health of our planet! A highlight of Planetary Health Day on Saturday 1st March will be the Plant Based Cheese Making Demo & Tasting by Teya from @plantinspired99 For anyone who loves food and cooking, learning new techniques is always exciting! Teya will demonstrate how to make basic artisan cheese, blue vein cheese and a melting mozzarella-type of cheese for your pizzas and warm sandwiches. Reserve your place here for this popular event (link in profile): https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/plant-based-cheese-making-demo-tasting-tickets-1235848188199
#plantinspired #plantbased #plantbasedcheese #planetaryhealth #planetaryhealthdiet #planetaryhealthday #katoomba #bluemountains #planetaryhealthcentre #newcookingtechniques
Timber is one of our most valuable resources but too often, when a tree comes down, people only think of turning it into wood chip or firewood instead of much higher value timber products that can last as long as the tree took to grow! Come along to Planetary Health Day on Saturday 1st March and be inspired by how Michael Trickett can bring his mobile sawmill to you and produce high value timber for building or furniture making. Reserve your spot for Planetary Health Day here (link in profile):
https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/planetary-health-day-tickets-1235611640679
#timber #mobilesawmill #planetaryhealth #trees #morethanwoodchip #morethanfirewood #planetaryhealthday #katoomba #bluemountains
Have you been hearing frogs in your yard or neighbourhood? One of the highlights of our upcoming Planetary Health Day on Saturday 1 March is our exhibition of Frogs of the Blue Mountains. We`ll have photos of all the known frogs of the Blue Mountains with links to their calls and we`re thrilled that Britt Mitchell from the @australianmuseum will share her experience as a frog call validator for the Museum`s FrogID project. She will discuss how FrogID has assisted her PhD research: “Australia’s frog species in the Anthropocene – habitat loss, climate change, behaviour, and disease”, the positive impact FrogID is making and how to get involved with this Citizen Science project. If you`d like to hear Britt speak you can reserve a place here (link in profile): https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/frogid-people-powered-frog-conservation-tickets-1235831287649
The photo of the frog below is by Holly Kent and features in the exhibition.
@frogidaus #frogs #treefrogs #frogsofthebluemountains #planetaryhealth #planetaryhealthday #citizenscience #katoomba #bluemountains #familyday
