Solar power is all about making life better. Helping families take control of their energy by making their own clean power saves those families money as it helps the earth.
The holidays are also about making life better. Bringing people together from far and wide helps keep families close. And spreading our love and care to those in need helps make our communities stronger and happier.
And the effects should be lasting. Putting solar panels on your roof can give you clean power for 25 years or more. And while the holidays will be gone come January, the happiness and inspiration they bring can help us all live better lives long after we’ve gone back to the office and the kids have gone back to school.
But the holidays can also be a stressful time of racking up credit card bills. Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hannukah, Kwanzaa or another winter holiday, December events can become about eating too much unhealthy food and failing to appreciate the people who we won’t see until next year along with the deeper principles that are supposed to be the reason for the season.
So, to help you enjoy your holidays more and get both the relaxation and the inspiration you need to take you into the new year, I offer five ideas, inspired by solar power, to save money and focus on what really matters this holiday season.
1. Go Solar as Much as You Can
If you’re still putting up holiday decorations, check out my recent article on using solar-powered Christmas lights both outside your home and even on your tree. And for last minute gifts, see my recommendations for giving solar-powered gadgets as gifts that will be both very cool and actually useful.
2. Use the Sun for Free Heat
As Niccole Schreck explains at Money magazine, “That bright orb in the sky should be the focus of temperature control in your residence throughout the year. Open the curtains on your south-facing windows during winter days to bring free heat into your home. Close your window coverings when the sun goes down to keep the heat inside.” In the spirit of solar living, check out Schreck’s other ways to become smarter about your energy use this winter, from turning down the thermostat 10-15 degrees at night to buying flannel sheets.
3. Gifts, Food and TV: Quality over Quantity
Solar living is all about using less energy overall and getting more power from clean sources like solar photovoltaics. You can apply the same principle of better rather than more to the three traditional big indulgences over the holidays: gifts, food and TV.
For gifts, the solar gadgets I mentioned above are great. You might also consider giving experiences such as movie tickets or a homemade gift certificate for a trip to the ice rink with the kids instead of the usual stuff. Studies show that people remember experiences long after the stuff has hit the trash. Whatever you do, set a limit to your spending, say, $100 per close family member.
Likewise with food and TV watching. It’s all to easy to chow down on potato chips washed down with sugary sodas while watching your 8th Christmas special of the season. You won’t regret cutting both your snacking and your TV watching in half. Spend the rest of the time with those special people you don’t get to see all year. And save your appetite for the really good food like the Christmas ham.
Lisa Turner at Huffington Post offers other ways to make your holidays better by keeping it simple.
4. Connect with Deeper Values and Beliefs
If you’re living in the spirit of solar energy, you’re living not just for yourself and for today. You’re also trying to make a better world for the future for everyone. So this season, if you’re celebrating a religious holiday, take some time to remember why. When you’re not attending the house of worship of your choice or reading from the scriptures of your faith, watch a classic movie about Christmas such as The Nativity Story or a film about Hanukkah such as the educational animated film Eight Crazy Nights.
Whether they’re religious or not, everybody seems to enjoy Miracle on 34th Street and It’s A Wonderful Life. And reviewers agree that A Muppet Christmas Carol isn’t just for kids. Enjoy these movies with your kids and talk about them afterwards, especially the values the films inspire — faith, hope, generosity and truth-seeking.
5. Help Others by Spreading Solar
Giving to charity can be as satisfying as giving to family and friends. Volunteering at your church or giving to your charity of choice are ways to help those in need.
And as someone who cares about solar power and clean energy, I hope you’ll consider supporting one of the groups doing good work to spread solar living around America and around the world such as the Solar Energy Industries Association, Vote Solar or, one of our favorites right here in Virginia, VA Sun. VA SUN expands access to solar by educating Virginians about the benefits of distributed solar energy, helping them organize group solar installations, and strengthening Virginia’s solar policies and its community of solar supporters.
Whatever your reason for celebrating winter holidays, on behalf of the Brenner family and my colleagues at Main Street Solar, I’d like to wish you all the joy of the season.
— Andrew Brenner, Main Street Solar
