The more I over-commit myself and take on too many things the more I seem to procrastinate. Making myself get things done lately is like pulling teeth, even though I like some of the things I am doing. But today, after reading Leo Babauta’s post “The Do Plan, or Why We Know But Don’t Do,” it’s time to stop letting myself avoid and start doing.

I love the idea of buying nothing new. I think the campaign is a great way to get people to rethink their consumption and their buying habits. It is also an eye-opener for people to realize that Christmas doesn’t have to mean massive shopping and piles of gifts under the tree. I fully support the campaign… but I didn’t follow it.

In the darkest part of the year it’s hard to deny the beauty of trees and homes sparkling. But all of those Christmas lights drain our electricity and rack up massive bills. Electricity usage spikes a staggering 39 percent during the holidays. Holiday lights alone use more than six terrawatt hours every year, which is enough to power 500,000 homes for a month. Collectively Americans’ Christmas lights consume more electricity than entire countries use in a year.

But you don’t have to go full on Grinch to save electricity and celebrate sustainably. There are easy, inexpensive changes you can make to reduce your impact throughout the holiday season.

Sustainable Christmas lights tips:

1. Only use Christmas lights for a few hours per day.

For outdoor lights, a good rule of thumb is to turn them on once the sky is completely dark and turn them off as soon as the first person in your house goes to bed. Don’t forget to turn off the lights on your tree before you go to bed and consider only plugging them back in once the sun has set the next day.

2. Put your lights on a timer.

You no longer have to worry about if you turned them off and they are always on at the perfect time.

3. Invest in LED lights.

They are less expensive than they used to be, and they pay for themselves over their lifetime in the amount of energy saved. They last 10 times longer than incandescent bulbs and use 90 percent less electricity. I even have a pair in my room that I use when I don’t feel like having a bright lamp on, and the light they give out is softer and easier to look at then the original LED Christmas lights were.

4. If you can see your house from space, it’s too much.

Do you really need that many strands of lights? Instead of covering every inch of your home in lights, consider just doing the outline of the roof or a single tree. Highlight what you want with your lights instead of blinding your neighbors and drivers. Same goes for your tree, if it hurts to look at, it’s way too much. Try to cut back to two or three strands of lights.

5. Avoid the blow up creatures that live on people’s lawns.

Not only do they require a lot of energy, but they are also noisy and not made out of sustainable materials. Instead, consider making your own figures out of wood or other sustainable materials. Pinterest has some great DIYs for wooden outdoor holiday decorations or you can find handmade decorations on Etsy.

6. Stick with the classics.

The multicolored strobing neon lights seem really cool this year, along with the plastic snowflakes and figures that light up, but will those still be useful in 10 years? Pick timeless shapes and colors that will not become outdated before they run out of life. The average LED light when treated well is expected to live at least 20 years, that’s a long time to be looking at Santa’s belly light up.

To see out how much energy your new LED lights can save or how much your old lights use, check out this calculator.

Updated Dec. 2016. 

More on celebrating the holidays sustainably:

Minimalist Gift Ideas

15+ Christmas Cookies to Gift (And Eat Right Now)

Homemade Beauty Gifts

Last-Minute Homemade Gift Ideas

Sustainable Gift Wrap

Why You Should Celebrate a Minimalist Christmas

I’m a huge fan of most sweet things and I love holiday baking. I like to give baked goods for gifts, but it can be a challenge to not only store and deliver the items without them going bad, but it’s also difficult to make sure it’s different every year.

In the past when I wanted to give a friend a few cookies it ended up looking more thoughtless than tasteful on a paper plate or tossed into whatever random plastic container I could find. But this year I will be giving holiday cookies in jars that can be reused. This year seems to be the year of the canning jar for myself and others, but they sure are versatile and stylish.

Every year the amount of people that rush out to the stores the day after Thanksgiving baffles me. The lines just to park alone are enough to scare me away from the mall for months, let alone the chaos inside stores or the lines that form on Thanksgiving night. Yet in recent years Black Friday shopping has increased in popularity, enough so to encourage many retailers to open at midnight.

While some people champion the economic benefits of mass shopping the day after Thanksgiving or claim it is a great way to start the holiday season, the impact of Black Friday does not go unfelt by the environment as well. Between the extra driving, the shopping bags, the items people buy that they don’t need, and everything else the impact is enormous.

So instead of rushing out with everyone else tomorrow, why not get a few extra hours of sleep, go for a walk or run with a friend or family member, play a game, make a great breakfast out of some leftovers, and enjoy the day outside of the shopping craze.

If you are going out for Black Friday and my suggestion for some extra sleep didn’t entice you, here are some things to keep in mind.

1. Only buy what you really need. Go in with a list and stick to it.

2. Just because it’s cheap or on-sale doesn’t mean it’s the best buy or that you need it. Choose items that will last and be used for years.

3. Once you find what you need, leave. It’s always tempting to buy a few more things when you are just walking around.

4. Set a budget and stick to it.

It’s less than a week before Thanksgiving and I am sitting with the doors and windows open while sipping on some pumpkin tea in a thin sweatshirt and sweats. I love California.

But I’m not the only one enjoying warmer than normal temperatures. According to an article in Grist, if you are 27 or younger, you have never experienced a colder-than-average month. Across the world this year there has not been a single record cold, according to the article. Except for Alaska and the eastern tip of Russia, every land surface across the world had warmer-than-average temperatures.

It’s that time of year. Malls are packed, the television is constantly trying to convince me I need something, and shopping bags and coffee cups are dressed in red and white. It seems like every year the “official” Christmas season starts earlier and earlier.

But with Thanksgiving a week away and Christmas barreling down the corner, I am starting to feel the holiday pressure. I have holiday baking on my mind (mostly because I want to eat the cookies) and gift ideas randomly written on my homework.

I have started my hunt for gift ideas of things I can make, and so far I am overwhelmed and unsure. Every year I either make gifts or give things that people really need and will use regularly (as stated by them, not just my imagination). But this year I am more or less at a loss.

What are you making people this year? How are you feeling this holiday season?

I drove my roommates and a visiting friend to the mall today. I thought it wouldn’t be too bad, but after circling the parking lot for 20 minutes trying desperately to find a place to park I realized my mistake.

Since when does everyone rush out to the mall the day after Halloween? Why does the holiday season need to be synonymous with shopping? Will we ever be satisfied with what we have and stop trying to find happiness in a shopping bag?

I mistakenly forgot my wallet today when I went to the mall, and it turned out to be one of the best choices I could make. I couldn’t buy anything, and it kept me from convincing myself to make impulse purchases. I rarely make random trips to the mall, and when I do go it is for something I need or something that has been on my list. My new goal is to avoid the place as much as possible for the next three months.