Scarlett Willow

The days between Christmas and New Year are always an eerily quiet vacuum. Finished with the fracas of Christmas and in anticipation of the hedonism of New Year’s Eve, it feels like its designed to inspire contemplation: on the year just lived and the year in waiting. It seemed particularly acute this time, as we enter into a new decade.

J and I went to the Scottish countryside, miles away from civilization, which was covered in a thick layer of snow. We stayed in a (freezing) house brimming with children who were all very loud, very lively and utterly loveable. Their tiny feet didn’t pitter-patter, but rather thundered down hallways. And meal times were especially cacophonous. Brothers and sisters thumped each other regularly and with real intensity, but miraculously always with laughter, no tears (Having had no brothers to beat me up, I think I’ve missed out on some serious character building and lessons in resilience.)

We had a New Years Eve bonfire with hot chocolate, snowball fights and some very excited spaniels. The grown ups almost missed midnight as we were still ploughing through a belly bursting dinner of slow roasted lamb shanks with mash, mountains of cheese and Tarte Tintin with custard. We had to frantically scrabble to find the champagne to pop the corks in time.

Now that we’ve left the self-indulgent Noughties, it may be time to discipline and re-educate ourselves. As the Teens stretch out ahead of us, there seems to be a shift in mentality taking place in which we know we need to grow up and be more responsible: socially, ecologically and financially.

Using ‘Unpackaged’ is one of my New Year’s Resolutions (www.beunpackaged.com) It’s a shop in Islington that sells eco-friendly, fair trade and organic products without any packaging. I store so many of my kitchen products in big jars and tuppaware anyway, that it seems to make perfect sense!

How it works is you bring your own containers to fill up as much as you need of their very reasonably priced essentials. With a great range of food, drinks, household cleaners and toiletries to choose from, their products are good for you, and for the environment. They even sell biodegradable chewing gum (have you seen the splodges of discarded gum all over the streets of London, by the way? Yuck!)

We always try to recycle packaging at home and at work, but reusing containers is definitely the way forward. I even use my old SW coaster boxes for buttons or safety pins. And the larger ones work perfectly to store ribbons or as a jewellery box.

The ‘Unpackaged’ philosophy is to reduce, recycle and reuse. It’s certainly a good lesson to learn for the decade ahead.

Happy New Year!

Scarlett Willow