Keeping the Holidays Local in the Lloyd District

Keeping the Holidays Local in the Lloyd District

The winter holidays are upon us, which often means a busy month of get-togethers with friends and family, holiday events, and shopping. Luckily, there are lots of ways that working or living in the Lloyd District makes the holiday season a little easier.

We are lucky to have great access to public transportation, bike infrastructure, and pedestrian-friendly walkways here in the Lloyd District that can help you skip the traffic headaches and get to your destination quickly and safely, whether it is a holiday party or a shopping trip. Have you checked out Go Lloyd’s Bike Parking map to identify great bike parking options in the district? Some bike parking you might have been missing recently is back: the first phase of renovations at the Lloyd Center Mall is complete, which means that the bike racks near the fish fountain at the southeast entrance on Multnomah are back in service. Check them out – it might just be the quickest way to get in and out of the mall during the holiday season.

Speaking of shopping, the Lloyd District has many options for holiday gifts. Keep your dollars local by visiting the District’s small businesses on Small Business Saturday and throughout the holiday season. (The businesses that participated in our Age-Friendly Campaign this summer are especially ready for shoppers of all ages.) The Lloyd Center Mall has a variety of promotions and events, special holiday pop-up shops, and the perennial holiday favorite – ice skating! The Northeast Broadway Business Association (NEBBA) is sponsoring a Ladies Night Out on December 4th, which includes special discounts and freebies for women at a variety of stores on Broadway and Weidler.

If you find holiday shopping stressful as many of us do, consider simply buying less. Giving the gift of an experience or simply the gift of your own time can be truly meaningful and doesn’t require large crowds and excessive packaging. This works on two levels – your friends and family don’t end up with more unnecessary “stuff”, and we can reduce waste in the community by minimizing unwanted gifts that get thrown away.

Are you susceptible to impulse purchases during the holidays? If so, you’re not alone, and you might be interested in this recent New York Times article about using gratitude to curb impulse purchases. Reflecting on what we already have and are grateful for is a great practice anytime, but particularly at the end of the year. Here are Lloyd EcoDistrict, we are grateful for all the great things happening to make the Lloyd District a great place to live, work and play. What are you grateful for this holiday season?

 

Alison Hopcroft is the Program Manager at Lloyd EcoDistrict. You can reach her at alison@ecolloyd.org.