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How can we celebrate holidays without setting aside our values around sustainability, waste, food, commercialism, and competition?

This three-part workshop series offers practical ways to rethink familiar celebrations with greater ethical intention. Participants will explore creative approaches to planning holidays with more integrity, sustainability, and joy.

The series is led by Audrey Kindred, AEU Leader in Training and Children, Youth, and Family program leader at the New York Society for Ethical Culture, and Anne Klaeysen, Leader Emerita of the New York Society for Ethical Culture and former Leader of the Ethical Humanist Society of Long Island.

Workshops will meet on Zoom on the first Wednesday of November and December at 7 p.m. ET.

Registration

You can register for one or more of the offerings.

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Course Purpose and Description

Course Description: Ethical humans face annual cycles of celebration; we are called upon to Re-psyche-all! How many celebrations have you participated in where you have suspended and compromised your values (about sustainability, about plastic usage, about trash and recycling, about health and food, about commercialism and competition) for “just this one day” in order to meet the demands of the moment and maximize celebratory impact? This monthly workshop series offers some guidance and solutions. It offers concrete tools to plan for the month ahead with integrity and joy, by reinvigorating and reinventing popular holidays with ethical creativity and consciousness.

Instructors

Audrey Kindred is currently an AEU leader in training. She runs Children, Youth, family programming at the New York Society for Ethical Culture and presides over the National Ethical Service. She has been involved with Ethical Culture for about 25 years. Fun fact for October: Audrey (awe-tree) has dressed up as many things, including Mermaids, the element of water, Raggedy Andy, the Queen of rock ‘n’ roll (with recycled records and album covers), and of course… A mighty tree.

Anne Klaeysen is Leader Emerita of the NY Society for Ethical Culture and former Leader of the Ethical Humanist Society of Long Island. She also served as Humanist chaplain at Columbia and New York Universities. Anne holds a Doctor of Ministry degree in pastoral care and counseling from Hebrew Union College and master’s degrees in business from NYU and German from SUNY Albany. She serves on the boards of the Brooklyn Society for Ethical Culture, The Encampment for Citizenship, the National Ethical Service, and Ethical Culture Fieldston Schools. She and Glenn Newman joined Brooklyn Ethical in 1982 when they were married there, and their children Andrew and Emily were raised in, and are members of, Brooklyn Ethical.

About the Author

Curious and compassionate, Louise Jett (she/her) brings stories to life through design, strategy, and community-building. She is a communicator at heart and a collaborator by choice. Her background spans journalism, photography, graphic design, social media, and education. What ties it all together? A deep commitment to relationships, quality, and impact. Louise is an American Ethical Union certified Leader who lights up when people come together to support, empower, and care for one another. She is grateful to be a part of our community.