Brooke Trout was looking forward to this holiday season more than ever.  She had an especially meaningful gift to share and was trying her best to keep it a secret.  But when Helga Heifer happened by, she couldn’t resist.  Helga bent her head down and Brooke whispered in her ear.

        “Land sakes!” Helga exclaimed.  “That’s the best present ever!  I promise to keep it a surprise.”  But, you guessed it, Helga can’t keep a secret.  So when Stanley Steer shared a drink with her that night at The Barn, Helga spilled the beans.  “This is perfect!” Stanley remarked. “During this dark, cold season it’s easy to feel glum, especially with the daily papers loaded with seemingly insurmountable problems.  This gift will really lift folks’ spirits.  But shhhh… here’s comes Cates.”
 
        Closing the barn door, Farmer Cates slipped into the moonlight admiring how it sparkled on Lowery Creek.  The water’s soothing gurgles soon lulled Helga, Stanley and all the ruminating cattle in Iowa County’s Jones Valley into a peaceful slumber.

        The next morning, Brooke was excited to see DNR Dan pull in to chat with Farmer Cates and his neighbors.  “Good!  Just who I hoped would stop in.  Now I can be sure I’ve got the details right,” thought Brooke as she darted behind Dan’s waders.  She was now well-situated to eavesdrop on the conversation.

        “Yup, that’s right,” Dan said. “Jones Valley farmers have done an outstanding job of managing streamside pastures.  As you know, we’ve been monitoring Lowery Creek for more than 50 years.  Various sections of it have been rated as either a Class 2 or Class 3 trout stream meaning it supports fish, but conditions aren’t ideal.  In fact, we used to stock this creek in order to maintain a trout population.  But with your help, stream health has gradually improved.  So much so that next year we’ll re-classify Lowery Creek as a Class 1 trout steam.  Now, instead of being stocked, we’ll use Lowery Creek to collect brook trout eggs for distribution elsewhere.  Well done!”

        Brooke was proud to share this environmental success story as a gift to the whole world. “These farmers are both growing food and improving the environment at the same time.  It’s a great model for a healthy future because this is the only home we fish and the humans will ever know.  It’s where we’re all forever… Earthbound.”

        “Ohhh,” Wanda Eatalott moaned.  “I stuffed myself again,” she though as she pulled back from the Thanksgiving feast.  “Why do I make myself so miserable by over-eating during the holidays?  I’d have enjoyed it more if I’d had a little less.”

        “Excuse me! Excuse me!” Lemmie Grabatonn practically barked as he pushed his shopping cart through the Black Friday crowd.  Lemmie had been up since early morning and now 8 hours later still had several items left on his gift list.  Later that evening while soaking his tired feet Lemmie though back to last year’s family gift exchange party.  There were so many gifts that many of the children had to actually be coaxed back to the tree to finish opening their presents.  “Huh,” Lemmie thought to himself, “If we’d have had less stuff, we’d probably have enjoyed the day more.”

        “Maybe if I push just a bit harder,” Anita Havalott grunted as she tried to close the storage closet door.  Once more, Anita hadn’t been able to resist the alluring appeal of “The More You Buy, The More You Save” sales at the mall, so she bought another car-full of stuff.  But now the closet, the attic and the garage were all overflowing.  Anita kicked at the closet door and thought, “I really need to get rid of some of this stuff.”

        Meanwhile next door, Les Ismorre picked up the Sunday paper and braced himself for another dose of the 4,000 to 10,000 advertisements that average Americans are exposed to every day.  The not-so-hidden message is, “You are unhappy.  Buy this and you’ll be as happy as the models in this ad are pretending to be.  Our stuff will make you happy!” 

        “Just look at all these ads!  No wonder we Americans are driven to consume, consume, consume!” Les thought.  Estimates are it would take the resources of FOUR Earths if every human devoured resources like the average American.  “Too bad we forget that experiences, especially those we share with others, make us happier than things, and the happiness lasts longer too!

        “This holiday season instead of stuff, my gifts will be to help spread four genuine keys to happiness: friendliness, cheerfulness, compassion and gratitude,” Les resolved.  “So often it really is true that Less is More.  More for me, more for others, and more for our beautiful planet home where we’re all forever… Earthbound.”