The holidays are a time of cheer and happiness for most people. It is a time to look back at the good things that have happened in the past year we can be thankful for, and to look forward to what the next year will bring.

But for some, perhaps too many, it is a time of depression and sadness.

Now to add to that sadness, comes "Climate Grief". Avichai Scher over on NBCnews posted this article on how the treat of climate change is effecting some people's mental health,

'Climate grief': The growing emotional toll of climate change

"When the U.N. released its latest climate report in October, it warned that without “unprecedented” action, catastrophic conditions could arrive by 2040. For Amy Jordan, 40, of Salt Lake City, a mother of three teenage children, the report caused a “crisis.” “The emotional reaction of my kids was severe,” she told NBC News. “There was a lot of crying. They told me, 'We know what’s coming, and it’s going to be really rough.’ She struggled too, because there wasn't much she could do for them. “I want to have hope, but the reports are showing that this isn’t going to stop, so all we can do is cope,” she said. The increasing visibility of climate change, combined with bleak scientific reports and rising carbon dioxide emissions, is taking a toll on mental health, especially among young people, who are increasingly losing hope for their future. Experts call it “climate grief,” depression, anxiety and mourning over climate change."

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It can seem all too real sometimes, the prospect of climate change radically disrupting and reshaping the planet and the environment of the world our children and grand children will live in. I understand it, even though I don't have children myself. I look at the young people I work with and know that the way of life they have now will be harsher and more demanding than anything I've had to cope with in my lifetime.

Throw in the changes that Greer's predicted "Long Descent" will have to our civilization. The way that resource depletion, predominantly oil but also other important resources like food and water will make scarcities a common occurrence in day to day life. The way that economic inequality will mean that for more and more people, having the means to get by, as in a steady job or income, will be unsecure. The way that rising sea level and changing climate will force millions from their homes and start the Age of Migration. All of these factors and more will pressure those in charge to seek to hold onto their power with any means.

We are faced with what I call "A World Made Harsh", one of lack, stress, war and political upheaval.

And yet I have hope.

My grandfather was born in Oklahoma and survived the Dustbowl conditions of the 1930s. He made the trek to California along with thousands of other "Okies" seeking a better life. And while it was a hard journey and even harder time getting through it, he and my grand mother, and their children survived it. They found a place and prospered. Their life went on.

And yesterday, while visiting with my sister at her home, I saw a episode of a popular cooking show that has meaning to this. The host had her grandparents on, both of whom grew up during the Great Depression. They were making some simple baked treats for the holiday dinner. They talked about how in the month before Christmas, they would do with a little less, so as to have the supplies to make those treats. They had very little but their life went on.

So too will we, and so too will our children.

Green Wizardry is not a down beat way of Life. It is a celebration of human possibility, even in the face of adversity. It is looking towards the Future with hope and even gladness. The human spirit is a powerful thing, and while we as a civilization has grown soft, especially in the Western World, that softness is just the laziness of a long weekend. Humans have tens of thousands of years behind us, where we struggled and fought our way to the top of the food chain. We have done it not individually but as a family, as a tribe and as a community. And as we have done so in the Past, we can do so in the Future. Yes we will face hardship, want and great sadness but I hope we never face it with despair.

We will try our best here, to give you the knowledge and the skills to succeed and prosper in the Long Descent.

From me and everyone else here at Green Wizards, have a happy holiday season. We will get started after the New Year in preparing for what will come.