If the start of shopping and the trouble of traveling already have you dreading the holidays, an Iowa-based group aims to remind you what Christmas should be all about. Founded in 1973, the group “Alternatives for Simple Living” aimed to offer a new interpretation of celebrations, lifestyle, culture, scripture, ecology and justice that were counter to those of the prevailing authority. For more than a decade, the head of “Alternatives for Simple Living” has been Gerald Iverson of Sergeant Bluff. He’s helped create a series of radio programs this season for folks who want an alternative holiday, fofering ideas like earth-friendly, homemade decorations, and setting aside a certain percentage to give to charity everytime the family makes a holiday purchase. The group also offers ideas for “alternative carols” to sing, and has a mail-order catalog of projects and reading material. Iowa native Iverson has headed Alternatives for over a decade but board members hail from all over the country, as do callers, subscribers and visitors to their website…simpleliving-dot-org.