Gus and Michelle Moore Outed By Miami Herald

Dear Family and Friends,

Please don’t expect much from us this Christmas. James Burnett from the Miami Herald has revealed Michelle and I as the eco-friendly, frugal couple that we are.

Sustainable Holiday Traditions

“From the time we met, Gus always used a plastic Christmas tree,” Michelle says. “He just thought it was wasteful to have a real tree, and I always went along with that. But in other ways, I was over the top with how I celebrated Christmas.”

Michelle admits she has always kept “five huge boxes of Christmas ornaments,” and even when money was tight, she spent every available penny on gifts for friends and family.

“Over time, though, you realize this isn’t what Christmas is all about” .

The tipping point for us came last week while watching the CNN/YouTube debate for Republican presidential candidates. A question from a woman concerned about toys with lead and other potentially harmful products gave us an epiphany.

“She's right,” Gus says. “There’s too much unhealthy stuff being moved around in the name of celebration. So we agreed to stop sending packages and anything requiring paper, shipping, and postage. For now, eCards it is.”

Digital Holiday Greetings

We began sending electronic holiday cards to friends and relatives over the Internet.

“This is significant for us, because our Christmas card mailing list has about 200 names, but it’s pretty neat that we can use our own Photoshop skills to make a personal eCard.”

Michelle says next year, they hope to expand their green Christmas approach by purchasing long-term savings bonds for nieces and nephews or opening savings accounts and contributing annually toward their college funds.

I blame Scott—if he hadn’t asked the forum where to find Christmas trees, nobody would have known!

Editor’s Note: This article was originally published on December 8, 2007 and updated in 2026.