Standing in the shop full of clashing trolleys and good cheer, I thought about the baubles’ origins somewhere in low-paid Chinese sweatshops.

I mentally traced their journey as they were loaded into giant metal containers, shipped across the ocean, unloaded at Botany and finally trucked to Bathurst. All powered by fossil fuels emitting carbon dioxide into the atmosphere; invisible “baubles” drifting out into the air. I loaded my goodies into the car and emitted carbon all the way home.

All of this is in honour of a baby born 2000 years ago who, unlike us, had a tiny carbon footprint.

His parents used a donkey, which would have emitted a little methane but nothing compared to the 4.7 metric tons of carbon dioxide per year emitted by a typical passenger vehicle today.

The manger might have been lit at night by lamp burning olive oil or animal fat and people would have rugged up to keep warm.

Today, our houses are lit up like, er, Christmas trees. The average Australian household generates more than 18 tonnes of carbon dioxide each year in pursuit of staying comfortable.

Two thousand years ago, human responsibility for greenhouse gas emissions in Bethlehem and Bathurst would probably have about on par, with their relatively tiny populations.

These days, though, Bethlehem is far outstripped by Australian lifestyles. Residents of the West Bank, Palestine, where the city is located emit about 0.6 tonnes per capita of carbon dioxide, compared to the Australian average per capita emissions of over 16 tonnes.

The whopping difference lies in our affluence and our dependence on fossil fuels to power it.

Two thousand years later, low-carbon baby Jesus has set off a frenzy of carbon emissions far from his birthplace. While there are a few who would love to return to that low-tech lifestyle, most of us are pleased to live a world of conveniences and excellent health care.

Our new challenge is to reduce wasteful consumption (do we really need so many baubles from China?) while working towards a low-carbon economy fuelled by renewable energy.

Today, we have the technical ability to keep the lights on without costing the earth.