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Oct
31
Sustainable Christmas
Filed Under sustainable holidays, holidays, christmas, recycle, live green
Trying to live green? I know we are, and it’s not always easy. I’ve been looking for some different ideas and best practices, and here are a few ideas:
Reuse wrapping paper, gift boxes and gift bags. If the paper is too wrinkled, use it as packing material to pad your presents. Doesn’t that sound festive? Use other things for wrapping paper - like newspaper or fabric. Ask department stores for their gift boxes, and then don’t wrap them at all. Have your kids color on them. Or cover them with Christmas stamps (like rubber stamps) or stickers.
I have this big coloring/painting pad that my almost-two year old colors in. I tear out the used pages and use them as wrapping paper. Let’s face it, he’s really just scribbling, so I’m not going to save every sheet in a scrapbook, and this is a nice treat for the grandparents.
The biggest point here is to try to reuse anything you can, and to be sure to recycle any paper products you receive.
This year, save the holiday cards you receive, and then cut their covers off, and reattach them to cardstock to make your own cards. You could get really creative here by cutting out specific shapes or words and attaching them to the cardstock with dimension dot stickers, paint on them, add glitter, etc. I think that would be a fun project for kids.
I read an article on treehugger.com about how plastic Christmas trees can be harmful because they are generally made of some sort of plastic that is dangerous and harmful to create, and they leach toxins after a while. They recommend getting live trees from sustainable growers.
Finally, there are new options for Christmas lights available. LED Christmas lights use 80-90% less energy than incandescent lights and can be reused year after year. They really should be a part of any sustainable holiday celebration. Now, you can find LED Christmas tree lights, Warm white LED Christmas lights and Outdoor LED Christmas lights.
We can all reduce our carbon footprint a little. The holidays are a great time to start. For more ideas, check out this article:9 Things You Can Do to Make Your Holiday Greener.
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I kid you not, we have recycled the same paper and bows for 40 years! I have ornaments from the 1950s. I make cards out of old cards just as you suggest. I have quilted out of vintage material a tree skirt and tablecloth, placemats and napkins as well as ornaments and lots of gifts! I love bringing out the old stuff — happy memories and a greener holiday!
I forgot to mention. My Dad collected the pretty foil from inside chocolate bar wrappers and used it to wrap small gifts!
I’m with Linshaolin . . . we have a cardboard box of ribbons and bows that has been in my mom’s family since my grandpa’s time. I love looking through that thing, and the older papers are so different than those of today, too!