Did you know that Americans send 2 billion cards, buy nearly 35 million real trees, and produce 25 million tons of garbage during the holiday season?
The best way I can think of to cut down on the waste, still have fun and save some money is to get creative and pledge not to buy any new wrapping paper this holiday season!
- Use old paper bags from the grocery store
- Tape on several sheets of comic book pages
- Cut up magazines and paste them together in a themed collage
- Use fabric tied with an old bow or butcher string
- Create a scavenger hunt map for the kids - hide their presents in different locations in the house, and draw maps or poems that contain clues to the hiding place. (Ex: "You can find your next gift where Daddy usually stands when drinking his morning coffee" or "Look in the cabinet where the old linens are kept to find the next clue!")
Any more ideas out there, lovely readers?
Pass it on!
Alex
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6 comments:
Try having the 'wrapping' be part
of the gift and give something recycled!!
> homemade soaps in a handtowel.
> handmade (or secondhand) cloth napkins in a dishtowel
> anything in a colorful secondhand
pillowcase
> homemade jam/jelly/salsa with recipe in recycled jars in secondhand basket
> garden seeds (yours?) & planting info in used container/planter
>>use your imagination!!!
Great ideas! Love 'em! Keep them coming!
I get all this free wrapping paper from the nwf. I'd be happy to donate it to folks who need gift wrap. Also, we stopped buying gifts and have been donating to the local food bank in folks' names instead.
By the way, I really like your new blog, as well as your other one. Very nice.
Naturalabby's ideas are great, too. I make my own granola and give it in reusable airtight containers.
I have been a "no-wrapper" for some time. I use gift bags and when I get a good box, I wrap the top and bottom separately so that it can be used year-after-year (just tie with a ribbon so there is no looking). I also collect all of my gift bags at the end of our family parties if the bags are headed for the garbage.
I love giving pecans and homemade treats, so for the last couple of years I have only used mason jars and tins. I have found a lot of these and baskets at the thrift store and the Salvation Army too!
I ask friends and family to collect the comics section from their newspapers for me.
(I don't like the idea of taking apart a comic book just to wrap a present when it could be donated to a charity instead.)
I keep all of my gift bags and reuse them each year.
I also use old posters that are no longer needed, it's just one more use before recycling them.
And, last year I gave everyone their presents in cloth grocery bags.
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