busyMy personal suggestions include:
- Send e-cards instead of paper holiday cards, such as Blue Mountain or 123 Greetings.
- If you want to send paper cards, choose ones made from recycled materials and natural inks, such as Green Field or BlueHouse.
- If you're not too attached to wrapping and unwrapping, just skip it.
- Instead of paper, present gifts in cloth bags, wooden boxes, or other items that can be reused.
- Save cartons and boxes for packaging awkwardly shaped gifts, instead of buying extra gift boxes.
- Shop for wrapping paper and gift boxes made from recycled materials and natural inks, such as from the Green Guide or Happy Hippie.
- Use the minimum amount of wrapping paper, ribbons, bows, etc. necessary; don't put tiny gifts in big boxes.
- Save bows; they reuse well. This works for other types of package decoration, too, such as artificial holly sprigs or ribbon made of fabric or rope.
- Colored tissue paper for cushioning fragile items can be uncrumpled and stored for reuse.
- Used wrapping paper that contains no plastic is a good candidate for pulping to make your own homemade paper. It tends to come out with interesting colors and textures.
- Used wrapping paper can also be shredded for packing material and stored in a box or bag for reuse later.
- If you have a paper-pot maker, you can use wrapping paper to make colorful pots for starting seeds, as long as the paper is natural not plastic or metallic.
- Shop in late December or early January when remnant holiday supplies go on sale. It's easier to afford the good natural stuff when it's marked down.
December 19 2008, 23:40:32 UTC 12 years ago