I’m Dreaming of a Green Christmas…

While Irving Berlin and Bing Crosby are dreaming of a white Christmas this year, I’ve been dreaming of ways to make my Christmas a little greener! In Minnesota, I am treated to a white Christmas almost every time. Each year, I do my best to target new areas where I can be more eco-friendly. Last year, Gretchen brought a few suggestions to my attention in her post “Living a Natural Christmas,” highlighting issues with Christmas trees, lights, ornaments, and candles. This year, I am focusing on biodegradable decorations, unique gift wrapping, and using my own table settings.

Buy Biodegradable: “Deck the halls with boughs of holly!” This time of year, nature has everything you need to make your home cheerful. Make garlands for trees with popcorn and cranberries, instead of tinsel. Buy evergreen pieces or go harvest your own, instead of buying more tinsel and lights. Make centerpieces with cranberries and pine cones. Go to your local store for some of the seasonal blooms, like poinsettias and amaryllis. Check out this tutorial from AlidaMakes.com to make your own cranberry and popcorn garland. Alida gives you all the tricks you need!

Gift Wrapping: I love to check out the new patterns that stores carry every year. We all know though that gift wrap is wasteful. Some stores carry recycled gift wrap, but it is still very difficult to recycle. According to RecycleNow.com:

• “Wrapping paper is often dyed, laminated and/or contains non-paper additives such as gold and silver coloured shapes, glitter, plastics etc which cannot be recycled”
• “Some wrapping paper is very thin and contains few good quality fibres for recycling”
• “A lot of wrapping paper has sticky tape attached to it which makes it very difficult to recycle” (recyclenow.com, 2015).

This year, wrap with newspaper or brown paper bags. As a child, I loved getting my Christmas present wrapped in the “funnies” newspaper section. Think of other reusable packaging, like cookie tins and glass mason jars. Just add a little ribbon or yarn and you’ve got a cute package! Check out these adorable mason jar gifts from HowDoesShe.com:

Do the Dishes: Pull out your Christmas dishes and linens or ask your Grandma if you can borrow hers! Enlist your family to help you do the dishes so you can cut back on paper plates, plastic utensils, and cups. Of course, doing the dishes should be a snap because you have Norwex and “many hands make light work!”

How do you plan on creating a green Christmas this year? When each of us works to cut back, we all make the world a little brighter! I’d love to hear your ideas!

Blessings on your Holiday!
~ Suzanne