Thursday, December 13, 2012
This holiday season I've been thinking
a lot about ways to cut back on waste while continuing to take part
in the Christmas traditions that I've come to know and cherish. So
far I've come up with a few eco-friendly ideas that are easy and fun for the whole family to enjoy.
Here's my list up to date:
Here's my list up to date:
Ideas on Eco-Friendly Decorating
One of the best parts of the holidays,
in my opinion, is getting to enjoy all of the beautiful Christmas
decorations. In my household we've decided to stick with mostly
natural decor for an organic holiday motif, complimented by some of
the re-usable Christmas decorations we've acquired over the years
along with some DIY projects (see my homemade Christmas ornament in the
next section).
Aside from the Christmas tree (which
I'll get to shortly) my favourite decorations are the flowers we have
displayed around the house. Aren't these amaryllises gorgeous?
And who could deny the natural beauty
of these brilliant poinsettias? They come in other colours, of
course, but I love the red for this time of year.
Ideas on Eco-Friendly Christmas
Trees
As for the tree, I've always preferred
the real ones over the synthetic variety because they smell better
and because they're better for the environment. These days most
Christmas trees are grown on tree farms so there's no need to worry
about destroying forests for the love of a time-honoured tradition.
But if you've already got a synthetic tree then do your best to keep
it in good shape so it can be re-used for many holiday seasons
to come.
For next year I'm considering a potted
tree that can either be planted outside in the spring time or kept
inside year round and dressed up for the holidays.
Of course no Christmas tree is complete
without a few twinkle lights. So this year we've converted to LED
miniature lights. They come in a variety of colours just like regular kinds only they last longer and they use less energy.
Here's a homemade
Christmas ornament I made from a worn out make-up case along
with some other fabric scraps nestled in with our energy-efficient
Christmas lights.
The heart is a little lopsided, I know, but it's the thought that counts, right?
The heart is a little lopsided, I know, but it's the thought that counts, right?
Ideas on Eco-Friendly Gift Wrapping
We've cut back a lot on gift giving in
my family over recent years but when I do give presents I like to
make them extra special by getting creative with the wrapping. For
example, last week I wanted to give my significant other an early
Christmas present so I wrapped his gift in a beautiful Christmas
stocking that I picked up at a second hand store and stuffed the top
with re-used tissue paper.
Not only did it look festive but it was
actually cheaper than buying a reusable gift bag. And now he has his
very own Christmas stocking! Unfortunately I forgot to take a picture
before I gave it to him but you'll have to trust me when I say that
it looked nice.
Re-using wrapping paper from previous
years is also a great way to cut back on waste and to save money. I
save all of my wrapping paper, gift bags, bows, and so on in a big
box in the basement for easy access and storage.
Ideas on Eco-Friendly Christmas
Cards
This year I sent greeting cards to my clients to thank them for supporting
StylishOrganicFamilyLiving.com and to wish them a happy holiday
season.
Being a green focused business owner I
wanted to incorporate some element of eco-friendliness into my Christmas cards so I actually purchased them at Value Village (don't worry,
they're not second hand!). From what I understand Value Village sometimes receives overstock
from companies that are looking to make space for new inventory so I
was able to buy brand new Christmas cards for a fraction of the price
while saving them from a landfill.
If you're one of my clients then these should look familiar!
If you're one of my clients then these should look familiar!
I'm sure there are lots of eco-friendly
Christmas ideas that I missed so feel free to leave yours in the
comment section below. No matter how you choose to celebrate, I hope your holiday season is of to a great start!
P.S. If you want $10 off on your next
purchase of $70 or more from StylishOrganicFamilyLiving.com use
discount code Thank You at
the checkout before December 31, 2012.
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