Celebrating a Green Christmas Can Keep You from Getting "In the Red"

In these difficult economic times, with the danger of global warming hanging over our heads, the holiday season may loom threateningly for many. But take heart! Christmas doesn't have to be a huge drain on your pocketbook or a glut of excess and waste! You can save your pennies, lower your stress level, and be kind to the earth all in one fell swoop by celebrating a Green Christmas. By recycling, reusing, making gifts by hand, buying from local artisans and giving time and fun as gifts we are very positively promoting the idea of caring for this earth that we all share. Furthermore, we are taking the holidays out of the hands of retail America and putting it right back where it belongs, in our own homes. Holiday ideas that take us out of the shopping malls and afford us the experience of spending time with our family and friends are easy and fun and foster the togetherness and goodwill toward all that make up the true basis of our holiday celebrations.

So here are some ideas for ways to have an environmentally friendly holiday. Start off knowing that you will need to plan ahead for a green Christmas. You can't just dash out to the store and go green at the last minute. That would be defeating the purpose. Going green for Christmas will mean establishing a devotion to thinking carefully about all those you wish to honor at Christmas time and then creating interesting, unusual, earth-friendly ways to do so. Keep in mind that by doing this, you are also making a statement to retail America. You are voting with your wallet, and this sends a very strong message. Additionally, the time you spend with family and friends making the preparations will give your holiday celebration an added dimension.

Reduce, reuse, recycle and be creative while you're at it! When you go green you will be saving useful materials from the landfill. You will avoid the environmental impact of buying new "stuff" and throwaway items like paper, ribbon, dead trees, and so on.

When you create a present, you are giving an investment of time, love and creative energy. You are truly giving the person you wish to honor something of yourself. It doesn't have to be a fancy work of art. Give coupons for little chores or treats that you can provide. You can make your coupons by hand or generate them on your computer. Give an experience. Invite someone over for a special tea. Bring a friend a loaf of bread. Sing a song. Ask someone to go for a walk. Give a home-cooked gourmet meal or free night of babysitting. Give a hand massage. Take a thermos of spiced cider and sit by the fire with your friend for an hour. Bake a batch of cookies or some Banana Nut Bread.

Bodacious Banana Nut Bread

http://hubpages.com/hub/Bodacious-Banana-Nut-Bread

If you really just don't have the time or the ability to make anything at all, well, God Bless Ya! One thing you can do is instead is donate to a charity in the name of the person you wish to present with a gift. Another thing you can do is buy gifts made by local artisans and craftspeople. This supports the members of your community. It boosts the local economy and reduces carbon emissions generated in shipping. When you buy locally, you will get to know people in your immediate area. This will help build the sense of community that is so lacking in our chain store world.

Never buy anything that is designed to be thrown away. Please don't buy a dead tree or an artificial tree. Artificial trees are petroleum based, and they are not biodegradable. Buy a potted or balled Christmas tree that you can plant in your backyard in the spring. Or if you don't have a yard, donate your tree to the parks department or a local school or church. You can find out more about live trees at Living Christmas Trees:

http://livingchristmastrees.org/

Always think ahead and think productively. If you absolutely must buy a dead tree, be sure to recycle it. Many towns collect trees after Christmas and turn them into mulch. To find local programs, go to Earth911.org:

http://earth911.com/

Lights are a big part of Christmas, but how can you have environmentally friendly lights? Be sure to use LED lights. They are a bit more expensive to purchase (about $9 a strand) but they are much less expensive to burn. They have the added safety benefit of never becoming hot. Invest in timers that automatically shut off your lights and cost as little as $10. Here is a great idea for using lights as table décor:

Fun and Unusual Uses for Christmas Tree Lights:

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1105395/fun_and_unusual_uses_for_christmas.html?cat=30

Here is another good article on green holiday lighting:

Energy Efficient Lighting Ideas for a Bright Green Holiday

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/431399/energy_efficient_lighting_ideas_for.html?cat=6

What about gift wrap? Isn't it just the essence of waste and excess? Brown bags from the grocery store are lovely if you add a pretty bow on top. But don't just put your present in a bag and tie it with a bow! Cut the bag open, cut off the bottom and discard it. Lay the remaining portion flat, and use it as wrapping paper. Turn it inside out, of course, so none of the advertising shows! Use twine instead of ribbon for a vintage look. You can also dress it up with stickers or draw or paste some designs and decoration on it. Wrap presents in posters, or pretty magazine pages. Put a small present in a lovely scarf or bandanna so that the wrapping counts as a gift, too.

For packing don't use plastic bubble wrap to cushion the contents. Instead use unshelled peanuts, dry pasta, plain popcorn, shredded office paper, the funny papers, or pretty scraps of cloth.

What can you do for Christmas ornaments. Well, of course, you can use any ornaments you already have on hand. To add to them, try these suggestions. Use your tree to display your Christmas cards. Just punch a hole in the upper left hand corner of the card, string some twine through, tie it, and hang it on the tree. Get the kids together to string popcorn and make paper chains. Hang candy canes that can be nibbled on through the holiday season. Add children's awards from school. Have the kids make ornaments using photos of themselves. For more ideas look here:

Recycled Christmas Tree Ornaments

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1159654/recycled_christmas_tree_ornaments.html?cat=24

Don't buy an expensive wreath. For a quick and easy wreath that recycles for this year, look here:

Christmas Crafts for Kids - Homemade Plastic Bag Wreaths

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/468589/christmas_crafts_for_kids_homemade.html?page=2&cat=24

To be prepared for next year, look here:

What to Plant for a Steady Supply of "Green" Craft Material

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/674711/what_to_plant_for_a_steady_supply_of.html?cat=24

Christmas wouldn't be complete without candles. Avoid the expensive and often toxic choices you may find at your retailer. Check out this article to learn how to make your own:

How to Make Natural Homemade Candles from Non-Toxic Materials

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/580849/how_to_make_natural_homemade_candles.html?cat=24

(Of course, if your friend happens to be an Associated Content Producer, you can give them a Christmas gift by including a link to their pertinent article in yours! ;)

So the whole idea is to avoid shopping, but...when you do go shopping, be sure to bring your own shopping bags to the store. As we all know, this will keep plastic bags out of the landfill. Since they never decompose, it is a good idea to severely limit our need to use them and then to dispose of them. Be sure to keep your receipts handy or even fasten them to the outside of your bags to avoid being suspected of shoplifting!

For your card, why not go paper-free. Create an online newsletter on your blog or free multi-photo card or an online slideshow. To do this go to Photo Bucket:

http://photobucket.com/

You can get creative by adding holiday music, snowflakes and text. Then e-mail friends and family a link.

Or go to Oscar Guiterrez Photography:

http://www.ogphoto.com/

Create a Christmas card. Send it to yourself, then copy and paste the link to it into an e mail that you send out to your friends and family. This is what I do. I love OGPhoto because it is a free service that is easy to use. I have been using this service for many years. Oscar, has a huge selection of beautiful nature photos that you can select from to create your card.

If you must use paper, try writing a newsletter. It is lighter and less expensive and more personal than a card. (Or you could do this as the e mail that you send out with your OGPhoto link.)

Send postcards to save postage and paper. If you wanted to be really industrious, you could make the post cards using index cards or poster board. I have to admit, that would be going a bit far for me, though!

I hope these ideas have been helpful to you. Let's all make an early New Year's resolution to care for Mother Earth this year and always by using our resources wisely and carefully. The more we practice living green, the more it becomes a natural way of living. Learning to care for the planet is a mindful practice that teaches us to be thankful for the gift of life and a place to live it. Let's choose this as a meaningful way to celebrate this time of joy, peace, and love together.