Eco-Friendly Christmas Decorations

Part of adopting a greener lifestyle is finding new and improved ways to recycle some of the things you have laying around the house. In your house now, you probably have a box or drawer full of old greeting cards that you can turn into warm and decorative Christmas decorations.

Making card luminaries is a fun way for you and the rest of the family to recycle old greeting cards and get into the Christmas spirit. These luminaries give your home a nice, warm glow at night and compliment any Christmas tree decorations.

To make this project, there are a couple of things that you will need to gather:

• Old Christmas cards (2 required for each luminary)

• Hole punch

• Sewing needle

• Twine

• Light (candle votive or small rechargeable light)

Find two cards that are identical in size. Make sure the cards are closed and place them on top of each other. The side that opens should be placed on the right. Along the edge of the open side, cut out holes with the hole punch. Make a hole every ¼ of an inch.

Thread the sewing needle with the twine. (On a side note, try to match the color of the twine with the colors in the card for a more decorative feel.) Open both cards so the insides are facing down. Place the right edge of one card side by side with the left edge of the other. Sew the edges together with the twine. After that, sew the other edges together to make the box shape. Sit the light in the middle of the box and light.

Do a few of these to sit around the mantle or as table decoration. Remember if you are using a candle, to never leave it burning unattended. Before going to bed or leaving the house, blow the candle out. Never use a candle that isn't protected inside of a container. Glass votives are best.

Make luminaries of different shapes, sizes and colors to add variety to the Christmas décor. Don't go and buy other cards to make these luminaries. That would be defeating the purpose of adopting an eco-friendly lifestyle. The point is to find something useful and creative to do with older discarded cards.