Green Holiday Wrapping Idea

I love wrapping Christmas presents. It is one of the highlights of the my year. Just the thought of how happy my loved ones will be when they open their gifts makes me smile.

I also love to be stylish with my wrapping. I love the look of a decedent present sitting underneath my Christmas tree with shiny paper and amazing bows.

The problem with all of this is that the world is going 'Green' and the days of buying seven dollar rolls of wrapping paper from Pier One that barely wrap two presents are over in this economy.

Now is the time to reuse, reduce, and recycle, so with that in mind I have put together my top five favorite 'green' wrapping ideas.

You can Still Do Gift Bags...Just Use The Eco-Friendly Kind

I love the ease of gift bags for holiday but even though I reuse the heck out of them it doesn't mean everyone will. I have decided this year to go the Eco-friendly gift bag route and use a gift bag that I know the recipient will use over and over again.

Many companies are now making Eco-friendly gift bags. these bags are stylish and will not get thrown away in the trash. One such company that makes a lovely Eco friendly gift bag is Lucky Crow, an on line store that announces the gift bags that is simple, waste-free, requires no tape, and is down right super cool. Another cool place to get your Eco-friendly gift bag is Wrapsacks, Inc.. These bags are also Eco-friendly and stylish, but the best part is each sack has a code on it so that you can Track a Sack. You get to christen your sack by giving it a name and then tracking its reusable journey across the United States with the Wrapsacks tracking code. You can literally follow your bag for years to come and revel in the fact that you helped to save countless trees along your sacks journey.

The Practical Gift Bag

Stylish may now be your thing when wrapping Christmas presents. You might want to gift bag your treasure in something that is a little more practical. The best way to do this is to give your gifts in a reusable grocery bag! Most grocery Stores now sell an Eco-friendly alternative to the grocery bag at the checkout for around $3.00. You can pick up bags at stores such as Giant Eagle, Kroger, Whole Foods, and Trader Joe's. Your gift recipient will receive the gift that keeps on giving back to the earth because every time they go grocery store shopping they can bring the shopping bag. Not to worry, Giant Eagle won't kick you out for carrying a Trader Joe's Bag.

Newspaper Rocks!

I remember when I was a child we always wrapped presents in the funny section of the newspaper. It was colorful, and best of all did not cost anything as we regularly got the paper anyway. Now is the time to start stocking up on those Sunday Funnies so that you have enough to wrap. Just don't forget to recycle the paper after your loved one opens the gift.

Magazines = Shiny Paper Wrapping

I love shiny wrapping paper. I can't help it. I hate the thought of not having a shiny present underneath the Christmas tree. I have decided to indulge my shiny wrapping paper obsession by using magazine ads to wrap presents.

It is easy and Eco-friendly! I simply cut out a bunch of full page ads from the magazines and wrap up small presents in them. You can go bigger by taping together several sheets of magazine ads to make your own custom paper.

Get the Kids in The Mix

One fun wrapping idea involved your children. You can use scrap paper that you have around the house for small presents, or use old paper bags for large presents. Now all you have to do is break out the crayons or markers and tell your children to create their own wrapping paper for presents for family members and friends. Children love the chance to be creative and the gifts are wrapped in an extra special art piece for Grandma and grandpa to love well beyond the Christmas Morning.

Have a Happy Holiday Season and use these creative wrapping tips to live the 'Green' life!