The 20-Minute Environmentalist;: Holiday Gifts and Decor

Believe it or not, it's even easy being green during the holiday season. With all the Christmas light displays, driving to family gatherings, overindulgence, packaging and trash from gifts and gift wrap, driving around shopping for the perfect gifts, and cutting down trees that could later end up in landfills, it might seem like the holiday season is one big eco-nightmare, but with a few easy adjustments you can do your part and limit the impact your holiday cheer has on the planet.

Follow these five quick, easy eco-friendly holiday tips and you will be well on your way to creating and maintaining green holiday traditions.

1. Buy a reusable tree - If your holiday tradition includes decorating a tree, seriously consider purchasing a reusable, manufactured tree made from durable materials that will last a lifetime (or more). Artificial trees are barely (if at all) discernible from living trees these days and you will save a bundle by purchasing one tree that will last you the rest of your life and can be handed down to your children. It won't take you any longer to select your lifelong reusable tree than it would to select a tree from a lot or chop one down on a tree farm, and it will take you less than 20 minutes to put the tree together each year. Plus, this one will actually save you time since you won't have to water and clean up after a living tree - or worry about where and how to recycle it after the holidays. Some might argue that artificial trees use energy and chemicals in the production process and are made from petroleum-based products; however, consider the gas you will use every year to drive to the lot or the farm, the water used to grow the tree, the energy used to transport the tree to a tree lot and the energy used to recycle the tree after the holidays are over (if it gets recycled at all).
2. Ship your gifts with eco-friendly fillers - If you need to ship gifts this holiday season, avoid purchasing packaging peanuts and paper if at all possible. Save packing materials throughout the year to reuse during the holidays and recycle used newspaper by balling it up and using it for padding to keep gifts safe. If all else fails, purchase biodegradable packing peanuts made from cornstarch. You can order them online or check local environmentally-conscious retailers for these eco-friendly shipping mainstays. Shipping with eco-friendly packing materials won't take any more time than packing up your gifts with their non-eco-friendly counterparts.
3. Green your gift wrap - Give your holiday gifts in reusable wrapping and limit the packaging and gift wrap waste that will end up in landfills this holiday season. Reusable shopping totes (which you can purchase or make yourself) make great gift bags that will keep on giving. They are a great way to encourage friends and family to get a little greener and are far more eco-friendly than disposable gift bags. Reusable gift baskets are another great, eco-friendly gift giving option and will come in handy when the recipient needs a little extra storage space. Purchasing and packing gifts into reusable shopping totes will take about the same time it would take you to purchase and pack paper gift bags, so this one is a green option that won't affect your busy schedule in the least. If you want to pretty up the gift baskets, this might take a few extra minutes, but the improved presentation and knowing you are helping the planet is well worth it. For another quick option, you can also wrap gifts in fabric or kitchen towels tied with twine, yarn or hemp cord. This is a great way to avoid using wrapping paper and give a reusable, eco-friendly gift.
4. Use solar powered holiday lights - I was looking through my Harriet Carter catalog the other day when I noticed they have LED string lights that come in white or multiple colors and are solar-powered. They even have solar powered string lights shaped like snowflakes! Stringing up energy saving lights won't take any more time than stringing up the traditional energy-hogging ones and I'm sure it will take you less time to stick the solar power stake in the ground than it would take you to find your extension cords, untangle them, find a plug to stick them in and drag them outside to hook up your light strings. Eco-friendly tips that are actually more convenient than their not-so-eco-friendly counterparts and that save me money are always at the top of my list. I love that I won't be using any extra energy for my holiday lights this year.
5. Make your own DIY decorations - Making your own holiday decorations is a fun, inexpensive project that will allow you to bring nature into your home and avoid all that plastic nonsense - like the molded plastic, garishly lit up atrocities you can find in some front yards. Making holiday wreaths, centerpieces, ornaments and garlands is easy and fun, and it's a great way to keep the kids busy on a rainy afternoon. Cinnamon sticks, pine cones, holly, evergreen cuttings, twigs and cranberries have all been used to make traditional, natural holiday decor and are readily available. To save time and stick to our beloved 20-minute environmentalist time allotment, either set aside 20 minutes each day to work on creating your own DIY holiday decorations or spend 20 minutes setting up a craft table and supplies and put the kids to work for an afternoon of ornament making (and another 20 minutes for cleaning up when they are finished).