How To Keep The Green In Your Christmas
It's easy to get caught up in the gifts, decorations, and festivities that go into celebrating the happiest time of the year. But, creating a special Holiday shouldn't have to come with hidden christmas costs that hurt the planet and your pocket.
I used to get caught up in the endless shopping and expensive gifts that never left me feeling fulfilled, even after the hundreds of dollars were spent decorating and purchasing gifts. I know i'm not the only one either. I slowly began thinking what Christmas used to be about. When life was less advanced. More often than not, gifts and decorations were homemade, simple and thoughtful. Once upon a time there weren't fancy gadgets and gizmos. Things were hard to come by, and so everything had great meaning. It was about quality, not quantity. Unlike today's holidays that are about more, more, more.
So over the last few years I've tried to get more creative and crafty, and think of ways to cut down on my spending, waste, and impact on environment. Here's some tips I came up with to help you have a more green holiday season this year.
“ Create more than you consume”
Green Gifting Guide
1. BYOB- Bring your own bag and ditch the plastic while doing your shopping, reduces the need for oil, polyethylene and water.
2. SHOP LOCAL- Supporting local shops helps reduce your carbon footprint. Local shops often support local artisans and vendors rather than a company overseas.
3. D.I.Y.- Do it yourself. In the world of pinterest, you can now make just about anything. I love creating different sugar scrubs, and cleansers for friends, in a cute reusable container or jar that they can keep and reuse again. Or head to your nearest goodwill to see what things you can find and recreate into something new.
4. DRAW A NAME- If you have a close group of friends or family, have everyone draw one name to get for. We've done this in my family over the years. It helps the problem of over consuming, and cuts down your dollars and waste.
5. GO TREELESS- Americans alone will cut down 33 million Christmas tree's, only 1.2 million of them will actually be recycled. Almost accounting for as much of tree's lost during California's latest wildfires in Napa valley. Use old magazines, or books, placing them in a pyramid shape, string some hand-made ornaments and there you go! The best part, is you can reuse this year after year.
6. THRIFT- Reduce, reuse, upcycle. To be honest, I get more excited to receive a second hand gift, than seeing a new shiny item in a box. Usually because it's unique to me. When thrifting you'll never find the same item in another store, which makes it more special. It's also less expensive so you can purchase more fun items.
7. DONATE- this one is easy, you don't even have to leave your house to buy your gift or ship it! There are hundreds of different charities out there that give back to the planet, and those less fortunate. Find one you love here, and ask others to donate in your name, or you can donate in your loved ones name. You'll feel so great knowing you created zero waste and gave back to those in need all at the same time!
8. Recycled Wrapping- Over the holidays, nearly 227,000 miles worth of wrapping paper get thrown away -enough to circle the world 9 times! Save your wrapping paper, and use it for next year. Or my favorite is to use old newspapers, and paper shopping bags. Not feeling festive enough? Don't worry companies like Wrappily, have an array of fun and vibrant christmas wrap, all printed on 100% recycled paper.
Now that I apply these mindful thoughts when thinking about the holidays, I have more fun, feel less stressed, and find myself more proud when gift giving. By taking the time to slow down and give things a little more thought, you too can experience the real joy and meaning that the Holidays should bring. If you don't have enough time to make or bake something, don't worry I have you covered! Check out my Sustainable Shopping List , all products and gifts are eco-friendly, and produced in the most ethical ways. The best part, they can be purchased online, anywhere, any time. Some brands even have carbon-offset delivery systems.
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