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Christmas is a time for sharing and giving. Trees, lanterns, nativity sets and all kinds of holiday decorations fill the air with Christmas spirit. There are bright lights, colorful displays and shiny decorations almost everywhere you go.
Do you stop and think of the environment in the midst of all these busy Christmas festivities?
Here are some ways to show that you care for the environment this Christmas season.
1. Alternative Christmas tree
Many of us have artificial Christmas trees that we bring out and decorate every year. If you’re thinking of retiring your old artificial Christmas tree and getting a new one … think twice. Instead of getting a new artificial tree, choose an eco-friendly alternative. How about using a potted tree? Buy one and adorn it with Christmas decorations. A live potted tree is still a better alternative than a tree that was cut down.
2. Eco-friendly decorations
Many department stores are selling all kinds of Christmas decorations. Instead of purchasing commercially available decorations, why not make your own eco-friendly ornaments this holiday season?
Old printouts and magazine pages can be cut out to form paper snowflakes which you can hang on your Christmas tree or around the house. Check out Highhopes.com for a detailed instruction of how to make paper snowflakes. The site features tutorials of different paper snowflakes made in different cuts. All you need are recycled paper, a pair of sharp scissors and a bit of patience to make your own beautiful snowflakes.
Decorations made from edible ingredients would look great with your potted tree. If you love baking, why not make gingerbread cookies that you can hang in your tree? The whole family can take part in the baking activity down to the hanging of the cookies. It would be a great treat for your guests if you allow them to pick holiday cookies straight from your tree. Celebrity chef Nigella Lawson shares her personal gingerbread tree decorations on msnbc.com.
Forget about plastic garlands this year. The whole family can enjoy making dried pasta garland. It’s inexpensive and at the same time easy to make. Young kids can join the fun with supervision from older members of the family.
3. Green wrapping alternative
Substantial amounts of trash which include Christmas wrappers are accumulated around the world during the holidays. Take note that most commercially available Christmas wrapping papers do not have recycled content. Some wrappers are hard to recycle because of their metal fiber or foil.
Gifts can still look nice and colorful using recycled materials such old magazines, old calendars, comic section of a newspaper and old maps. Add colorful accents to newspapers to make it an appealing Christmas wrapper. For those who have young kids, using some of their artwork can be a creative wrapping choice. Reusable jars or cans make good packaging for edible gifts. Also try making your own gift wrap using recycled brown bags.
You can also use eco bags as gift bags. Eco bags are relatively inexpensive and can be reused by the recipient of the gift. You can also use scarves, bandanas and other useful fabrics to wrap Christmas gifts.
4. Use energy-saving Christmas lights
Christmas lights make the surroundings look more festive during the holidays. Compared to traditional Christmas lights, Light Emitting Diodes (LED) lights use less energy. In fact, LED lights use 90 percent less energy than conventional lights which converts to more savings.
LED Christmas lights are available in many stores. They cost a little more than traditional lights but the long-term savings compensate for its initial cost. LED lights are also brighter, more reliable and longer lasting.
5. Send paperless cards and greetings
In this day and age, more people have access to computers and the Internet. Sending electronic cards (e-cards) to family, friends and colleagues during Christmas is considered economically friendly compared to traditional paper cards. E-cards are also cheaper because you don’t have to buy cards and pay for stamps anymore. E-cards can also reach recipients faster compared to snail mail. If the recipient does not have computer and Internet connection, a phone call is also a good way to convey holiday greetings.
6. Support local products
Choose locally available products as gifts instead of ordering gifts from faraway places which require shipping. Remember that transportation plays a major contribution to greenhouse emissions and global warming. Buying local products from the local marketplace does not require added costs of transportation.
7. Re-gifting Christmas presents
There are mixed opinions about the etiquette behind re-gifting or passing on a gift that you don’t need to someone else. If you think about it, keeping a gift that you do not need is wasteful. It seems more practical to give the gift to someone else who might have a good use for it than forgetting about it in the storage.
The rule is to be careful not to offend the person who originally gave the gift. It is a good idea to re-gift an item to someone who does not have close affiliation with the original giver. It is helpful to list down or at least take a mental note of the gifts you received and their respective givers. This will prevent gifts from accidentally going back to original givers.
Photos: “First Star” by Cas, c/o Flickr. Some Rights Reserved; “First Star” by Cas, c/o Flickr. Some Rights Reserved; “Gingerbread Man ...” byDaniel Catt, c/o Flickr. Some Rights Reserved.
Videos: “Make Original Paper Snowflakes highhopes no. 3” c/o Youtube; “Nigella Lawson – Edible Christmas Tree decoration” c/o Youtube; “How to Make Pasta Garlands: Tying Different Pasta Together for Pasta Garland” c/o Youtube; “Cute Parcel Gift Wrap – Eco-Friendly Craft Ideas by Shiho Masuda” c/ Youtube.
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Rachel Yapchiongco, also known as Rach to her friends, is a Psychology and Marketing Management graduate of De La Salle University. She took up MBA at the same university. Rachel is a full-time mom to a charming young boy and married to an entrepreneur with a passion for cooking. She shares parenting experiences and slices of everyday life on her personal blog called Heart of Rachel.
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