green xmas....

[monstermon]

green xmas....

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i refuse to buy wrapping paper because I hate to buy anything that you use once and then through away. for a long time presents from me were always wrapped in newspaper, plastic bags, paper bags, reused wrapping paper, old envelopes, shoeboxes, or whatever else I could find lying in the recycling.

But last year I made up a whole bunch of bags out of xmas fabric with matching ribbons (a variety of sizes) and gave presents in those. Of course, since I gave them all away with the presents I have to make more this year, but I'm hoping that we will reach a point where everyone we exchange gifts with has some and each year we are just swapping them around.

I've also been buying remnants when I spot ones I like to make gift bags for birthday presents.

They are so easy to make (basic rectangle shape, with a ribbon sewn in the side seam so 2 pieces hang out, IYKNIM)

Does anyone have any other ideas of things you can do to make Xmas greener...?

[Lavender]

Re: green xmas....

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My family swaps paper gift bags! We started it more because of the $$$ but it also doubles as recycling. Very similar to your fabric bag idea. This year all pressies may come in paper gift bags with baby prints on them as I got so many when Logan was born.

[Eilleen]

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I usually use photos as cards.

If possible, I also try to present the gift in a really nice way so I don't need wrapping (ie. ala babycupcakes style)

Here's a pic of what I'm talking about:


Above is a actually a towel, facewashers and a wondersuit in the middle. (isn't it cool?? and no wrapping!!)

[hanabi]

Re: green xmas....

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Actually, I always request tissue paper for wrapping as I love to use the intense colours in our home-recycled paper... Craft activites we do....

I hate getting celophane!!

[JAK]

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Eilleen, I love that. I'm really interested in greener ways to give presents - we're going to make alot of our own wrapping paper this year.

[kelli]

Re: green xmas....

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what fantastic ideas, keep em coming

[Rach]

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Wow, Eilleen. Did you do that? I'm not clever enough in the artistic dept.

[Heidi T]

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http://www.forums.naturalparenting.c...read.php?t=457

Ooooooh I just realised...scroll down to the bottom of this page...there is a list of similar threads...WOW, I have never noticed that before!
The one I just posted is Meo's one that is listed below. Oh man that's cool!

[Heidi T]

Re: green xmas....

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hehehe, I guess green poo isn't really a related thread though unless your kids eat green jelly for Xmas bwahahaha

[Eilleen]

Re: green xmas....

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I didn't do that particular one but that's where I got the idea. Its really just a matter of rolling up cloth to make them look like flowers. I use biscuit tins, shoe boxes or even a book as the base. Excess cloth you just tuck underneath to "bring up" the base.

Thanks for the link Heidi - there are some fantastic ideas there!

Another thing I do (if I'm not giving anything with cloth) is to "cook" my wrapping - kinda like the way you do a cob loaf. You can do that with any cake. You can make it a "theme" - eg, you're giving CDs, then you make a cake to look like an old record player and when they lift the "lid", there are the CDs with the names of the people you're giving the CD's too. (P.S. I buy my sponge cake - too much hassle to make it from scratch.) Last year, I cheated and made choc fudge for everyone and put that inside little hollow cakes for each of them.