Have yourself a greener Christmas

By Kari Hastings

The Gresham Outlook, Dec 1, 2006, Updated Oct 30, 2009

Get creative with your gift wrap this year — use comic book paper, as shown here, and reusable cloth ribbon for bows.

Carole Archer / The Gresham Outlook

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It is possible to have Christmas and also have a conscience. Deflect the bombardment of advertising and discard the glossy magazine images of what a “perfect” holiday looks like.

Keep in mind that, according to Metro, people in the Portland-metro area throw away 25 percent more garbage during the holiday season and recycling volumes increase by a third.

A more sustainable celebration is easier than you might think and can feel more creative and organic.

Here’s a few ideas on having a greener Christmas, culled from various sources and Web sites.

It’s a wrap

Breaking the gift-wrap habit isn’t easy, so here are a few ideas to get you started.

1. Design your own gift-wrap by using a paper grocery or department store bag and adding decorations such as drawings, stamped patterns or pictures cut from magazines. Let the children do the designing. It will keep them busy on stormy days.

2. Purchase sturdier gift bags (or save the ones that you receive) that can be used again for another present.

3. Hide a large, unwieldy gift somewhere in the house or yard and give the person a card with a clue, or a series of clue cards, to lead them to the present.

4. Save those gift boxes and use them again. Many gift boxes fold down and take little room to store in a closet or cabinet.

5. Start a tradition of Christmas stockings for each person. Little gifts can be put in the stocking without being wrapped. The stockings can be used year after year.

6. Wrap gifts in the funny pages or old posters (see picture).

7. If you do use store-bought wrapping paper, buy the kind with recycled content.

8. Use the gift itself as wrapping paper. For example, wrap a gift of cookware in a colorful tea towel or present athletic gear in a duffel bag.

9. Reuse bows and cloth ribbon. Here’s a hint — steam can rejuvenate bows that have been flattened or disfigured in storage. Hold the bow upside down over steam, being careful not to burn yourself. Then the bow can easily be reshaped.

10. Cut your own gift tags from last year’s Christmas cards or cut them out of wrapping paper.

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