First, a disclaimer: this is by no means an exhaustive blog post on how to stay "green" this holiday season. It is simply my own personal ideas and methods for saving not only energy and resources but also money. This post will hopefully inspire you to make one little change to your holiday season that will lighten your load on the planet.
Now, on to the post! The winter holiday season (and I'm primarily speaking of Christmas because it probably involves the most waste) is particularly rough on the planet. Tons of people travel, wrapping paper gets tossed in the trash, giant amount of (delicious) food is prepared, and gifts are passed around to no end. This is all super fun stuff, don't get me wrong! Who doesn't love ripping a giant sheet of bright paper off a brand new iPad, then sitting down to a great dinner with family and friends? But, there are a few ways that I reduce-reuse-recycle and each year I try to incorporate some new little trick.
First and foremost, I save gifts bags, tissue paper, ribbons, bows, and any other wrapping materials. I accumulate this stuff every year from other people and through saving it all I can wrap pretty much every single gift I give free of charge and free of materials! I keep a box in my cabinet filled with this stuff and simply pull it out whenever I need to give a gift. Assuming you have the space, this is the easiest way to reduce the amount of stuff that gets thrown away. I even go so far as to rescue wrapping stuff from other people who are just going to throw it away. And there is the classic Sunday-comics-as-wrapping-paper trick too.
Second, I do not feel bad about re-gifting. There is nothing wrong with taking something you don't really want (that is unopened/unused) and giving it to someone who will actually use the thing. I don't suggest re-gifting stuff just to get rid of it - the item does need to be a thoughtful gift. But really, there is no shame in giving something you don't want to someone who does! And in the event that you get something truly unusable, just donate it to Goodwill and hopefully some stranger will get some enjoyment from the thing.
Another way to reduce the amount of stuff in this world is to give the gift of homemade foods. I for one really enjoy receiving some delicious treats from friends/family, especially if it's something I can't or won't make myself. This is a super awesome way to save money, too! There are so many great recipes out there for chocolate dipped pretzels and truffles and cookies that I can always find some semi-unique little food item to give to people. Going to Goodwill and getting kitschy decorative plates tops off a nice plate of brownies and turns it into a cute gift.
Continuing with the topic of gifts, I try to shop at local stores. Sometimes this limits me monetarily because they do tend to have higher prices, but I really try to support my local economy when gift shopping. There are often items that I wouldn't be able to find anywhere else, especially those inspired by the local region (Boston, Somerville, the northeast in general). This can make for really thoughtful and unique gifts for friends and family. And seeking out the best local shops is a fun activity in and of itself, and even better if you do your shopping with a friend!
There are many ways in which I don't reduce/reuse/recycle. I still put out lights on the front steps, still have a small Christmas tree in the house (fake), still send cards and presents in the mail, and will always be traveling somewhere for the holidays. But these are things that are important to me! Lights are so pretty and fun, but to offset them a bit I made sure to buy my lights at Goodwill and they are on a timer. I try to get my cards from local artists/crafters at a craft fair each winter. When I travel I bring my water bottle and some snacks in tupperware so I don't have to buy stuff in the terminal. I'm not perfect, but I'm trying! And I hope you will too :).
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