Go green this Christmas

Nowadays everywhere we look there are petitions, initiatives and protests about the state of the world's environment. And while I'm supportive of making big changes, I'm also a firm believer that every little thing counts. And the Holidays are just the perfect time of the year to start!

How many gifts have you bought just because you needed  to give someone something, not thinking whether the recipient would actually use it or not? How many trees have been slayed to produce the tons of wrapping paper that land in the trash can just minutes after gifts are opened?

So this year I have decided to go as green as possible for Christmas. How? Here are my tips for an environmentally friendly Christmas: 

1. Buy useful gifts

Yes, that's probably everyone's goal each year, but the truth is there are still a lot of things you buy that will probably gather dust in someone's shelf or closet for years to to come. It's true that thinking about what each person in your gifts-to-buy list will find useful is often harder than just impulsively getting something or other just to scratch that name off the list. But even so, give it a try. 

I know some people dislike receiving clothes or bath products but I, for one, truly prefer it. And I buy those things too as Christmas gifts. At least it's something you wear, or use up, and if you don't like the style or the scent, you can always exchange it for something more to your taste.

flamingo shopping or grocery bag

To be honest, when someone asks me what my kids want for Christmas these days, I almost always say buy them something to wear. They already have enough toys to last them two lifetimes and they always get more anyway from grandparents (and a few from us, if there's something special that they really want and we think it makes sense).

2. Re-gift

Don't be afraid to re-gift things that you got previously but will not use or you believe will be more appropriate for someone else. Just make sure that you keep a list of who gave you what, as you don't want to hurt anyone's sensitivities over the holidays. 

3. Do-it-yourself

Even if you are not a very crafty person, there are lots of gifts you can still make yourself. Even if there are only two weeks left until Christmas. Search on Google and Pinterest and see if anything inspires you. 

4. Buy green 

If you can't make it yourself, look look for handmade alternatives before you resort to impersonal items made by larger corporations and that usually come packed in a ton of plastic and cardboard. Look for eco-friendly gifts whenever possible.

Owl reusable face pads with wash bag

5. Don' buy wrapping paper

There are lots of alternatives to wrapping paper, from reusing previous gift packages, upcycling or creating your own reusable gift bags. In today's world, most things should be able to be used more than once, to avoid sending more waste to the landfills.

set of two Holidays gift bags

Happy Tuesday, and happy holidays!