Greening the Holidays

It may be too soon to start thinking about Christmas...

I’m not a particularly Christmassy person in many ways, so tend to leave most of the preparation until more or less the last minute. I do however, make most of my own greetings cards for the holiday season, a task that I usually start in October. Here are some of this year’s designs so far:

All these cards are made from card stock and embellishments that I’ve bought from second hand shops. I also buy a few cards from a charity shop too, in case I run out of time to make enough and because some people (inexplicably to me) don’t like homemade cards.

When it comes to wrapping gifts, I usually re-use wrapping paper from previous years, choosing pieces that are in basically good condition. I had a friend who used to iron the wrapping paper before re-using it, but I don’t go that far. If the pieces of paper aren’t large enough, I like to combine different papers, as in these two examples from previous years.

I try to buy ethical gifts, either good quality second hand items or gifts from ethical companies. I don’t spend loads on gifts, I try to focus on gifts that suit the recipient. (There are some interesting ideas in this article (and the comments section) about minimalist gift giving). I sometimes buy ‘gifts for good’ where the recipient only gets a card, which says that I’ve donated to charity in their name (again, some people, inexplicably to me, don’t like this way of gifting, so I wouldn’t do this for everyone). A number of charities these days offer this option, which you can either buy online, by post or sometimes in a charity shop. For example, People’s Trust for Endangered Animals offer this range of affordable options, while Tree Aid offer a range of gifts in different price ranges. Oxfam offers Oxfam Unwrapped gifts, which can generally be purchased from any of the charity’s shops.

Most years we have a living Christmas tree in a pot, brought in from my mother-in-laws garden and returned to the garden after the festive season. I decorate the tree with a range of vintage and handmade decorations, including repurposed earrings.

On Christmas Day, we have a nut roast with potatoes and vegetables, then I make a trifle, as it’s lighter than a traditional Christmas pudding.

What are your top tips for a greener holiday season?

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Interesting Articles

Appreciate Winter for What it is! on the Guardian newspaper website.

What I’m Reading

Turning the Boat for Home by Richard Mabey - essays from his life writing about nature.

Alchemy by Rae Spencer - poetry about nature, ecology and biological science

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