My friend Jill is big on respecting the turkey (so no Christmas talk until after Thanksgiving). Our Thanksgiving is in early October but that just seems way to early to start focusing on Christmas. Usually I start after Halloween but IHO Jill I held off until after the US Thanksgiving.
So lets talk about having a Green Holiday. What are some simple things you can do to have less of an impact this holiday season?
Christmas Tree
I will fully admit that I am guilty of having a fake tree (I will wait while you throw stuff at me.....are you done yet? Good.). When we first got it we were living in a condo. Condo rules = no real trees. It doesn't make sense environmentally or financially to get rid of our fake tree to get a real one now. But once we finish our basement we will most likely have 2 trees. One downstairs and one upstairs in the front window. We can have that second one be real.
When purchasing a real tree look for something that can be planted after the holiday season is over. If that doesn't work for you then look for a tree that is grown locally. This will cut down on the emissions from transporting it.
Gobble Gobble
Christmas isn't Christmas without turkey. Go for an organic turkey from a local farmer. It will cost you more than the 99 cent/lb from the grocery store but it will be worth it.
Wrapping Presents
Does everyone have a kajillion gift bags stashed away in a closet somewhere? I make sure I use these for the adults and then wrap the gifts for the kids. I don't want them to miss out on the excitement of ripping into their presents! Right now we are using up the old wrapping paper we bought years and years ago but once it is gone we will be looking for new ways to wrap gifts. I am going to look into recycled wrapping paper and also maybe making our own. There are lots of natural ways to wrap your gifts and lets face it they look pretty spectacular!
What are some ways that you plan on reducing your impact this holiday season?
Related Posts - Check them out
-Buying (mostly) handmade gifts, locally or from Etsy.com.
ReplyDelete-We won't be decorating, so no going out and getting a bunch of Christmas themed stuff to put everywhere (plus we definitely have enough).
LOL! Thanks for the respect!! Great ideas :)
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