Dreaming of a Green Christmas

The Christmas season is a time for peace, joy and goodwill towards all. Unfortunately, it is also a
time where natural resources are consumed at an alarming rate and extra burdens are piled on an
already overly taxed environment.

Taking a quick look at the environmental toll of Christmas paints us a disturbing picture. Each
year, over 1 million pine trees are cut down just for the holiday season. Additionally, people send
out over 2 billion Christmas cards and over 37,000 miles of gift ribbon is consumed. These items
not only use precious resources, but after the season they often end up taking up space in a
landfill.

However, Christmas doesn't have to be a burden on the environment. While being greener often only seems to be the concern of environmentalists and academics, you should also strive to enjoy the pleasures of the season without unnecessarily polluting the environment. All it takes to make a difference is to look at the holiday season in a different way and change a few of your habits.

1. Christmas Trees

According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), over 33 million trees are bought
during the Christmas season, and many of them will end up in landfills. However this can be
avoided by buying a planted tree. Planted trees can be purchased for a nominal price and last
considerably longer than trees that have been cut down. Best of all, after the holiday season
you can plant these trees on your property or donate them to a local park. Thus, the decorating
with a pre-planted tree not only prevents trees from being needlessly cut down and being thrown
away in the local landfill after the holidays, but also allows you to contribute something to the
environment.

You might also want to consider renting a Christmas trees specifically for the holidays. Many local
nurseries will rent out trees for the holiday season for a nominal fee. If you must cut down your
own tree, make sure to recycle it after the holidays (most states offer tree recycling programs).
While it is not as green as buying a potted tree, it does ease the burden on the environment.

2. Gift Wrapping

Tons of wrapping paper and wrapping accessories make their way into landfills each year. This can
be avoided by simply thinking out of the box. Instead of buying fancy wrapping paper, use the
comic section of old newspapers to wrap your gifts. Similarly, old VHS tape film and the strings
from old mini-blinds make excellent replacements for gift ribbons. If you're shipping packages,
you can use peanut shells and the filling from old pillows as replacements for packaging peanuts
and bubble wrap.

You can also pack your gifts in tins and boxes. Not only is this an attractive way to package your
presents, but these containers can also be reused year after year. In fact, some people make
reusing these tins a part of their holiday tradition. One year a family might receive gift wrapped in
one of these tins and the next year they will use them to give gifts to other families.

Giving gifts that don't require much wrapping at all is an even better idea. Presents such as gift
certificates, concert tickets and sporting event tickets save a considerable amount of packaging.
However if you feel that your gifts absolutely have to be wrapped in festive packaging, then
try to buy Christmas wrapping that contains a minimum of 60 percent post-consumer recycled
paper. This wrapping paper can then be recycled again after the holidays. Visit Earth 911 to find
recycling programs in your area.

3. Christmas Lights

According to the EPA, LED Christmas lights consume 90 percent less energy than conventional
Christmas lights. Aside from saving energy they also offer a few other benefits. First of all, they
don't get hot to the touch and won't start a holiday fire. Secondly, when one light burns out the
entire strand will continue working. You can be even greener (and save money) by placing your
Christmas lights on a timer. This way the lights can be programmed to shut down during daylight
hours and to come on during evening hours.

Following the tips above will ensure that your holiday season will not only be pleasant, but green
as well. A green Christmas is not only a gift to yourself but also a gift to the planet and future
generations – something that everyone can enjoy for many years to come.

Brittany Lyons aspires to be a psychology professor, but decided to take some time off from grad school to help people learn to navigate the academic lifestyle. She currently lives in Spokane, Washington, where she spends her time reading science fiction and walking her dog.

Have a Calm, Green Christmas

Take one moment and imagine what it would be like to enjoy a totally stress-free Christmas. What if you could simply enjoy the holiday? 

Instead of rushing around to stores or spending hours bent over the computer ordering, or bent-over period wrapping, cooking and doing the million other tasks that seem to be required for the “perfect day,” you might imagine yourself snuggled comfortably on the sofa, maybe an eggnog (spiked or not) in hand, music playing, a fire crackling, surrounded by friends and loved ones, your face lit my a smile. (Not the pained smile of relief!)
 
While that vision might appear about as real as Cinderella, it doesn’t have to remain a fairy tale. 

With a little thought and release of habit and perfectionistic tendencies, it’s possible to live the dream.

Here are a few ways to make it come true.

Sit down with your family and talk about past Christmases. 
Was everyone satisfied with how things went? If not, what would you like to change? If mom has felt overwhelmed, how can the rest of the family pitch in to help? This may mean that mom gives up some control, but if she’s willing to do that, she may find some burdens lifted. If dad is tired of putting up the lights, maybe this year you forget his pinning them around the eves and decorate a tree he can reach without a ladder. The idea is to, as much as possible, relieve the pressure on everyone.

Make a sign (on recycled paper of course), that emphasizes meaning over things, whether those things are perfect décor, food or gifts. Place the sign where everyone in the family will see it. 

·        Take a realistic look at the number of gifts you plan to give and the amount you plan to spend. Will Christmas leave you with credit card debt you’ll be paying well into swim season? Is this necessary? Is it wise? How about making gifts from items you have on hand? Or making up songs or poems or choosing to give only gifts of time spent together?

·        As you’re thinking about Christmas, consider the environmental costs of things like wrapping paper. Forget buying it and you not only save money, but help the planet out too. Very little of the wrapping paper purchased is recycled and even doing that takes energy.

·     What kinds of family activities do you find relaxing and fun? Choose to do one or two of those as the holiday approaches. None of them need cost any money. 

·     Give yourself the gift of calm every day. Ask your mate or a friend for a massage, a cup of tea, time for a bath or a walk. Think about what would help, then request it.

·     Stay away from the frenzy. Avoid any activity you find stressful from malls to tree lighting ceremonies attended by thousands of people.  

·     Surround yourself in peace. Turn the lights down, burn beeswax candles, play soft music during stressful times. For instance, if preparing dinner for the kids is a nightmare, create a quiet atmosphere and ask them to whisper. Make it a game and they will likely play along.

·     Make eye contact. One reason children seem to act out more around the holidays is because they want attention. Simply sitting with them for a few minutes at a time, looking them in the eye (no distractions) and talking, is calming and may help calm you too.

·     Say “No.” Refuse to take on any more than you can comfortably handle. You do not have to bake cookies for your kids’ school just because you’re the only mom available. If they don’t have cookies for their party, it’s not your problem. Seriously, you can’t do everything and the more you say “yes,” the more you’ll be expected to take on. 

·     Approach your holiday meal with the thought that the most important thing is to have everyone gathered together for a fun and meaningful event, not to have so much food that no one can get up from the table without help! What this means is to shop carefully in terms of the amount of food you purchase so that little is wasted. If you find planning a huge meal stressful, how about simplifying it. Try a fondue, desserts only (and guests bring them), or a lunch, when people tend to be happier with less.

Remember that having a green Christmas isn’t about buying and neither is enjoying a calmer one. It’s about realizing the simple joys that come from being together and knowing how easy (and inexpensive), it is to achieve.

Lynn Colwell and Corey Colwell-Lipson are mother and daughter and co-authors of Celebrate Green! Creating Eco-Savvy Holidays, Celebrations and Traditions for the Whole Family, available at www.CelebrateGreen.net 

Wrap It Up Green

Did you know that if every American wrapped just three gifts in something other than virgin paper, we save 47,000 football fields of paper every year?

Unbelievable, but true.

So how to wrap pretty packages without paper?

Switch to fabric.

Whatever look you prefer can be created with fabric -- from super sophisticated to down-home cozy. And there are other bonuses from using this material instead of paper:

Depending on what you use, a silk scarf, for instance, when you wrap with fabric, you're giving a gift within a gift

Fabric-wrapped packages don't require tape or scissors. For that matter, they don't need ribbon either.
Your recipient can keep the fabric to use (in the case of a scarf or handkerchief, for example), or pass it on.
Fabric wraps have a very long life.

And one more thing, wrapping with fabric is fun! It's easy to learn the many techniques for wrapping anything from a piece of jewelry to a bottle of wine or even a basketball! Celebrate Green's instruction page illustrates more than a dozen wrapping techniques.

The least expensive way to go is to use what you already have either as is (in the case of a silk scarf), or by cutting up sheets (decorate them if you like), remnants, or even a piece of clothing, into a square of the appropriate size for the gift.

You can cut squares with pinking shears; sew two pieces of cloth wrong sides together, then turn right side out and iron flat; or fold over edges and sew by hand or machine.

Or, if you're not the DIY type, you can puchase beautiful pre-made wrapping cloths or fabric bags. In addition to wraps, you'll find lots of choices in fabric bags. While you'll miss out on the fun of perfecting your wrapping techniques, these bags make quick work of getting those gifts good-to-go.

Using fabric instead of paper to is easy, affordable and Earth-friendly. Time to get wrappin'!

Lynn Colwell and Corey Colwell-Lipson are mother and daughter and co-authors of Celebrate Green! Creating Eco-Savvy Holidays, Celebrations and Traditions for the Whole Family, available at www.CelebrateGreen.net