Eco Friendly Christmas Ideas

[Fridakahlofan]

Please spam me with ideas! Big or small.

A few to get us going:

1. Buying gifts locally and not relying on online deliveries
2. Using newspaper rather than wrapping paper
3. Getting creative and using bits and bobs I already have to make cards and decorations
4. Buying gifts second hand (my family have a deal where we buy one person a big present and everything else has to cost less than a fiver and come from a charity shop).
5. Perhaps I'll try to do a zero waste food shop for christmas - that will take a lot of planning
6. Generally not being a twat and throwing money at mindless christmas tat no one needs/likes...

Excellent ideas. I bought a couple of books in Oxfam today as presents. Books and charity shops what's not to like

In the past I have bought Lush stuff as presents as they heavily use natural ingredients and support groups like Plane Stupid.

My friend gave out totally plastic free Xmas gifts last year, sounds great, can end up being quite tricky....good to limit the plastic junk and waste though.

Most of the presents I'm giving this year are either 2nd hand, experiences or from small businesses (e.g. hand woven scarf, made by the business owner from local wool).

I'm using up old wrapping paper from previous years (when I didn't realise it couldn't be recycled)

I've just bought reusable crackers and am getting a friend, who has just launched an eco party gift business, to fill them.

I wrap gifts in nice pieces of fabric then re-use the fabric for other gifts. I saw it as something that is apparently a Japanese custom. It works well for me because I have lots of scraps of fabric. It could also make a nice present in it's own way, you could make a variety of fabric squares in different sizes and patterns and give as re-usable wrapping.
Here - www.pinterest.ca/morigami2/furoshiki-japanese-eco-friendly-wrapping-cloth/?lp=true

I have three 'families' that exchange gifts amongst themselves and it was getting ridiculous, so wasteful and expensive. My immediate family have agreed amongst the adults to just do Kris Kringle which is names drawn out of a hat and one gift is bought for one person, instead of $20 each on 5 presents equalling 25 fucking awkward gifts and a bunch of landfill, we have a limit of $100 on one lovely, thoughtful gift per person. I drew my brother in law this year and I've just bought him 3 tickets to see a band he loves. And that's all I need to get for that side of the family!

I managed to get another 'gift circle' into the secret santa/Kris Kringle which 75% of them really got into but two were unhappy because they live for buying and accruing mountains of garbage.

Ugh and Christmas with my MIL stresses me out. SO MUCH GARBAGE.

Well I just don't do Xmas so I think I win.

Anyway, use alternative wrappings, scarfs, material, blain paper, children's drawings - great for grandparents as they get a picture from their grandchild, used jam jars can also be a fun wrapper.

Amibambini

I'm guessing you are on the other side of the atlantic, that's 'secret santa' here. Recently I came across 'Dirty Santa'.

Dirty Santa - everyone in a group buys/makes a gift and wraps it
All the gifts go into a pile.
Person one picks a gift.
Person one can either keep the gift or give to someone else and open another, this they have to keep.
But another person can also 'stal' the gift, in which case person 1 has to pick another.
Gifts can only be stolen in one turn, and only 3 'steals' are allowed.