Christmas Gifts, Holiday Traditions and Going Green

November 3, 2008 By 28 Comments



E-MEALZ EASY AND DELICIOUS DINNER RECIPESHalloween is over and the next holiday that my son starts to talk about is Christmas. Not that Thanksgiving isn’t important but really he doesn’t like turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing and pie and he gets bored with football on the television. Are family celebrates thanksgiving with gusto but for my son, Christmas is what he cares about and it begins with thinking of the decorations, what he will ask Santa for, where we will put our Christmas tree and when we will make cookies.

While my son thinks about Christmas toys, Christmas trees lights, and holiday cookies this green eco-friendly mom is trying to figure out how to green our holiday Christmas traditions. Luckily the book, Green Christmas by, Jennifer Basye Sander and Peter Sander was sent my way and its helping me to figure out some great ways to green up my holiday without losing the joy.

The book, Green Christmas gives some great suggestions on involving my family in the green Christmas movement. Suggesting ideas on cutting energy, reducing the waste of wrapping paper, recycling gifts and reducing the number of gifts given and received. What I like about the book is how practical it is, not large and cumbersome. It also focuses on family time and involvement.

Green Christmas doesn’t just talk about holiday gift giving but Christmas entertaining, green Christmas money saving tips, ways to create a green holiday environment and best of all why to celebrate a eco-friendly holiday. We seem to forget that it’s important to cut back on Co2 emissions whether it’s a holiday or not. Christmas shopping, cards, parties and responsibilities seem more important. Except there are little things we can do that make a difference and add up to make a big difference.

Here are some tips that I will be using this holiday season to green my holiday:

1. The children will be receiving fewer gifts and ones that are either useful, can be used long term and if possible not plastic.

2. Fewer lights which means less energy wasted. We don’t need outdoor lights twinkling and it just boosts are electric bill.

3. No new holiday decorations. I have tubs upon tubs of decorations and it’s time to purge and donate some of these. No need for new ones.

4. Give back and donate gifts to families in need. Each year we pick an angel off the Christmas tree at church but this year each of us will pick an angel and the children will help to pick the gifts out for the families. I want them to learn how fortunate they are and how it feels good to help others.

5. Toys…the children have to many. To help the children make room for new toys I want them to go through and decide which ones they do not want and we will donate them to charity.

Would you like to green your holiday? Green and Clean Mom has a copy of the book, Green Christmas, to give away to one G&CM reader. Just leave a comment on how you are trying to green your Christmas this year. One winner will randomly be drawn on November 11, 2008. Winning has been notified. Congrats Mom of One!

Here are your random numbers:

16

Timestamp: 2008-11-13 15:58:41 UTC


Filed Under: Green Giveaways, Green Goods and Reviews, Green Holidays and Celebrations Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
  • http://simple-green-organic-happy.blogspot.com/ robin

    We’ve completely done away with wrapping paper. We reuse UPS boxes (decorating the boxes with glitter and reused ribbon) and make gift bags out of scrap fabric. We also reuse gift bags we’ve received from others (this has become a sort of family joke, as we try to give the same bags back to the same people) and shred the colorful papers we receive from school to use instead of tissue paper.

    I always hated the way we’d fill huge bags with wrapping paper on Christmas morning, even if was going to be recycled!

    robins last blog post..Happy Halloween!

  • Rebecca

    We have given hand made gifts for years and only wraped with a reuseable ribbon. This year we are going to be creative and reuse papers to wrap the kids presents.

  • http://whenicomeupforair.blogspot.com Beth Coming Up

    I find it interesting that you should write this article the same day I write about us having to go frugal this Christmas. To me, frugal = green. We are adopting all the items in your checklist above! My post goes up at 8 am this morning. I’d love to read this book to help us get through this Christmas in a positive, green, and frugal manner. My kids are so used to lavish Christmases. I think this year will be hard on them, but a good learning experience. We are trying, really trying, to help them understand the economy as well as being “green”. I think this book would be fantastic for us!

    Pick me! Pick me! :)

    Beth Coming Ups last blog post..Love it with a Big L!

  • T.A.

    Something we’ll do this year is put all the toys/gifts in one big box. Serving two purposes, 1- The kids don’t get wrapped up in the “number” of things, and they can still be excited for gifts. 2- Less trash for us and the garbage. I love Christmas. Also as far as food goes, we usually make too much and although we seem to eat the leftovers alright, who really likes to eat leftovers for 3 days following, so goal make what we will eat and save the rest for the next feeding frenzy.

  • http://overcoffee822.blogspot.com/ Lena

    For the past few years we have been trying to do this. We use Christmas cards from the previous years to make our own wrapping paper. Last year only the kids in our family received gifts and those gifts were made by the kids for each other. This year we are doing something similar. We also make cookies, fudge, and Christmas ornaments to give to friends and family members. We try to keep the present part low key and emphasize the spirit of Christmas.

    Lenas last blog post..Passive Composting

  • Michelle Gudmunsen

    It’s fun to use our local newspaper to wrap gifts. We like seeing which headlines and local photos are going to adorn the package, and then the whole effort is recyclable, too. I always try to use fabric ribbons, so they can be reused for years and years.

    It’ll be hard, but we’re aiming to give one Santa gift and one parent gift to each of our two boys. There may be a few stocking stuffers, too, and we realize we can’t control the grandparents, but our goal is to have the kids be able to say, “This gift is from so-and-so,” as the years pass.

  • alison

    I am also trying to cut back on gifts for my son, and make gifts for family and friends (using repurposed wool sweaters!)

  • http://psychmamma.wordpress.com PsychMamma

    Great giveaway! I’m adding this book to my wishlist in case I don’t win here!

    We’re also giving fewer gifts this year, and going for lasting, wooden, “green” options instead of plastic.

    We always purge older toys that don’t get played with much before holidays like Christmas and birthdays and donate the older toys to Goodwill

    For the last 2 years, our tree has been a blue spruce that’s planted outside our window.

    This year we’re giving fewer gifts and instead opting for making a donation in their name to a charity

    The gifts we DO give, we wrap in recycled paper like newspaper or paper grocery bags.

    PsychMammas last blog post..EcoBrain eBooks Review and Giveaway!

  • http://dreamingmama.wordpress.com Rebecca T.

    Less gifts
    Thrifted gifts
    Recycling gift bags

    Rebecca T.s last blog post..Homemade Perfume

  • http://gidgetgoeshome.com Gidget

    We’re trying to hand make all or almost all of our gifts this year rather than buying!

    Gidgets last blog post..Helping Your Kids Love Food

  • http://www.greenglancy.com Deanna

    This Christmas I am going to be making all my gifts. Recycling vintage fabrics into aprons and baby bibs. Im still looking for ideas for more manly gifts but this books sounds great.

  • http://craftsbykatie.blogspot.com Katrina

    This year I am trying to make as many of my Christmas gifts as possible. I am also purging my apartment of anything that we are no longer using. Instead of filling a landfill, I am posting the items on freecycle if it’s something that I think someone else can use. Everything else, I am trying to recycle as much as possible. I would so love this book to get some new ideas. Thanks for a great giveaway!

    Katrinas last blog post..Don’t forget to Vote.

  • suz

    this year i think our big green move is going to be a way to reuse our old broken fake xmas tree. we said last year that we will need a new one this year (even though we put it back in the attic) but i think with some duct tape and LOTS of ornaments–and we have plenty–that it can be reused again! this may not seem too big of a deal but those trees are big and i would ate to throw it away. plus who knows what kind of chemicals will be given off from a new one!
    hope to get some better ideas from the book! thanks again for a great giveaway!

  • http://healthygreenmoms.com/blog/postpartum-depression-and-the-many-faces-of-new-motherhood/ Monica

    Thanks for the suggestions!
    We are going to do natural gifts – home made, artisan, local etc and then use recycled wrap or cloth bags. We’re finally getting on the LED bandwagon to save energy.
    We are also going to donate old toys and no new plastic toys are allowed in the house this year – (a polite request to our family) Yeahoo!
    Sounds like a great book, I know there’s so much more I can do!

  • http://crunchydomesticgoddess.com crunchy domestic goddess (amy)

    we’re trying to go without wrapping paper this year. play silks will be used instead to wrap up presents. :)

    crunchy domestic goddess (amy)s last blog post..How do small cuts in your family budget affect your kids?

  • http://everydaymomofone.blogspot.com Mom of One

    We reuse christmas bags from the previouse year and I keep paper and other wrappings from packages ot use instead of buying tissue paper. We also just have 2 strands of lights outside and these are LED lights that save ALOT of electricity.

    We get our tree from a Christmas Tree Farm that reseeds ad replants every year.

    I also use decorations from last year to make new ones for this year.

  • http://www.kellystreasure.com/c/Christian-Gifts Christian Gifts

    @Mom of One

    Over the past 5 years we have collected HUNDREDS of xmas bags. It’s a great way to save some money but you better have a good place to keep them because they will always pile up!

  • Tirzah

    What a great post! I think everyone in the world should read this and be more green focused!

    Our family will also be doing the green Christmas. Like so many others that have commented, we are not using wrapping paper, only making out gifts this year and going all natural with gifts that may have to be bought. Another thing that we are doing is making all our Christmas decorations this year. So long to the pretty plastic bulbs and plastic tinsel. My boys have enjoyed seraching for pine cones and leaves that we will decorate and use on the tree. They have also helped in tearing scraps of fabric that we are using for garland. We are excited for our natural tree!

    Thanks again for the great post and the inspiring blog.

  • http://www.thegreenperspective.com Todd B

    Hello! Great post and we also love the no wrapping concept..it is the whole idea behind our green gift baskets http://www.thegreenperspective.com. Maybe we should collaborate? thanks! Todd B

  • Connie K

    Resale shopping is a great way to go. I’ve already purchased a couple “like new” items for gift exchanges. Going Green is Great!

  • http://www.greenstudents.ca Sarah

    My company, Green Students Fundraising, has created an environmental holiday fundraiser that can help out moms who feel they should contribute to their child’s school. And now they can, but by donating knowledge and eco-friendly goods. It’s a great way to shift the school’s goals to those that can benefit the community. And empowering our kids with knowledge and tools is a great gift that can last a lifetime.
    (a href= “www.greenstudents.ca”>Check out Green Students Fundraising.

  • http://www.christmasgiftsfinder.com Hunter@ Gifts for Him

    I agree get the kids something they can use for years to come. Last year i got my nephew a superman action figure and it is already in the garbage can. He is into spiderman now. Great idea, get the kids something that will last them.

  • http://hubpages.com/hub/changetheworldandbecomeanangel CECIL

    Thanks for this wonderful post! I really can’t belive it’s almost Christmas. Sants and cookies here I come!

  • http://www.christmastreeangeltopper.com/ DEAN

    This post just reminded me that Christmas is around the cornor! Time to break out the Winter clodths!

  • uniquegiftbaskets

    We are are not buying any decorations and also wrapping papers. I have made some nice gift bags and will use that. I know they wont be thrown away. As for the family members i have made some spa and bath products. Found some nice ideas from Martha's side.

    This year more recycling and no unneccessary wastages :)

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