How do you plan (if you do) to make this Christmas a little "greener?"

[dixiechick]

I've been thinking about changing my tradition of baked goodies for neighbors to giving planted Christmas trees for them. This would eliminate me using electricity and time, and hopefully our neighbors will plant them and help out Mother Nature a bit--

--any other ideas?

 

[Henrietta23]

I just bought this book tonight but haven't started reading it yet.
http://www.amazon.com/Green-Christm...bs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1228004610&sr=8-1
One thing I am doing is giving handmade reusable shopping bags as gifts. We don't put lights up anywhere other than the tree so nowhere to cut back there. I'm looking forward to hearing others' ideas! Thanks for starting this thread.

 

[setter4]

I just found an awesome gift to use for all my little gift exchanges and I think it will count as green (er).
We do about 15 exchanges of around $10 and it hard to find something good.
I am going to do the cards from Puppies Behind Bars. They take the puppies to prisons where the inmates raise and train them to be either explosive sniffing dogs or service dogs.
I checked up on them and they seem to have an excellent rating for a non-profit.
I am really excited about this. The cards are $10 each.

 

[Chicabee19]

We recycle bows and gift bags, do not have a Christmas tree, do not send out cards, and definitely recycle the mound of boxes and cardboard.

 

[JennsPeeps]

I'm making my gifts.

Mom is getting a hat & matching mittens, and an herbes de provence mix from my yard.
Dad will get wool socks, a scarf (if I can get it done in time) & sauerkraut.
Brother is getting fingerless gloves, hot cocoa mix, and homemade marshmallows.
DBF is getting a roof over his head (HA)... and the one gift I bought: how to play the guitar DVD & manual.

I canned a whole bunch of things last summer, so I'll give some of those away as gifts. All the produce I canned is local, with some of it from my yard.

I made sure that the wool I bought wasn't from China. I think that the DVD is, but oh well.

Oh, and we got chickens. That's green!

 

[RockyToggRanch]

I will not (and haven't in years) sacrifice a tree for christmas. I buy a living potted tree and plant it afterward, or use a small artificial.
We recycle everything in NY, wrapping paper included. Yes, tons of homeade gifts.

 

[BayCityBabe]

I will try to ease off the paper gift wrap by wrapping items in scarves, bandanas, etc. or putting them in useful boxes. I have used the funny pages for wrapping paper for years, now. Baked goods packaged in an attractive kitchen towel is thoughtful and useful.
DH likes to give wine for the holidays. He is known for just pulling the bottle out of his coat & saying, "Here you go!" (Happy Minimalism!

).
As far as reducing our carbon footprints, the most impactful thing we are doing is staying home! No more week in Jamaica, 10 days in Aruba, for us. I'll be lucky to make it down to Bronner's in Frankenmuth!

 

[Henrietta23]

We only use wrapping paper that we've already got. My SIL and I started sewing gift bags from Christmas fabric a few years ago and we reuse those. We've cut back on cards over the years.
Last year I didn't go to either of the large shopping malls between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Instead we shopped locally. Both malls are over half an hour away so this does save some fuel!

 

[debilorrah]

We have an artificial tree amd re-use bags and wrappings and bows and ribbons, etc. We have done that for years.

 

[chickiebaby]

We shop locally only and do not go to malls for any holiday gifts at all.