Green Gift Ideas for a Merry Christmas

Green Christmas presents are gifts that conserve resources, cut back on waste and energy use, and contribute to a clean environment. With a little creativity, you should be able to think of all kinds of ways to make Christmas gift items or ornaments with green or recycled materials. Not only will this save energy and waste, but it can save lots of money too so that you can give as much as you possibly can to those you care about. Here are a few time-tested and appreciated ideas that are easy to put to together for friends, family, or teachers. Maybe they can even spark ideas for other things that you can do.

Clay Ornaments

An easy to make creative gift that is also eco-friendly is a clay ornament. All you need to make the dough is flour (two parts), water (one part), and salt (one part). In that ratio of 2:1:1, mix the ingredients together, knead for a minimum of 10 minutes, and then roll out the dough to cut out shapes.

Before baking, it’s a good idea to put a hole in the top for hanging, and make it larger than you normally would because the dough will shrink in the oven. Bake them at 325 degrees F., for about one and a half hours. They are fun to paint and decorate and you can get the kids involved too. The possibilities for clay ornaments are as limitless as your imagination. When they are finished you can put them in a festively decorated recycled box.

Gift Baskets

Everyone loves to receive gift baskets. They are also easy to make as well as eco-friendly. The basket itself can be a recycled basket, container, or wrapped cardboard box. Children’s artwork can make attractive wrapping for gift baskets. If your children have produced more artwork than you can use, you can shred extra to be used as bedding to hold the gifts.

Just about anything can fill a gift basket. It can be themed to fit the interests of the recipient. Gifts that anyone would love include homemade candy, jams, or cookies. Natural, organic lotions or bath products would make a nice gift for teachers. Children can always help to make gift baskets or containers. Aluminum cans can be covered with a photo or painted to make a nice pen holder. Shoe boxes can be recycled and decorated to hold treasures too.

Natural Wreaths

At Christmas time, many people like to hang wreaths on their mantel or front door. They can be easy to make for an attractive gift that is environmentally friendly. All you need to do is collect some dried twigs and evergreen branches from a nearby park or the woods. You might be surprised at your creativity in arranging them, and you can add stringed berries or ribbon for color. The best part is the materials are entirely biodegradable.

There are many creative ways to create green Christmas gifts that help save money and the environment. Get your green on this Christmas and try a few.

Dreaming of a Green Christmas

Dreaming of white Christmases can be nice, where treetops glisten and all that. But green Christmases are even better, because they mean energy is conserved, waste is cut down, and money is left over in the bank. It is a wise thing to live green all year round, but can feel especially good to give back to the environment while giving to others at Christmas. In times like these when the economic climate is shaky and uncertain, we can’t afford not to adopt some of these eco-friendly, cost saving tips.

Green Gift Exchange

Everyone looks forward to buying and receiving presents at Christmas, and it affords excellent opportunities to practice green habits. All of that wrapping paper ends up in the garbage and then in a landfill. Store-bought paper is costly, non-recyclable, and not eco-friendly. A smarter alternative that grandparents, aunts and uncles will surely appreciate, is to recycle artwork made by your children to wrap presents. You can also use the newspaper’s comic section, old magazines, or comic books for colorful wrapping. Positively tell recipients that you are trying to do your part to conserve resources and recycle. Who knows, they might start their own green Christmas traditions because of your influence.

Green Christmas Cards

Children’s artwork can also be recycled to make creative Christmas cards for friends and family. Making cards yourself saves money and resources, especially if you use recycled items. Save the cards you receive for next year, to cut out Christmas scenes and let your children get creative. Consider sending out E-Christmas cards to save paper and postage. Some churches or local organizations have Christmas card drops that will allow you to drop off cards for regularly attending members. Usually it is for free or a small fee, and saves postage and fuel for transportation costs.

Hanging Green Greens

If you normally have a wreath on the mantel or front door, consider a homemade one for your green Christmas. It will save you money and it is environmentally friendly. All you need to find is some dried twigs and pine branches, maybe at a nearby park or in the woods. You can use your creative energy to arrange them with some strung berries to add color. It costs nothing but about an hour, and all of the materials are biodegradable.

Consider having an eco-friendly artificial Christmas tree that can be reused every year. They are easy to set up and store, come in a variety of sizes, and can look quite real. If you go to an after Christmas sale, you can usually pick one up in January for about half price. Having a tree that you can reuse will save waste and money. If only a real tree will do, buy a living one that you can replant at the end of the holiday. Also, when you hang your lights, make sure that they are LED lights and you can save up to 90% on your Christmas electric bill. With money and energy savings like that you can afford to make it really festive!

All of these ideas can help make your season bright, environmentally friendly, and very green. Helping to make the planet cleaner and greener can only add to the joys of the season.