With Christmas coming up quickly, I know most of us probably still have a lot of last-minute wrapping of presents to do.
Well before you go out and buy that cute Santa wrapping paper, think back to last year. What happened after the unwrapping of the presents?
You were probably left with a pile of that cute wrapping paper torn to shreds and destined for the trash can. (I know my family has in the past!)
Call me crazy, but not only does that seem like a lot of unnecessary waste, but all that present paraphernalia costs extra money… something I know everyone is probably short on after spending it on the actual gift.
Luckily for us, there are plenty of eco-friendly ways to wrap your Christmas presents with everyday items you probably have lying around right now…
On top of the extra cost, 50,000 trees a year meet their doom to become all of that wrapping paper.
Why not find other ways to wrap those presents?
If you’re blanking on ideas for alternative gift wrapping here’s a list of some:
#1 – Newspapers and magazines
Why not go the extra mile and use the person’s favorite magazine/paper?
#2 – Old sheet music
Perfect for the more musically talented person, especially if the gift has to do with music…iPod, iPad, etc.
#3 – Bandannas
A great way to show the hippy in the family that you care.
#4 – Old maps
If the person is well-traveled you could grab maps of places they’ve been, to go the extra mile… pun intended.
#5 – Sunday morning comics paper
Have the person read the comic before opening… a great way to bring out the kid in all of us.
#6 – Leftover fabric
A great way to personalize a gift for a more artistic person.
#7 – Leftover cigar boxes
Might as well put them to use. Even better if there’s a cuban or two in there… as long as the person is older than 18 of course.
#8 – Coloring book pages
A great way to reuse all those scribbled on pages… I mean beautiful pieces of art.
Using these alternative ways to wrap presents you’ll not only save yourself some money, but will also give a present to the Earth by reducing your waste.
Check out the Nature Conservancy’s awesome list of more ways to green your holidays!
Have you used alternative ways to wrap your gifts in the past? If so, I’d love to hear the stories of what you used and if the person found it to be more personal with the alternative wrapping.
I’m an outdoorsy and recently graduated from college yogi. In the past few years I’ve learned lots of simple steps to becoming greener and have found living green to not only be rewarding, but easy. I hope to pass on some of these simple ideas to you too!
