A Sustainable Christmas

Dec 1, 2009 by Katelin

So my L.A. friend is tasked with a sustainable Christmas.  You know recycle, reuse, repurpose.

I have lots of books I have read that I could pass on, or jewelry from Grandma (all those clip earrings I don’t wear).  I have made spiced nuts in the past or cookies.  I have given presents of cleaning and organizing closets.  Unfortunately sometimes, especially when you are moving around a lot for school or just starting out, you don’t have a lot of things or time.  But don’t worry you can still find some cool sustainable finds:

Decking the Halls

Recycled Paper Garland- what a neat and colorful Christmas decoration.  My family always had particular garlands that we used around greenery and this one would look great with all the colorful nutcrackers I hang on my garland.  Available on Etsy, here.

I love making beaded jewelry for people at Christmas.  One of my favorite necklaces is made from paper beads that my stepsisters made.  Paper Beads is a great blog for learning to make paper beads, and then using the paper beads for different uses.  Below are Paper Bead Ornaments you can make with instructions on the Paper Beads Blog, such a neat creative site, definitely check it out! If you aren’t up for making them yourself, you can already buy ready made ones at another great Etsy site here- upcycling paper and reusing it, very sustainable, while supporting small artists.

Upcycled Gifts

Beer has always been a treasured thing.  But perhaps not all those empty beer bottles.  Luckily now many of them are recycled, but here is another cool use- drinking glasses.  Unlike the above beads, I suggest not trying to make this at home, but check out this Etsy Shop with many different beer bottles to choose from.

Need a more flowery find?  I absolutely love the jewelry made from old spoons.  The details that went into old silver spoons are just incredible.  This ring is beautiful and a bargain.  I don’t know why I am even posting this, now it will be sold in no time.  Luckily this artist has lots of neat spoons to continue making really neat things.

Recycle that Wrap

My brother in law wraps his Christmas presents in Newspaper, my brother wraps his in Trader Joe bags.  Both are great ways to save paper, and then that paper is of the type that is normally recyclable too.  I save my ribbon all year long to use again at Christmas.  Another great embellishment is to stamp them with a cool Christmas stamp.  Since we don’t get daily papers I steal them from recycling downstairs where they stack them in big piles.

Plan the Party

Here in Virginia there is a lot of wine to love, and how better to show off the benefits of staying sustainable than practicing what you preach.  Keep your party hopping with local wine, and keep it fresh with beautiful, unique bottle stoppers;  I like this one made from recycled materials.  Find it here.

Dress up your sweet treats with these vintage reusable cupcake toppers!  You could also use them as reusable toothpicks.  Just make sure you have a small basket for them to be discarded in, so you can wash them and reuse.

If you live out in the country you can even buy a Christmas tree with the roots and plant it afterwards.  My friend Suz’s family did that one year.

So even if you feel the need to buy gifts try to buy local, buy recycled goods or buy things that you can turn into something neat.  I turn to Etsy because I like their artists, but a quick search and you can find other places with recycled goods.  But don’t forget your own merits.  You don’t have to be a jeweler or baker, give someone some hours of your computer skills, or teach them a skill you have they might enjoy.  Giving someone your time and company is always the best gift.

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