I'm back! Things got a little hectic there with the holidays and then a few bumps in the road at work. I think things are settled and I should be able to blog again.
During these past few weeks, as many, many gifts were exchanged, I was really mortified by the piles and piles of trash generated just in my house from all of the gift wrap and packaging. I really LOVE the act of opening presents - not just because I'm getting something new, but the actual tearing the paper to find out what's inside is one my favorite parts of receiving gifts. The way a pile of wrapped gifts looks under the tree makes me smile and I'm always a little sad when they've all been opened and the tree is empty again. However, the scales in my mind have tipped and I just can't convince myself that it's OK to keep creating so much waste. This year I used up most of what I had stocked on holiday wrapping paper and I've made a promise to myself that I will really try not to buy more. I've challenged myself to try some reusable or recycled alternatives I've seen or read about with the smaller holidays this year - birthdays, Valentine's Day, anniversary, etc. - so I will be ready to go at least mostly paper-free for the next winter gift-giving season.
So here's my list of 10 things to consider or try:
1. I already reuse standard gift bags and boxes, and will use more of these rather than paper.
2. I have occasionally given gifts in reuseable shopping bags rather than the standard gift bag. I really love this idea and promise myself that I will find more cute ones to use this year. The bag then becomes part of the gift and will hopefully encourage the recipient to take it with them when they shop.
3. Other uncommon reuseable bags would make great gift bags as well, and may be something that others don't already have by the dozens - produce bags, snack bags, sandwich bags and stuff sacks would all work well and be multi-purpose.
4. There are several pre-made fabric reusable gift bag options on the market as well. Wrapsacks are cute and colorful and may even make the tree look just as pretty as paper. Rewrap Gift Bags have multiple To: and From: labels on the front so as it gets reused you follow the bag's travels. Looks like a fun way to reuse!
5. I am "this close" to buying another sewing machine. My last one was a victim of Katrina and a was never replaced. It would be a very simple thing to make my own fabric bags from scraps and remnants. I could use old clothes that are too damaged / worn to donate to charities and raid bargain bins at fabric stores.
6. I will start looking at the packaging my other products come in throughout the year for reusability. I could kick myself because I just threw out a fabric zippered bag a sheet set came in because I was in a cleaning fit and couldn't figure out where to keep it or what to use it for. It would have been a great gift bag!
7. I will also learn to wrap with fabric. There are reusable wrapping fabrics on the market like the Bobo scarf, Wrapagain or these fabric wraps. If I invest in that sewing machine, though, I think I can make these quite easiliy as well. With the right type of fabric, I wouldn't even need a sewing machine, just pinking shears to make nice edges and prevent fraying.
8. Since I just may not be able to completely get off the paper, I will look for opportunities to recycle other papers into gift wrap. My son's art, the comics or other pages from the newspaper, large maps or colorful brochures, takeout menus or paper placemats, old calendar pages, old posters, magazine pages and picture book pages are all possibilities. Some of these things I have around the house, and some I could get super cheap on clearance or at thrift stores.
9. If I absolutely MUST buy another roll of paper, I commit to choosing one made from recycled paper and I will use it sparingly!
10. My husband tells me that in his family gifts often were not wrapped at all. The unwrapped gifts were just put out under the tree after the kids went to bed to be found in the morning. I'm skeptical about this as every gift I've exchanged with his family was wrapped in some way. I think he just hates wrapping. It is an option to consider, but I think I would really miss the suspense of opening the gifts one by one. Maybe stocking gifts could skip the wrap this year.
Who's with me? Anyone up to the challenge?
So, how does this balance for me?
Heart/Body/Mind: Not much impact here, except to make me feel better about my impact on the earth.
Time: I don't think there will be a significant change either way, unless I decide to make my own bags or wraps. Since I'll only do it if I think I will enjoy it, I won't count it as a negative impact for me.
My Wallet: The fabric wraps or reusable bags will be more expensive initially though recycling some things would be really cheap or free. We'll see how it works out.
The Earth: Love saving the trees and landfill space!
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