Blooming Wrapping Paper by Uncommon Goods $20.00 This paper is a gift in itself and creates no waste because you simply plant the paper add a little water and have yourself a wonderful bouquet of wildflowers in the spring.

Giant Santa Sack by Great Big Stuff $8.77 If you have a really big gift that you’d like to wrap this reusable red sack is the perfect fit.

Recycled Wrapping Paper from Redstamp $6.00 I love the alternative designs like skulls and pimp my sleigh. They are perfect for the teens on your list.

Peace Wrap by Zola Goods $5.99 This cloth-like paper is beautiful and made from shedding tree bark so no trees have to be cut to produce this paper.

Tis the Season Eco Bag from Sweet Organics and Naturals $4.25 This is an amazing bag that is made from post consumer, manufacturing fiber waste, and sugar cane manufacturing waste. I can’t wait to try these out myself. The site also contains other great gift ideas so make sure to shop around a bit.

So What Can I Do?

• Eco-wrapping can be a little expensive to get started so you can choose just a few pieces this year that you can keep in the family like wrapping for the kids or spouse. This way you get extra value out of your purchase. Not only do you get great eco-friendly wrapping alternatives but you also get to reuse them next year.
• If you’re anything like me you have a whole closet full of wrapping paraphernalia already so the thought of buying more sends shivers down your back. Good news though you can still think green even if your wrapping supplies are not. I just ask my family for any unclaimed gift bags, tissue paper, and good quality bows, ribbon, or wrapping paper to recycle. That way I can limit my out-of-pocket expenses and limit landfill additions by reusing cast-offs by family and friends.
• You can get cute shopping totes to package gifts for your friends that still have an addiction to the plastic bag. It serves two purposes by having a multifunction wrapping alternative while showing your friend just how practical the bags are and hopefully converting them one bag at a time. The Disney Store and Toys-R-Us have great ones for your more whimsical friends while Boarders and Barnes and Noble have some nice bags with a more classic twist. Be on the look out for my post on the best shopping totes available on the web.

I know there are a lot of people that for them it wouldn’t be Christmas without a real tree and I do get that and while there is a case for both sides of this debate my big motivator was always saving money. You can save money because artificial trees can be used for up to 10 years or more if you store them correctly making the cost about $17.00 a year for a good one. I only had real trees when I was married to my ex and it was at his demand. I never liked the smell, the mess, the clean-up, and for me personally I have never liked having living things in my house I prefer them in the yard. There are some really wonderful artificial trees that look very realistic on the market now the vast majority even come with fiber-optics so you don’t even have to hang lights if you don’t want. You can check out Balsam Hill (they offer a personalized tree finder) they are pretty top of the line but do offer some great deals in their clearance section. Also take a look at Tree Classics (they also offer a tree selector) these are much more reasonable priced. You can also look at Target and Wal-Mart which always offer a selection of artificial trees and offer free shipping to the store. If you do plan to get a real tree consider purchasing it from a responsible tree farm and recycling at the end of the season. You can check out Earth 911 for information on programs in your area now so you are ready after the New Year.

The other thing I always do at holiday gift giving parties is scavenge all of the unclaimed gift bags and tissue paper. I’ve always done this just to save money for next year but it really is a very basic recycling technique. There are a lot of your fellow party goers that wouldn’t mind giving up or giving back any packaging material that they don’t want. It’s pretty much a given at my family Christmas get-togethers that everyone folds up their bags and hands them to me to use for next year. It’s almost a running joke in my family but hey it works for me.

I’d love to hear what you are doing to make your Holiday more green this year? Any creative ways that you have always done things and just never thought “Hey this is helping the environment”?

So What Can I Do?

• If you celebrate Christmas have a plan on how to make your tree a little greener this year by either recycling your real tree or investing in a artificial tree. If it is time to upgrade your tree consider donating your previously loved tree to a needy family. Sometimes this is the only way some families have trees during the holiday season.
• Take stock now of your wrapping supplies so you know what you already have that can be reused. If you go to early holiday parties aquire the unused wrapping supplies to use for later parties and always recycle for next year. Think of the money you can save when each bag can cost anywhere from $1.00 to $5.00.
• Check out Celebrate Green and back here with me for more tips on Greening up your Holidays.