It’s Christmas time; and let’s not forget, the most enjoyable time during the year. When I think of the word Christmas thoughts like celebration, love and happiness fill my mind, smells begin to stir about, and pine, cinnamon, and delicious foods are being inhaled through my nostrils. But this is not all, for Christmas also brings joy to my eyes; when they are filled with coulorful lights and by early morning under my Christmas tree lay many gleaming presents waiting to be opened.
Visiting family and a splendid meal, playing various winter games, receiving time off school and work, and being able to spend time as a family, are all wonderful ways to share a happy Christmas. Along with all of these fun Christmas experiences also comes the giving and receiving of gifts. Even though receiving gifts is a very exciting part of Christmas I highly enjoy the giving aspect as well. For me the best part is the smile that giving gifts can put on friends and family faces. The excitement also comes from the preparing and the thought of the gift, not to mention the fun of wrapping and witnessing the explosion of gifts underneath the tree.
It took me almost 19 years of receiving Christmas gifts and over 10 years of giving Christmas gifts to recognize the amount of garbage that these presents produce. The packaging of each product plays its own role to our environment, most of which is a product of glass, plastic, cardboard, sometimes even metal. These items are not only packaged in garbage materials, but the actual gift itself would eventually lose its use and then become garbage in our environment. After thinking back on the amount of Christmas presents I have received over the past 18 years I have finally come to the most practical environmentally friendly, not to mention cheap way of Christmas excitement. I have decided to hand make my Christmas presents and cards and use an environmentally friendly touch to the overall wrapping of my gifts.
This website I had found along my research of packaged goods gave me some great insight on the percentage of packaged products. The leading producer of litter from packaged goods comes from plastic, reaching as high as 53%, paper and cardboard follow behind reaching 25%, and glass packaged goods reaches 10% lastly metal with 7%. As you can see plastic reaches over half, meaning most children’s toys are made with plastic or cardboard packaging, which also creates a mess in our environment. This website also provides information on the percentage of material that essentially gets recycled: plastic- 19%, paper-59%, glass- 34%, and metal-42%. Even though we can see that some of these materials are still being recycled while the rest may not be, this could be a small impact on our environment but it still effects it.
I have decided to include two videos that help visualize and get ideas on how to create these items. Sarah Snow explains ways to give green gifts and ways to test green wrapping.
There are many alternative ways toward a greener lifestyle you just have to find the way that works best for you. So now that Christmas is fast approaching, eco-friendly gifts and wrapping styles are awaiting, from creative cards and handmade book marks, paintings and more, I will successfully overcome a white Christmas on the outside and a green hearted Christmas in the inside.
HOHOHO! MERY CHRISTMAS!
I have also included some of my own hand made gifts. I am not entirely finished, here are just a few I have started and have been doing during this assignment. Here are just a few examples:
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Wintery, Warm hand knitted slippers. 15 Dec. 2010. Personal photograph by author. |
<< A pair of warm winter slippers, I have finished one pair and have one more to go, material included: yarn.
*No packaging included or exchanged in this present.
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Re-used materials to make Gift wrapping (gift box). 15 Dec. 2010. Personal photograph by author. |
This is a picture of a some re-useable materials that i had used in order to make this wonderful gift box. The materials include: a thin layer of recycled tissue paper, an old, reused box (cut in two, to help me make another twin cover) and some yarn and material to add a lovely finishing touch. (cheap decoration)
*No packaging or plastic included to wrap this green present.
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| Anklet made with beads. 15 Dec. 2010. Personal photograph by author. |
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Eco-friendly earrings made with beads. 15 Dec. 2010. Personal photograph by author. |
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| Jewelry Box--Gift wrap. 15 Dec. 2010. Personal photograph by author |
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Eco-Friendly wrapping paper. 15 Dec. 2010. Personal photograph by author. JPEG file. |
<< Pictures are another cheap and eco-friendly way to let your closest peers know that you love and care for them. This way they can have a piece to remember you by and it will add some great decoration in their homes.
This is just an example of what I have done.
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Tasteful Pictures as gifts. 15 Dec. 2010. Personal photograph by author. JPEG file. Pictures are yet another nice, and cheap gift to give out for |
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| Santa Card. 15 Dec. 2010. Personal photograph by author. JPEG file |
And lastly, I have also been working on some Christmas cards to hand out to my closest family members. So far This is the only one I have, but they take some time and patience, but in the end this homemade, like no other card it healthy for both humans and the environment. >>
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