The holidays are much different for us than most people. We no longer exchange gifts with others or even amongst ourselves. While we love to give and get, we have decided that the holidays should be more about getting together, spending time rather than money, and not having a bunch of stuff. When I spoke with people at the coffee shop (where I filled in last week), I was asked repeatedly if I had finished my shopping. I completely forgot how stressful and how crazy the month of December is for some people. Since we have opted out of the gift giving, we never have to fight the mall crowds, never have to take stuff back, and rarely have paper or ornaments to worry about. I also do not have to worry about decorations, extra recycling, trees, or bunting. While I may be lucky, you may be less of a Scrooge and thus have a bunch of things to deal with now. Here are some tips to making your post holidays bright.
Recycle that tree:
Cleveland residents can leave their tree out on the tree lawn for regular pick up until January 28th, 2011. The trees that they pick up are ground into mulch. This mulch is available to area residents in the spring for free (while supplies last, I am sure). I am sure that if you put your ropes and wreathes with it, they will get recycled as well. If you are worried, tie the tree up with natural twine and tie your wreath and ropes to it. If you have a large yard, you can recycle your own by trimming off the branches and composting them. The main part of the tree could take a while to decompose, though, and you likely would need a chipper. Don’t live in the city limits? Not to worry, there are plenty of places to leave your tree behind. Try this link to places around NE Ohio. You might even consider a living tree next year. Even if you do not have a spot to plant it on your own property, local churches and other community locations would like be happy to take a new tree to landscape with.
Holiday Cards:
If you have a lot of cards, then what do you do when the season is over? There are some crafty projects that you can make with left over cards, but few people do that sort of thing anymore. Instead, you can take them to your local school or other spot. Give your senior center or local community center a call. They may be glad to have those old cards for art projects. A little bird told me that the Urban School are happy to take old greeting cards for their art projects in the fall. One year, I made postcards from the fronts of the cards I received the year before. At the very least, recycle those cards, and keep them out of landfill.
Bags and bows and ribbons, oh my!
I wrapped a white elephant gift this year and realized that I have had this same roll of wrapping paper for several years. While we may not give many gifts, I am shocked that this roll has lasted so long. When I bought it, I specifically chose a general theme that could be used all year if needed. I also save all gift bags and even the sturdier handled bags that i get with new glasses and the like. This means that we almost always have a bag around that can be used as a gift bag. I still have a bag of bows in the attic somewhere, but as fellow cat owners know, the ribbons are a little too tempting for our pet to resist. Still, ribbons and bows are perfectly good year after year. I often grab little goodies to poke into the bow, like hard candy or flowers in warmer months to make an old bow look new again. Large swaths of paper can be reused again if preserved well until next year. Really, the gift inside is what people are interested in, and I do not try to impress with the paper. Thus no one is surprised to get a birthday gift in paper with snowmen or even wedding bells from us. Once again, see if there is a local school or community center that can take decent ribbons for art projects. You might want to make a switch for next year to raffia or paper ribbons that can be composted or recycled. (My friend Michelle uses strips of wrapping paper that is carefully curled.) I have even seen old wrapping paper turned into strings of origami birds and animals that make up the next years decorations.
Lights and decorations.
As you put your decorations and lights away, check for missing or burned out bulbs. After the holidays is the perfect time to switch from those tangles, high wattage bulbs that you have been using and switch to LEDs that can save you money next year. Besides, they will go up nice and easy if they are new. It is also the time to decide which of your decorations you might be ready to part with. Thrift stores do good work in the community and will gladly take usable donations of lights and decorations. Try to give your old things one last life before they are destroyed or landfilled.
Old goods.
Lastly, do not forget those less fortunate than yourself. If you got new household goods, donate rather than throw away your old goodies. Thrift stores are happy to have them, but there are plenty of other spots that can make good use of old things. Check with your local church, for example. We donate all our old clothes to the Franklin Circle Church, where they maintain a clothing bank for those in need. There are plenty of other spots too. Check out your local city for a crisis center. The spot that hosts the local AA meeting can usually use a coffee maker. Women’s shelters gladly take old cell phones as well as cell phones for soldiers. Computers ( and some other electronics) can be given to RET3 for training and refurbishing. These often end up at local schools ant the like at the end, so you the good just keeps going.
The holidays don’t have to be diminished, just to save resources. A few green ideas can go a long way toward making your holidays bight AND eco friendlier.
The Living Christmas Co lets you choose a tree from their stock and have it delivered right to your front door-no fuss, no muss. Because it is a living tree, it continues to freshen the air in your home, drops less needles and only needs a little watering. After the holidays, they come and pick up the tree and return it to th nursery for renting again the next year. This is truly eco friendly. Really love the tree you get? Reserve it for next year, and you can have the same tree every year and watch it grow! For Angelenos, this is a great way to celebrate the holiday. And considering what trees are costing these days, it might be even cheaper than buying one!
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