Going Green

Have Yourself a Green Holiday

Andrea Greynolds

POSTED: November 26, 2008

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Christmas can be an anxiety filled holiday if you are on a tight budget, especially this year with the economy in such a slump. We all want Christmas to be more meaningful and less expensive, but how do we do it?

Christmas can be more meaningful and less expensive if it is less wasteful. After all, waste has no meaning. To get yourself in the right mindset, start questioning the modern day holiday traditions.

Is it meaningful to send out 50 holiday cards, all the exact same print, with only your signature as the personal touch?

Instead, sit down with your children and create meaningful Christmas cards out of leftover ribbon, beads and buttons, old Christmas cards and wrapping paper. Give the cards to family and close friends instead of every single acquaintance or coworker. Save all the cards you receive and use them as gift tags next year or do something else creative with them.

Is it thoughtful to buy a candle, a basket of personal care products or a bottle of cologne or perfume?

Handmade gifts are definitely more meaningful than certain store bought gifts. Try making your own environmentally friendly gifts this year, like recycled candles. Making your own candles from wax scraps is easy and practically free. Take old candle stubs and melt them down in a double broiler. Your children can even use their old broken crayons for candle making. Pour the melted wax into a canning jar with a wick for a country look or use glass cups or jars that you have found at yard sales or thrift stores. You can personalize the candles further by adding essential oils. For in depth candle making instructions and recycling candles, visit http://www.hgtv.com/ah-moneysaving-recycle/recycled-candles/index.html

Is it meaningful to give a gift of store bought cookies or candies, which are loaded with unhealthy ingredients?

Baking is very personal and inexpensive, especially if you buy the ingredients in bulk. Here is my favorite recipe for organic oatmeal raisin cookies:

3/4 cup organic butter, softened
3/4 cup organic packed brown sugar
1/2 cup Demerara sugar
1/4 cup organic vanilla soy milk
1 egg white, slightly beaten (I use free range or organic eggs)
3 cups organic oatmeal (uncooked)
1 cup organic all purpose wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 1/3 cup organic raisins
1 cup coarsely chopped nuts

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Beat butter and sugars until fluffy. Beat in soy milk and egg white. Add combined dry ingredients; mix well. Stir in raisins and nuts. Drop by 1/4 cupfuls onto a lightly greased cookie sheet about 3 inches apart. Flatten to 3 inches in diameter. Bake 13 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. Yields two dozen.

Do your friends and family really need more stuff?

Why not donate your time as a gift? Give a friend or family member with children a night of free babysitting or a give an elderly family member the gift of mowing grass or raking leaves. You could even make your own coupons to hand out.

Is wrapping paper really necessary?

Wrapping paper is expensive! It is easy to spend at least $40 each holiday buying paper, ribbon, bows and tags for each gift. On Christmas morning it all gets ripped to shreds and thrown in the trash. Last year my daughters and I made our own wrapping paper out of brown paper bags, newspaper and cloth. We embellished the gifts with miscellaneous craft leftovers and other items we found around the house, including buttons, stamps, stickers, paint and even shells from a broken plant hanger.

To make gift giving even more meaningful, get your children involved in every step. Each moment they spend with you creating a special holiday season is a lifetime of memories you can share.

“Going Green” column is written by Andrea Greynolds, a respiratory therapy student and mother of two girls, ages 5 and 4. She believes in being eco-friendly.

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