Happy Holidays 2010
This year we have held true to our principals of 2009 and exchanged just a few second hand gifts of things that were needed plus a few new toys for our son from the grandparents. I ended up needing a few new things myself while we were traveling by train in the week leading up to our holiday so I put the empty packages under the tree so I could remember to be thankful for receiving the things I needed when I needed them.
Our new contribution to the holidays this year was our TetraPak tree. I have been trying to think of ways to reuse the darn things for years and some how it dawned on us, lets decorate the tree with them! So we took them and turned them into pinwheels. Why pinwheels? Well for one thing, its hard to turn a TetraPak into a sphere. I think the main reason pinwheels came to mind is that they are the symbol of the local renewable energy group so it sort of fit. It was a great family project with all members of the family participating. We were so pleased with our TetraPak tree we featured it on our cards we send out to family and friends.
In our downloads section you will find a pattern sized so that you can get 3 4.75" pinwheels out of a standard soy/almond/oat or rice milk container. Cut the pattern out two times for each pinwheel. You will need a scissors, hole punch, a Sharpie type pen and some paper brads. We purchased a bag of paper brads at a thrift store for 35 cents. You can have both sides silver or alternate so that one section is silver and the other section shows the outside of the carton. Enjoy!!!
Another great project for any occasion is growable gift tags. Bows, ribbons, gift bags and boxes are all easy to reuse and re-purpose but gift tags are a little harder since you write on them. We have considered keeping gift tags and seeing if we could reuse them from year to year, but have never actually managed to test this plan. Growable gift tags are a great option. You can use your own scrap paper and junk mail to create the paper pulp. Making paper can be simple or extremely complicated depending on the results you want. It also makes a great family project. Keep it non-toxic by using a soft pencil to write on the tags. Adding a few seeds to that paper keeps you in the spirit by giving a gift that can grow. One of our philosophies here at Greenknowe.
Last year we had a short discussion about what type of tree is greenest.
If you dont want a second hand artificial tree, the other really good option is a potted living tree. This year we have come up with a new option. Some people have nowhere to plant a living tree after the holidays or have no inclination to maintain it. A new company is offering living trees for rent so they take care of them during the off season and someone else can enjoy them in the future. http://livingchristmas.com/shop/tree.php. This is a great idea as long as they are local to you.
According to TreeHugger, you must use your new artificial tree for 20 years (10 years according to The National Christmas Tree Association) to equal the impact of a standard cut tree so please never buy a new artificial tree. We should send that industry to the grave.
First: Second hand artificial tree or living tree (purchased or rented). Which one is best depends on your personal circumstances and preferences.
Second: Cut tree
Never: a new artificial tree.
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