For those of us who celebrate Christmas, it can be a time of year that’s filled with magic and sparkle. When I was a child, I loved the build-up to Christmas day. The sparkly lights. Christmas shows at school. Writing a list for Santa and buying and wrapping gifts. And of course, I loved the excitement of Christmas morning and opening presents. We had some lovely traditions like stockings with shiny coins and a satsuma in it. We didn’t have them in our room, but under the tree with the other presents.
To be honest, other than a dolls pram, I don’t remember any of the presents I received (sorry mum!). But I remember the feelings, sounds and smells. And I also remember the mounds of wrapping paper that were left to be tidied away afterwards.
Reusable magic and sparkle
Now that I’m a parent, Christmas is a very different experience. I love being able to create magic and sparkle for my kids. But in a world that still wastes so much, I want to teach them that the sparkle doesn’t have to cost a lot. And can be things that are used time and time again.
My eldest daughter’s favourite present from last year is a pink planner I gave her. It was my planner which I’d bought a few years ago, but didn’t do what I needed it to so didn’t use it much. I took out all the used pages, and bought a few new ones – some with squares, some coloured paper – and gave it to her. She has spent hours writing in it. She uses the squared sheets to do some maths and has written some lovely little stories in it.
A lot of the gifts her younger sister received were the toys she’d grown out of. Our eldest daughter loves that Santa re-used things.
Reusing doesn’t have to be limited to passing on gifts that are no longer used. The Christmas stockings I loved seeing every year as a child, were made by my mum. They were made from a burgundy velvet material, with a white fluffy bit at the top. I knew it was getting close to Christmas when they appeared in the living room.
Reusable fabric wrapping and table accessories
Reusable stockings, advent calendars, wrapping, and table decorations not only help you create Christmas traditions that make the time of year special. But they help reduce the amount of waste that’s thrown out which pollutes our beautiful planet.
We haven’t used paper wrapping for a few years now. The first year we used fabric gift bags and wrapping sheets, I was worried the kids would be disappointed there wasn’t any paper to tear off. But they weren’t in the slightest bit bothered. They just wanted to see what was inside!
And the best bit for us as busy parents is it is so easy to clear away afterwards. No overflowing bin. Just a neat little pile of fabric wrapping sheets and bags, ready to be put away and be used next year.
Reduce waste
In the UK, we use 227,000 miles of wrapping each year which means most households use around four rolls of wrapping paper each. Of that, over 83km2 ends up in our bins. Paper is one of the main things that we can recycle. However, not all wrapping paper is recyclable. Therefore using reusable wrapping has a massive impact on the amount of waste dumped in landfill. For me, it’s a no-brainer. Reusable wrapping sheets and bags are better for the environment and are SO much easier to clear away. And whilst it may cost more initially, it’s so much cheaper in the long run, than buying rolls of wrapping paper every year.
You can get fabric gift bags from a range of places such as Etsy and Folksy, or if you’re confident with a sewing machine or needle and thread, make your own from end-of-line pieces of fabric, or Christmas designs.
Head to the eco-friendly changes section to read about small changes you can make that have a big impact on the environment.
