A Clutter Free, Eco Friendly Christmas

stargazer00 by stargazer00
Last updated: 12/10/2011

A Clutter Free, Green Christmas

In recent years our family has tried to reduce the amount of clutter we generate at Christmas time. We have come to the realization that "stuff" is not that important. It is relationships and time spent together that really matter. I'll be giving you several ideas to cut down on the meaningless Christmas clutter and show you what you can do to replace it. This year make memories and not clutter!

Look in the newspaper, tourist guides, or local websites and find a Christmas activity you've never done before. Maybe a concert, parade or a local performance. Go with your family and invite some friends. Make memories not clutter!

Cut Down on Wrapping Paper

Cut Down on Waste Generated at Christmas

Excess Wrapping Paper

Waste Generated at Christmas

From National Geographic

There is a good article in National Geographic about the waste we generate at Christmas. "Between Thanksgiving and New Year's day, Americans throw away a million extra tons of garbage each week, including holiday wrapping and packaging, according to Robert Lilienfeld. Lilienfield is co-author of the book Use Less Stuff: Environmental Solutions for Who We Really Are.

So why not recycle holiday gift wrap?" Why not indeed? Better yet, why not find ways to avoid using it in the first place?

Homeless Man

Think about others on Christmas

Homeless Man

Homeless Charities

Take your focus off yourself and think about someone less fortunate.

Salt on the Street is a church organization that serves the homeless. Every Saturday night they set up in a parking lot downtown. They pull in trailers full of donated clothing, shoes, camping gear and blankets. These items are all spread out on tables and the homeless people choose what they want or need. Teams of men fan out and look for homeless people under bridges and where ever else they can find them and invite them to come in for dinner, clothing and to hear about Jesus. My son and his friends serve on these teams from time to time. While this is happening the church people are setting up a buffet line. They serve dinner and someone gives a sermon. The Mission Statement of Salt on the Street : "We exist to reflect the love of Jesus by loving and feeding those on the street."

What can you do?

Look at the suggestions I've made and see what might work for your family. Think up your own ideas for a clutter free and more meaningful Christmas and add them to the plexo below.

Handcrafted Wooden Toys

Built to Last

Handcrafted Wooden Toys

Photo by ChrisAC

Handcrafted Wooden Toys

Designed to last for generations.

Photo by ChrisAC

Parents are concerned about spending money on expensive plastic toys which don't last long and that may have toxic paint on them. Solve all of these problems with Handcrafted Wooden Toys. Attend a craft show or a farmer's market and look for a local craftsman that makes wooden toys. Look in the phone book or look online to find the nearest wooden toy merchant. Handmade wooden toys are generally heirloom quality, built to last and free of toxic paints and dyes. Chances are your child will be able to pass their wooden toys on to their own children some day. A great investment!

Women's Bean Project Three Gourmet Soup Bundle

The Women's Bean Project helps women acquire job skills.

This bundle's contents are all handmade by the women at the Women's Bean Project, a social enterprise designed to help women in need with immediate income, arrange support services to overcome barriers to employment, and teach the job readiness skills needed to get and keep a job. These gourmet food products are delightfully presented in a Kraft paper box, shrink wrapped and tied with a signature Bean Project ribbon.

Women's Bean Project Three Gourmet Soup Bundle

Amazon Price: $18.75 (as of 02/13/2012)Buy Now

* Try it now for National Soup Month
* Teachers really love these bundles!
* Tell your hostess thanks for the invitation!
* Buy several to stock in your panty
* Great to show appreciation for service providers and vendors
*I sent some of these out for Christmas 2008 and had good feedback.

Fabric Gift Bags

Reusable Gift Bags

Fabric Gift Bags

Photo by w.gayle41

Reusable Fabric Bags

Try beautiful, reusable fabric bags instead of Christmas wrapping paper.

I have several friends who make beautiful Fabric Gift Bags to use as Christmas wrap. If you have even basic sewing skills, you can make gift bags out of remnants you already have, or you can pick up great fabric on sale at the fabric shop. This might require a small investment at first but you can put the bags away and use them year after year. You'll be keeping all that paper, ribbon and tape out of the landfill and eventually you will recover the cost.

Wrapsacks ~ Fabric Bags for Gift Giving

An eco friendly option

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Women's Bean Project Lovingly Handmade Medium Gourmet Basket

These gifts are food and not clutter. The support a good cause.

These products are made by the women at the Women's Bean Project, a nonprofit social enterprise that offers a transitional job in gourmet food manufacturing designed to provide immediate income, arrange support services to overcome barriers to employment, and teach the job readiness skills needed to get and keep a job. The Women's Bean Project employs women who come from backgrounds of chronic unemployment and poverty, and helps them develop the work and interpersonal skills needed to function independently in the workplace and community. These tools empower women to create better lives for themselves, provide their families with hope, and contribute to a stronger community.

Women's Bean Project Lovingly Handmade Medium Gourmet Basket

Amazon Price: $50.00 (as of 02/13/2012)Buy Now

Salsa Sampler (Green Chili, Southwest, Medium Original, and Hot Original), Uncle Bob's BBQ Rub, Malaysian Spice Rub, Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookie Mix, Toni's 10 Bean Soup, and Mexican Pinto Bean Dip

Homemade Baking

Always a welcome and clutter free gift.


Photo credit: gracey from morguefile.com
Who wouldn't like to receive this delightful collection of Christmas cookies?

Women's Bean Project Soup Lover's Gourmet Food Bundle

Women's Bean Project's Toni's 10 Bean, Marian's Black Bean, Sarah's Spice Split Pea, Old Fashioned Chili (mild), Firehouse #10 Chili (hot) and Six Bean Organic Soups. Give a wonderful gift for the gourmet food lover in your life with this Women's Bean Project Six Soup Bundle. This bundle's contents are all handmade by the women at the Women's Bean Project, a social enterprise designed to help women in need with immediate income, arrange support services to overcome barriers to employment, and teach the job readiness skills needed to get and keep a job. These gourmet food products are delightfully presented in a Kraft paper box, shrink wrapped and tied with a signature Bean Project ribbon.

Women's Bean Project Soup Lover's Gourmet Food Bundle

Amazon Price: $35.00 (as of 02/13/2012)Buy Now

* Buy now to celebrate National Soup Month
* Teachers really love these bundles!
* Tell your hostess thanks for the invitation
* Buy several to stock in your pantry
* Great to show appreciation for service providers and vendors

White Christmas, Elvis Style

Community Theater

Elvis White Christmas

Community Theater

Another great way to make memories and not clutter.

My husband participates in community theater and this year they did a Christmas musical production. You may have seen him as the Scary Fairy last Halloween.
This time Don appears as Santa Claus, handing out gifts to the children. Later on he sings White Christmas, Elvis style, with four elves for backup. The audiences loved it! This was a great experience and a great way to make memories, not only for our family but for everyone who participated, and all who saw the show.

Clutter Free Christmas Gifts

Clutter Free Things to do at Christmas Time

Here are ten frugal, clutter free, eco friendly or humanitarian things you can do for Christmas. I'm sure you can think of many more. Isn't this what Christmas is all about anyway? It's not about how much cool stuff you can accumulate. It's about faith hope and love. It's about celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ. Let us make an effort this year to shift the focus from commercialism and materialism to things that really matter.

Do some of your Christmas shopping at craft shows and support your local artisans.

4 points

Sing Christmas Carols at a nursing home.

3 points

Have your child give away an old toy to make room for a new one

3 points

Buy winter coats at the thrift store and deliver them to a homeless charity.

2 points

Recycle wrapping paper, ribbon and paper gift bags.

2 points

Decorate the tree with popcorn garland.

2 points

Buy or collect food and donate it to a food bank.

1 point

Attend a Christmas Symphony Concert.

1 point

Attend church services as a family.

1 point

Volunteer at a soup kitchen or other charity.

1 point

Attend a Christmas parade in your town.

1 point

Get the family together and have fun playing board games.

1 point

Watch "It's a Wonderful Life," serve popcorn and apples.

1 point

We go caroling in the neighborhood with our church more...1 point

Lenses on Making Christmas Memories and Not Clutter.

Please take a look at these lenses by lensmasters who know how to make Christmas memories and not clutter. They know how to reduce consumption and spread a little love during the Christmas season.

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It's A Wonderful Life

A Classic Christmas Film

Now perhaps the most beloved American film, It's a Wonderful Life was largely forgotten for years, due to a copyright quirk. Only in the late 1970s did it find its audience through repeated TV showings. Frank Capra's masterwork deserves its status as a feel-good communal event, but it is also one of the most fascinating films in the American cinema, a multilayered work of Dickensian density."

It's A Wonderful Life (Two-Disc Collector's Set)

Amazon Price: $10.50 (as of 02/13/2012)Buy Now

George Bailey has so many problems he is thinking about ending it all - and it's Christmas! As the angels discuss George, we see his life in flashback. As George is about to jump from a bridge, he ends up rescuing his guardian angel, Clarence. Clarence then shows George what his town would have looked like if it hadn't been for all of his good deeds over the years. Will Clarence be able to convince George to return to his family and forget suicide?

Who could forget It's a Wonderful Life at Christmas time? It is our family's favorite Christmas movie. Get your family together and invite some friends over for a Christmas movie night with your favorite Christmas movie. Serve popcorn and hot apple cider. It won't cost hardly anything but it will be a fun evening with no clutter and memories will be made.

What do the blogs say about an Eco Friendly Christmas?

High Plains Environmental Center program takes tots on eco-friendly adventure
Ten elementary school-age students learned that green is a better bet when it comes to making environmentally friendly valentines for loved ones. The Loveland Youth Gardeners Green Adventures presented a three-hour event, Valentine's Day the Green Way, ...
Businesses show various shades of 'green' in Hunterdon
The term has migrated and morphed to include closely related activities, among them, eco-friendly, sustainability, energy-saving, biodegradable, earth and environmentally friendly, even recycling, natural and organic. ?People confuse organic with green ...
Giveaway: Win a Copy of The Christmas Guide to Upcycling, by Mahe Zehra Husain
If you are new here, you might want to subscribe to our RSS feed for more eco-friendly crafting news and tutorials! Mahe Zehra Husain is an artist who makes magic out of aluminum cans and plastic packaging. Yesterday on CAGW, I reviewed her e-book ...

More lenses by lensmasters who know how to make Christmas memories and not clutter. Browse these lenses for more ideas on how to celebrate with a clutter free Christmas.

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How about making memories this Christmas instead of making clutter?

Your comments make my day!

Do you think striving for a clutter free Christmas is a good idea? What do you think you might do differently this Christmas?

submit
  • Reply
    squidshe Nov 21, 2011 @ 11:52 am | delete
    I will definitely be making a Christmas donation in honor of my neighbor's passing last year before Christmas to http://www.ccfcanada.ca//MoreWaysToGive/christmas-donation.aspx
    I would suggest everyone get behind a charity of their choice this Christmas season, whether it's local, or via the internet, giving makes the best memories!
  • Reply
    beckyf Nov 13, 2011 @ 4:59 pm | delete
    I love having a clutter-free Christmas. I enjoyed your lens. :)
  • Reply
    tcorbs Nov 9, 2011 @ 10:08 am | delete
    I think I this Christmas I will donate to the Mothers from the Nazareth sponsorship program in Ethiopia. You can find out more about it at www.ccfcanada.ca.
  • Reply
    Deborah Poppink Dec 16, 2010 @ 1:38 am | delete
    We recycle a lot of artwork (the girls 4 and 6 doodle a lot - so we have a lot of half-used paper) and we cut the clutter out by making paper chains for the tree...

    I talk about it here in the fun eco-xmas song,
    "Let's Make Santa Claus Happy Tonight"
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4vW7hxdGSM
  • Reply
    Vikki Albers Dec 15, 2010 @ 2:00 pm | delete
    Outstanding clutter-free article! In great appreciation for the time and effort you gave to this project of your heart. Happy Holidays!
  • Reply
    agalova Dec 9, 2010 @ 5:48 am | delete
    Great ideas. When we give the gift of an experience, it is always remembered. Plastic junk is soon forgotten. Thank you for the suggestions.
  • Reply
    aesta1 Dec 4, 2010 @ 8:19 am | delete
    I like this idea of making memories not clutter. Very useful suggestions.
  • Reply
    livingfrontiers Nov 27, 2010 @ 1:37 pm | delete
    Being connected to our larger human family is what the holiday is all about...thanks for all the great ideas!
  • Reply
    WindyWinters Nov 23, 2010 @ 12:54 pm | delete
    Great Ideas! We only exchange small gifts between our children and parents. I make many donations to a variety of causes each year. We also try and do something different each year. I try and donate coats and clothing when I can. I think your idea to buy coats in thrift stores is an excellent idea. I saw a local ad in the paper where we could drop off coats this year. Thanks for these excellent eco-friendly tips!
  • Reply
    bygproductions Sep 17, 2010 @ 6:43 pm | delete
    Sorry for the delay in reciprocating the lensroll to my Clutter Free GiftsTeachers. Have also lensrolled to Being Thankful For the Basics.
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stargazer00

Hello and Welcome! I am a wife and a mother of three grown sons. I love the whimsical and the quirky. I love to read, cook, design T-shirts, make squidoo... more »

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