A Clutter Free, Eco Friendly Christmas

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?

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."

One of my favorite local charities is Project Santa Claus. It is sponsored by Police and Fire Departments in the area. They hold fundraisers during the year to raise money, and they take requests from needy families for Christmas presents. The requests might be anything from a turkey with all the fixin's for Christmas dinner, to a bike or a twin bed for a child.

When the day comes, the County Transit Authority donates several buses, each one having a route for deliveries and a crew to help. One year my son was on a crew as a Spanish translator. There are many ways to get involved with this charity. Look for what is available in your area and how you can get involved.

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.

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!

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.

Bake Sugar Cookies , Gingerbread Men , or Cupcakes and decorate them for a children's home. Working in the kitchen together with your children on this project creates a nice memory. Neighbors might appreciate homemade Banana Bread, Zucchini Bread or maybe some yummy Dilly Bread. Homemade baked goods can be part of a clutter-free Christmas and they are always appreciated.

Supporting Heifer International has become a favorite project for Sunday School Classes and Youth Groups. It is a project to end world hunger. From the Heifer International Website: "In 2007, Heifer had 867 active projects in 53 countries/provinces and 28 U.S. states. Heifer projects around the world help families achieve self-reliance through the gift of livestock and training. Gifts are passed from recipient to recipient until entire communities are transformed."

Ten dollars allows you to give three rabbits, or a share in a goat or sheep. For $20 you can buy a flock of geese, chickens or ducks. Thirty dollars buys honeybees. This year instead of giving a sweater that will hang in someone's closet unworn, why not donate $50 in their name to buy a share in a "knitting basket" from Heifer International? The recipient will be able to then produce an income, keep her family warm and as the gift of sheep and llamas multiplies it will help the whole community. A truly great way to have a clutter-free Christmas!

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.

Merry Christmas From Our Family to Yours!

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.

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