Wrap It Up

It is so hard to avoid being sucked in by the Christmas-Monster. Try as I might, I see the twinkly lights, the shiny wrapping paper, the glittery cards and all the other sparkly stuff and I start thinking that Jake and I need to ditch the hand-me-down ornaments and lights and that crappy tinsel I've recycled for nearly 5 years and trade it all in for some new fancy stuff.

Upon close examination, though, most of that sparkly stuff is just plastic junk up close. I'd rather keep my tired old bulbs and ornaments anyway, since they were passed down from our families. And, sadly, much of that sparkly junk will also be ripped to shreds and stuffed in a garbage can before sunrise on Christmas Day, so I try to recycle as much as I can to avoid feeding the Christmas-Monster.

For our few purchased gifts and more abundant home-made gifts, I used the same roll of paper we've had for 4 Christmases. I save the previous year's cards and cut them up for tags, using a hole-punch and some scrap yarn from my crochet projects. Sometimes I use a paper bag and dress it up with colorful string, or add a quick crocheted cord or use a marker to draw on stenciled snowflakes or trees. And their always seems to be tons of tissue paper and Holiday gift bags to utilize as well.

Now that Lansing takes back boxboard, all the clothing boxes can be recycled with the city trash pick-up, and wrapping paper has always been accepted if it's too shredded to reuse. I like fancy presents and packages just as much as anyone else, but it makes me feel good to know that I am using less, saving money, and giving a unique and heartfelt gift.