EcoLOGICAL Tip #2: Holiday Wrapping Edition

Trafton B.

December 23, 2009 - 4:02 PM

‘Tis the season for laughter, good cheer, eggnog, and, of course, exchanging holiday gifts. Although I have my own qualms about the extent to which Christmas has become commercialized, I really can't be too grumpy for obvious reasons. But I do feel there is room for everyone to be more eco-friendly during the holiday season - particularly when it comes to wrapping gifts. So, consider this sleigh full of ecotips as my gift to you.

Newspaper is the best gift-wrap. Why? First of all, it's delivered to your front door on a daily basis, so there's no need to rush out to the nearest stationary store just to maintain the element of surprise come Christmas morning. It's cheap, no matter if you're using the 50¢ local paper or the $2 Sunday New York Times. And also, for fear of sounding like Martha Stewart, if used properly you can add a personalized touch to each gift. For a present to your younger brother, use the comic section. Mom, Arts & Leisure. Dad, Sports. It's that simple. You're saving the environment by reusing paper before you recycle them (which I know you will all do afterwards).

Now, newspaper might only be for select occasions. Say, if you're giving a nice bottle of wine to your boss or a coffee table book to family friends, then you might want to be a little classier than newspaper. For these situations, by all means buy the good stuff and don't hold back. There's a fine line between environmentally conscious and frugally trashy. But when exchanging gifts between immediate family members - you know, the presents that don't leave the house - I guarantee that the thought of the gift will mean more to them than the black and white lettering you covered it in.

Save the wrapping. The only thing better than recycling paper, is reusing it. Well, not buying it in the first place would be the best situation, but I'm assuming we've passed that stage. Saving your wrapping paper may not always be an option, especially if you have an overzealous child, but when you can save the wrapping, do it.

On a similar and more practical note, save the bags. Whenever you receive a holiday bag, do not by any means throw it out. First of all, they are a pain in the neck to recycle because you never know what combination of paper, plastic and fibers they are made of, and more importantly they can be reused forever. Just store them away with the ornaments and stockings for the rest of the year, and once again, you don't have to worry about buying new wrapping. Same thing applies for the gift boxes you get from any retail stores. And that way you can really throw off your mom when you put a sparkling necklace inside a box from Sports Authority. Gets ‘em every time.

There you have it. Some ideas to keep in the back of your mind when you're freaking out on Christmas Eve. Save some cash, save the environment and have a few jokes about it in the morning. Because my family lives by these simple rules, we haven't bought wrapping paper in years, at least not to my knowledge.
Happy Holidays!