For example, Christmas Cards around here get saved and turned into gift tags the next year. The ribbon decorating presents we receive gets saved and used again next year-for wrapping or decorating. I just can't let a sparkly, shiny taffeta ribbon go into the garbage. Argh! The waste of it all!!
Another reusing that happened this year? The lower branches that were cut off the tree [so we could stuff him into the stand] were strapped down to the deck railing and topped with lights. They made me happy during the Christmas Party this year.
But, I would love to hear more ideas on Christmas/Holiday related recycling. What do you do?And, of course, those of you who actually aren't here from Rocks in My Dryer should head over there to see what's working for others this week.
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Hmm. Same ol' stuff around here I guess. Nothing terribly inspirational. We reuse bows from year to year. We also buy a few huge rolls of wrapping paper on sale at the end of the season that lasts us a few years. We save our holidays cards, but only so we can see who we need to mail cards to. I just stick 'em in the box with the holiday stuff and out they come the next year.
I am crazy about reusing - and it's getting mixed reviews by others. Am I saving the world or adding to the crap I already own? I see it as being thifty/fugal, esp in this economy. Price Chopper now has wrapping paper for .37/roll. I had the knee jerk reflex to just buy it all! But I remembered that I already have 6 rolls at home!
It's funny, I used to laugh at my Grandmother when she always saved the bows, etc from gifts. Now I do it!
I save the ribbons and bows, tissue paper that isn't ripped, gift boxes & bags and the bow and other decorations that are on the wreathes that we buy from the Boy Scouts every year.
I turn our old cards into simple craft projects for my almost 3 year old. One day I will use them as gift labels too, but right now we have a ton of labels that I bought awhile back or got free in the mail.
Sometimes I get an eye roll or two from others about my reusing, but ya know what, jokes on them because I hardly ever have to pay for wrapping materials!
We save gift wrappings, too, and have not bought wrapping paper in about 5 years. We do buy ribbon for tying tags onto gifts, because in addition to reused paper we use a lot of cloth gift bags. We made them from holiday fabric we got at a January sale. Just cut a piece of fabric big enough to fit around an object of a type you're likely to wrap, fold it in half inside out, sew two sides closed, turn right side out, and it's ready to use! (You could hem the open end, but we mostly didn't bother, and they're holding up well.) After putting the gift inside, either fold over the end of the bag and tie a ribbon around the whole thing, or bunch up the end and tie a ribbon around that.
We make gift tags out of old cards and by cutting one shape (snowman, Santa, etc.) out of wrapping paper that's got too many torn/crumpled spots to reuse.
Our biggest Christmas-related reusing is our tree. We made it in 1996 almost entirely from trash. See link behind my name.
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