Twelve Days of Conscious Christmas: Day 8, Swap Your Wrapping Paper

This is the week! Time time get those gifts out of closets and attics and get wrapping! :)

It may be time to start rethinking what you use to wrap those gifts though. Did you know: 227,000 miles of wrapping paper is used each year, or the equivalent of 30 million trees? Crazy! And depending on the type of paper, much of it isn't recyclable.

Here are some options to not add to the problem: 

1) Use what you have: If you already have paper, you may as well use it or donate it. No sense in swapping something that already exists for an alternative. 

2) Purchase paper with recycled content. Simply add recycled to your search terms or look at specialty sites like Green Field Paper.

3) Purchase paper that's recyclable. This one is harder, because you need to check your local rules to avoid "wishcycling". In general, avoid glitter and foil. You've probably seen some amazing beautiful packages with simple brown kraft paper. 

(Source) 

4) Use alternative papers. Do you still read a physical newspaper? Paper grocery bags? Or have outdated paper maps? They can make a fun alternative wrapping. One of my great joys each year, is my friend Andrew, who makes his holiday card and envelopes out of old maps. 

(Source)

5) Try the furoshiki wrapping method, where you wrap the gift in fabric. You can have specific wrapping fabrics that you reuse each year, or make part of the gift into the wrapping, like a scarf. Here I used a tea towel.

6) Make reusable fabric gift bags. Again, these can become part of the present, or be re-exchanged with your family and friends each year. 

Each of these will also save you $$$. The tea towel for my furoshiki wrapping? Since it was part of the gift, I paid $0 for wrapping. A fabric reusable gift bag? Costs the same or less than a paper gift bag, and lasts for many more uses.

Happy Wrapping!

Twelve Days of Conscious Christmas: Day 7, Swap Your Holiday Candles

Nothing makes a holiday cozier than twinkling lights, and for me that includes candles. 

If you aren't seeking a fragrance, faux electric "flameless" candles can be a good way to go. They can be safer for forgetful people, and now come with energy-saving LED bulbs.

For those who still love the look of a traditional candle and may want the house-warming scents of pine or cinnamon or sugar cookie, an easy swap can be looking at the materials your candle is made out of. 

You'll want to look for coconut or beeswax vs paraffin or palm oil.

Coconut (pros): Vegan, sustainable, no major red flags for impacting habitat. It's a softer wax so sometimes blended with beeswax or soy.

Beeswax (pros): Beeswax is collected at the same time as honey. Strict vegans may be opposed.

Soy (pros and cons): Soy wax is made from the oils of soybeans, and renewable. However, soybean farming is tied to impacts to the Amazon, jaguar, and local farmers in South America. Consider looking for organic labeling. 

Palm oil (cons): Palm oil is a major driver of deforestation and habitat destruction for species like orangutans and tigers.

Paraffin (cons): Paraffin wax is derived from petroleum, both a non-renewable resource and releases benzene and toluene when burned. (Source)

Where can you buy better candles? The good news is: anywhere. With coconut, beeswax, and soy becoming more popular, you'll find them at popular stores and websites like Target and Amazon. Here are just a few examples: 

(Coconut and soy blend. Scents include gingerbread, pine, snickerdoodle.) 

 

(Holiday Fir beeswax candle)

 

(Red beeswax tapers, subtle honey scent)

Another resource I love is The Good Trade. They aren't a shopping site, but rather a resource site for sustainable shopping. Check out their guide for 11 Natural Candles here.

Twelve Days of Conscious Christmas: Day 6, Second Hand Gifts and Decorations

(courtesy of greenpeace.org article)

When you think of second-hand gifts, you may think of half-used presents, the re-gifted unwanted or white elephant present, or of items that might be dirty or broken. 

This is where we need to shift our thinking:

Unless it's a collectible, how many times are you going to read that book, or assemble that puzzle? Does a book become unusable after a couple reads? Do you not borrow books from friends or the library? 

For parents of young children, do you not love when you get a bagful of hand-me-down clothes from your friend or neighbor? After all, those clothes only got 3 months of wear before they were outgrown. 

So why, for gifting, does second-hand become taboo? 

Now, don't get me wrong: items from thrift stores or pulled out of storage should definitely be washed before re-use, especially during COVID. But the need for that quick extra step shouldn't eliminate it from the options. 

Here are just a few of the quality, gently used items I've found recently while thrifting:

Assorted holiday tins, average $0.99 each. Perfect for mailing or wrapping any gift, but my eye is on these for fudge or peppermint bark!

These ceramic ($2.99) and melamine ($0.99) treat dishes. Pile these with cookies, and do a porch drop off to your friends as a socially-distant version of a cookie swap.

Mugs galore (average $1.99, compare to $8 new). Fill these with your favorite hot-cocoa mix and gourmet toppings.

This festive doll ($6.99, compare to $25 new), for the kid on your list.

Or this porcelain doll ($9.99, compare to $50 new) for the older kid or collector.

Or these wooden Peace and Joy signs ($0.99 each), for your home or your friend who needs a bit of holiday cheer this season.

For more specific selection, expand beyond the thrift store: 

• Antique stores: Great for collectibles and jewelry, and perhaps carries a classier image than Macklemore poppin' tags?
  
• Game Stop takes trade-ins and carries used video games, consoles, and accessories. 
• Half Priced Books carries not only books, but also movies and music. 
• PoshMark, ThredUp, and Swap.com carry clothing and accessories, including brand names, and filterable by "like new" condition. 
• Even Amazon: select Used condition when looking at a particular item, or choose "Amazon Warehouse" from the categories list to see a wide range of used selection.

You won't be alone in the second-hand gifting market (an Accenture survey showed 56% of participants would welcome used gifts) but you also wouldn't be alone in worrying if it was acceptable (a lower 48% said they would give used gifts). However, since over half said they would be happy to receive them, let's erase the stigma and normalize secondhand gifting! 

Need more convincing? 

CNBC Article: I love this one. Key takeaways were the Accenture study referenced above, and that Macy's and JC Penney have partnered with ThredUp to offer second-hand apparel at select stores. 

Yahoo Finance article: love that this is from the point of view of a mom and her sons' perspectives.

Twelve Days of Conscious Christmas: Day 5, Donate to Your Community

It's ... another plug for Buy Nothing??  *Surprise!* :)

Dreading another year of gift-giving to your kids, because their playroom is already over-flowing? Now is a great time to clean through it. While many "adopt a family" or other holiday giving programs request brand new toys, your neighbors may be more open to gently used toys. 

Wrapping your presents, and finding you've accumulated too much wrap from prior sales? It's the perfect time to offload some to get down to a good amount. 

Have just a few cards leftover from various packs, and don't want to send repeats? Give the remainder. 3 cards from one pack, 2 from another... quickly adds up to a couple dozen cards, and the designs won't be repeats to someone else. 

Do you want to refresh your holiday decor? Post your prior decor for a person who's just setting up their first apartment on a budget. 

Have a ton on boxes from online shopping? Give them away! With COVID, more families than ever will be celebrating apart, and reusing boxes saves them on shipping. 

Here are just a few items that I've seen on my local Buy Nothing in just the last 2 weeks, that would make for quite the holiday celebration: 

• Several rolls of curling ribbon.
• Multiple artificial Christmas trees that just need some lights replaced.
• Some beautiful fabric and trim. One member had purchased for an art project and never got around to it. The recipient is making keepsake boxes for her daughters. 

• Assorted tree ornaments. 
• Assorted partial boxes of greeting cards. 
  

• Taper candles. 
• Children's books. 
• Jigsaw puzzles. 
• Holiday themed hand towels. 
• A glass cake stand. 
• Baby shark music wooden puzzle. 
• Bag of assorted Barbies. 
• Plastic outdoor playhouse.
  

Not on Facebook, so you can't do Buy Nothing groups? You can find other ways to connect to those in your neighborhood through sites like NextDoor or Freecycle.

Spring cleaning: not just for the spring anymore, and you may just make somebody's holiday brighter!

Twelve Days of Conscious Christmas: Day 4, Support Local Businesses

Previously, we've talked about the benefits of shopping local, like when we featured The Handmade Showroom (still awesome, by the way). You not only support the local economy, but your goods have to travel less far, taking less fuel and resources to get to you. 

Now, more than ever, small businesses need our support. The government funds available for loans or grants through COVID are just not enough, and I've known more than one small business close their doors. 

So.. for gifts, or decorations, or even food for holiday meals, check out those local small businesses and the holiday cheer will go both ways!

Just one option for you to check out: The Pike Place Market Charitable Marketplace. Not only do you get to support the merchants of the market directly by purchasing from them, a portion of the funds goes to the general market recovery fund, supporting the market's businesses as a whole. AND you get to shop online, safely from the comfort of your home.

Here are some of the treats I've got my eye on (click the images to go to the marketplace): 

For my table

Nothing better than spiced wine or spiced tea to make it feel like the holidays: 

2017 Spiced Rachel Red wine, $33

 

Cinnamon Orange Loose Tea, $19.95

For gifting

For the nice and naughty on your list.

You Are Loved Wall Art, $45

 

Bag of Coal Hand Soap, $8

For my house

Just a little decoration to brighten up these grey, cloudy skies!

Red Holiday Wreath, $50

 

Light Catcher Ornament, Party Pink, $25

 

What are some of your favorite local businesses to shop from?

Twelve Days of Conscious Christmas: Day 3, Holiday Cards

I love receiving holiday cards. Whether photo cards where I can see my friend's kids growing up, or traditional cards with a hand signed note, or the old school letter, it's a delight to both get something in the mail as well as get an update from friends and family, especially those that I don't get to see as often as I like. 

This is one tradition that I'm definitely keeping, but which can create a lot of waste. I send about 50 cards a year, which means card + envelope x a few billion people on planet participating... Here's a couple ideas to reduce the impact:

1) Consider a switch to e-cards. With the prevalence of social media and the ease of email, electronics greetings are so easy to share widely with your network. A few options: 

Smilebox: supports email and social media, music, and animation!

Paperless Post: supports email, the e-card counterpart to the fun store: Paper Source

Greenvelope: supports email and text, and music. Also, Seattle-based and supports organizations like Mountain to Sound Greenway!

2) Choose recycled paper. For those who prefer the experience of getting cards in the mailbox and displayed on your mantle. A few options: 

Paper Culture: offers options from 100% recycled paper to bamboo, and also does sustainable activities like replanting trees and purchasing carbon offsets. 

Tree-Free Greetings: 100% post-consumer recycled paper. 

Now, don't worry that recycled has to mean ugly. While on some sites the recycled option is "brown kraft", on many others, it looks like every other paper option. Check out this super cute example from Tree-Free Greetings:

OK, folks, get that mail-merge started! Time to spread some holiday cheer! :)

Twelve Days of Conscious Christmas: Day 1, Set Holiday Lights on a Timer

Hey, thoughtful consumers! This month, I'm going to provide you with 12 tips to make your holiday season a bit more sustainable. 

Have you set up your holiday lights yet? With this dreary autumn (and year!), T set ours up a couple weeks ago. Simple, but warm and happy to drive up to. :)

One of the cool things about being married to an electrician is we have all the gadgets; a super easy way to make holiday lighting both more convenient and energy-saving is to use a light timer. Check out our exterior version below. There are dozens of models, many ranging $15-20. Most have additional outlets, so you gain more than the outlet you plug the timer into. This model is extremely simple with one button: it powers on at dusk, and the button sets how many hours you want to leave it on. For example, our Christmas lights come on every night at dusk and shut off 4 hours later. 

There's no more needing to turn them on or forgetting to turn them off. Further, there is a benefit to the neighborhood critters! Did you know that light pollution interferes with nocturnal animals? Putting your exterior lights on a timer will ensure your house isn't contributing to late night light pollution.

Now, you don't just need to save this trick for holiday or exterior lights. You can use a timer for your Christmas tree or regular lights year round! We have this small device plugged into our living room lamps. Instead of turning on at dusk, it has a few more options, and we set the specific hours it turns on.

For the interior timer, not only does it help us save electricity by making sure we turn off the lights in the living room when we go to bed, but it also has a security side benefit, by having the lights on for a few hours in the evening when we're out of town. 

Cost savings will depend on usage, types of bulbs you use, etc, but timers will usually pay for themselves in the first year. Stay tuned for 11 more days of holiday tips!