Christmas is an ambivalent affair for many. The joy of watching eyes light up with excitement is counteracted by discontent with mass consumerism, waste and irresponsible excess. The result seems to be jaded adults merely conforming to societal and family pressures. Many of us become so bogged down with the hype that the knee-jerk reaction is to reject Christmas altogether. We forget that it doesn’t have to be like this. Midwinter is a perfect time for a celebration of light and joy, without depleting either our bank balance or the earth.

Most of us know how to recycle packaging and are aware of supermarket schemes to recycle used Christmas cards. While this can only be a good thing, it strikes me that ecologically we’re shutting the door after the reindeer has bolted. Recycling is a vital step on the path of sustainability but step one should be to reduce our consumption in the first place. Here are a few ideas:

Cards
· Cut down your Christmas card list! Simple but effective and it will save you time and money, too. Can you send some people good wishes in person instead of via a card?
· Send e-cards. Many websites have a free e-card service. My favourite is www.care2.com who have a huge range of e-cards for many occasions including Christmas, Yule and winter solstice. They don’t charge a penny, you don’t need to buy stamps and care2 support many ecological and humanitarian campaigns.
· Save the cards you received last year and re-use them. Friends of the Earth and Greenpeace sell pads of gummed recycled paper for sticking over the old messages or make your own from plain paper and pritt stick.
· If you really feel the need to send newly bought cards, consider somewhere like Natural Collection . Theirs are made from 100% recycled materials, as is their wrapping paper.

Gift Wrapping
· Any used Christmas cards that aren’t in good enough condition to re-use can have the decent bits cut out and made into tags for presents.
· Wrapping paper gets used and discarded by the metre. Consider buying a large roll of brown packing paper instead. You will usually find that this is made from recycled paper and is a fraction of the price of gift-wrap. Presents look endearingly traditional wrapped in this, especially if you find old ribbons to tie them extravagantly with. Younger children love turning plain paper into something more festive with potato prints, while writing festive messages in gold pen can also look stylish. Hole punchers that cut out star or snowflake shapes can be used on white paper that has only been used on one side. These can then be stuck onto the packing paper.
· Gifts can also be wrapped in scraps of fabric. Look in charity shops for red or green material. You may even find gold lamé or luxurious crushed velvets. Cut with pinking shears and the edges will look pretty when it’s all tied together with a second-hand ribbon.

Presents
The amount of presents bought at Christmas is increasing each year. If you love to give but don’t want to take from the planet in the process, consider these ideas:
· Satisfy your urge to buy by frequenting charity shops. Great gifts can be found!
· Just because your children want the latest CD, DVD, book or computer game it doesn’t mean you have to add to the stockpile of freshly manufactured goods. Look for second-hand ‘as new’ products online via amazon, ebay, greenmetropolis or readitswapit.
· How about recycling gifts from your own home? My friends know that if I have something around the home (in good condition!) that they would like then I may well be passing it on to them for Christmas. I always appreciate it when friends have the same policy with me.
· Charity gifts are another way of showing you care, not just for the recipient but on a wider level as well. www.greatgifts.org offers a selection of alternative gifts that range from £5 to over £5000. These include a goat for a third world family, education for a poverty stricken child, water for drought ridden communities and much more. Your recipient will usually receive a certificate telling them how your gift to them has benefited someone in need. www.goodgifts.org is very similar. The Woodland Trust will plant a tree and provide a certificate for your chosen recipient. The Hadwen Trust provides certificates stating which type of animal your money has helped to save from vivisection. Trees for life have a gift card available from Natural Collection that lets its recipient know a tree has been planted in their name.
· A lovely idea for children or adults who don’t have much money is to offer services instead. Make up your own gift vouchers offering breakfast in bed, a relaxing massage, free reign of the remote control for a day, or a promise to do all the washing up for a week!
· If you truly love to shop, make an effort to support local craft fayres, independent shops and fair trade stockists. Only buy what is really needed and try not to be swayed by the hype!
· Take time to remember that many children will be receiving little this Christmas. While gathering eco or recycled gifts for your own children you may like to consider charities such as Samaritan’s Purse who encourage you to fill a shoebox for a child. Regional newspapers often promote similar collections for children, refugees and women’s refuges at this time of year.

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Tags: christmas, christmas eco tips, ecology, gem

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