Recycled Christmas, could it work???

BungleGirl

I just got my hands on a sewing machine (have never used one before!) and I was thinking of making fabric gift bags for my presents - then attaching a tag asking the recipient to reuse it when they next give someone a gift with the same message that it is to be reused again. I thought that I could probably make them out of old clothes/sheets/curtains etc.

I saw a website a while ago where they did this kind of thing but the bags had numbers - you entered the number on the website with what you received from whom and what you used it for next - that's a bit complicated I think and it didn't look like many people had 'logged' their presents.

Anyway, a my needlecraft skills are non existent, I might need to come up with some unusual shaped gifts to put in my wonky bags. I'm not very creative but I'm always very proud of what I make even if it does look like it has been made by a three year old!

Just edited to add this link with how to make fabric gift bags and other 'green' wrapping ideas:-

http://eartheasy.com/gift_wrapping.htm

margaretclare

arkonite_babe wrote:

I'm hating Christmas more and more each year due to the commercialisation and the extensive lists the kids draw up. So that's why I thought of having an alternative Christmas this year.

I completely agree with the first sentence. We don't *do* presents, so that is out - not since my daughter died, will be 4 years ago this December. I normally do Christmas cards from either the Woodland Trust or the RSPB. We go to church Christmas morning and the minister always asks the children: 'and what did you get?' Grrrr....it's the emphasis on 'getting' - it has crept in even into church. We come home and have a nice meal together just the 2 of us - so what, we do that every Sunday! Last year we invited someone to come for Christmas lunch and it was a disaster. She insisted on staying the whole day because she 'didn't want to go back to an empty house'. She also brought her dog...and didn't like our choice of TV-watching. So this year we are going on a 5-night Rhine cruise by Travelscope.

Christmas was never meant to be a spend-spend-spend festival. It has all just got completely out of hand. There's so much waste it's incredible.

Last December I was in hospital for 10 nights, and in the next bed was a woman my age who'd just had another great-grandchild. And her response was: 'That's another one to buy for'.

If children are regarded just as 'another one to buy for' then I despair.

Margaret Clare

arkonite_babe

margaretclare wrote:

Christmas was never meant to be a spend-spend-spend festival. It has all just got completely out of hand. There's so much waste it's incredible.

Margaret Clare

This is exactly the point I was trying to make. Even though my eldest is 14 it's still going to be hard for her to accept an alternative Christmas, goodness knows how the little one who is 8 will take it

But I'm determined to make it work and make the kids see that Christmas isn't jst all about who gets the most expensive thing out of thier crowd.

Wondering now if I'm going to end up stressed by it all, not that it matters, Christmas usually stresses me to the hilt anyway

se999

Arkonite_babe - I think one thing that children & teenagers really appreciate is time and involvement, as long as they are involved in it and the decision making it works well.

We actually have a vote for Christmas dinner & meals. One year Egg mornay won, so we had it!! One Christmas treat we all enjoy is a fondue together, where we all sit around cutting up the veg to use, the preparation is as much fun as the eating. Making Christmas puddings and cakes isn't moneysaving unfortunately (well I've not managed to do it), but it's worth the extra cost for the fun of everyone making it. My eldest son is the expert at making ultra light homemade mincepies.

The family dress the Christmas tree together, with accumulated decorations that bring back memories of friends and places, it has a special place in our family Christmas. But, when our children were under 5 we had an indectructible tree with ornaments they'd made themselves plus a few indestructibles, no electric lights, they used to knock it over regularly, but loved putting the bits back on, it was a favorite Christmas toy.

You need to find out what works for your family, to make your family Christmas special. I'm always surprised as time goes by when I ask about this comng Christmas, what they want to do, although it has some constants it always has surprises they're changing so quickly, but we're changing too.

We have had German visitors at times, they have presents Christmas Eve, we've started to do that too. That way the Celebration of Christ's birthday also gets seperated, but it's easier with young adults/older children, young children don't really understand cultural customs that mean Father Christmas comes early in some countries!!

I have really waffled, but I think what I'm trying to say is ask your family what will make this Christmas really special, you do have to set budget constraints upfront :rolleyes:

Icemaiden

My kids make our christmas cards, usually about 30. Cut card from cereal boxes, cover in old wrapping paper/brown paper and decorated the front with some tinsle, glitter and picture of xmas tree, snowman or whatever they want. We also use old christmas cards to make gift tags and reuse any wrapping paper which hasn't been ripped to shreds. I also make hampers for the oldies which go down really well. Usually home made stuff like shortbread, christmas cake, jams, mince pies, cheese, bung in a bottle of port/sherry, arrange nicely in a box and cover with cellophane you buy from any florist shop( £1 per metre)and finish with some ribbon.

Sallys_Savings

SE999 We begin our celebration on christmas eve too.

It really began as I didnt want to miss out on everything going on during christmas day itself. Especially when we had four children under the age of 5 (so rather a busy time!!!)

Everyone is home on christmas eve by lunchtime and we have our christmas dinner at approx 4pm on christmas eve. Every year my husband prepares all the vegetables (his one and only job he does for christmas and then still thinks hes hard doneby lol) while I zoom around cleaning and then we finish the dinner off together. After dinner we light more candles in the lounge and take it in turns to tell sections of the first christmas story. (They still did this last christmas at 19, 15 and 14 ) Then we all open one present each.

This has always meant that I have been able to spend time with the children whilst they've been opening their presents and playing on christmas morning, rather than rushing about preparing dinner.

On christmas morning we always have sausage and bacon sandwiches in "proper" bread lol (thats what my children call all bread that isnt tesco value)....and have a buffet late afternoon for family (or we do this on boxing day).

Having christmas dinner on christmas eve means feels that we have a longer christmas lol as we're all sorted and in the christmas "mode" rather than still rushing about like lots of other people.


ohhhhh I lurrvvvveee christmas

savvy

Icemaiden wrote:

We also use old christmas cards to make gift tags

Same here, I cut the fronts off, the backs go in the recycling bin, and then cut out the pics, and even up the sides of the main picture. I then have long strips and squares, so end up with a few that are matching so each family have matching tags

Sallys_Savings

:xmastree: I think this thread is a great idea...well done for starting it :j

I'm going to make a real effort to have as much of a recyled christmas as I can.

My christmas decs are certainly being recyled...with 8 of them being ones my children made 17-15 years ago They still bring a smile to my face as I straighten them up every year to put on the tree.

sandieb

Thanks again arkonite_babe for this thread. Yesterday I bought 2 brand new items (perfect for the 2 people in mind) from our local charity shop which will make brilliant Christmas presents - their value new was £21 and I got them for £1.99!!

I hope this alternative Christmas idea will spread more and more. It seems that most people groan at the thought of Christmas shopping and that it's all "too commercial" and wish that it should be as it used to be .... the orange in the stocking sort of thing!

I always felt sad that prior to Christmas the majority of people in the vast supermarket queues looked SO miserable and here they were in one of the most affluent countries in the world, with everything at their fingertips and still they weren't happy.

Sorry I'm rambling ....

tiptoes

I really like this idea arkonite_babe and have started collecting stuff from charity shops. I'm going to give mine and OH parents a set of the recycled grolsh glasses, Some fairtade jewlery for mine and OH sis's. Just got to figure what to get BIL's as not sure and then there is the extended family gifts to get normally wine and choc's but might try be a bit more imaginative this year:D . Then there are DD and DS, DD wants to adopt a whale or dolphine but other than that I still have very little idea's as of yet.