The song tells of a white Christmas, but that refers to the weather and the Christmasy atmosphere that snow can bring.<\/p>\n
Planning for a green Christmas is all about being environmentally active and aware while saving money as well.<\/p>\n
In times of economic uncertainty that must surely be a good thing. And of course, if the weather brings a little bit of white covering too, then that makes a green Christmas perfect!<\/p>\n
Exchanging gifts is a common practice at Christmas, and this is an excellent place to start our green Christmas habits. The gift wrapping paper sold in stores is usually not recyclable.<\/p>\n
Most of it is immediately thrown away to end up in landfills. This makes gift wrapping with store-bought paper expensive and very unfriendly to the planet \u2013 not what we want for a green Christmas.<\/p>\n
A much better alternative, and one that close relatives will appreciate, is to use your children\u2019s artwork to wrap gifts. You could also use your children\u2019s comic books, or the comic sections of newspapers as a bright and colorful alternative, thereby recycling old paper. You can explain to the recipient of the gift in a positive way why you are doing this and perhaps make them feel guilty for not having a green Christmas as well.<\/p>\n
It has been calculated by the Sierra Club, America\u2019s oldest and largest environmental organization, that if every family in the country gift wrapped just three gifts by recycling existing paper they already have, the paper saved would be enough to cover 45,000 football fields. Now, that\u2019s a green Christmas and a whole lot of trees saved too!<\/p>\n
If you plan to hang a wreath on your front door. consider making one yourself. It\u2019s easy and very environmentally friendly \u2013 and you\u2019ll save money too. Go into the forest, or even a nearby park, and find evergreen branches and dried twigs. These can be wrapped in a circular fashion with cranberries strung together to add a splash of bright color. You\u2019ll surprise yourself at how good you are, it won\u2019t cost you anything but a little time, and the materials are all fully biodegradable. Your green Christmas can\u2019t get much better than that.<\/p>\n
There are many more things you can do to make this a green Christmas. Consider making your own cards, for example. Use your children\u2019s artwork again \u2013 it\u2019s perfect for this and grandparent will love it. You can use LED lights on your tree (which should be a real one that can be planted out later) and you will save 90% on your green Christmas electricity bill. If you start thinking about it I\u2019m sure you will come up with other great ideas for a green Christmas.<\/p>\n