Wrapping Paper Alternatives
24 12 2007
One of the most wasteful things about giving presents this time of year is all of the wrapping paper that gets thrown right into the garbage after the unwrapping.
Here are some alternatives you can use to cut down the unnecessary waste:
*Newspapers - My relatives this year are getting many of their presents wrapped in the newspaper my mother subscribes to! All except for the things that might get dirty from the newsprint like the white purse I’m giving my sister in law. (I hope she’s not reading this.) The comics are a fun thing especially for wrapping the kids’ presents in.
*Old drawings or posters - The presents I mailed to my dad and step mom I wrapped in old drawing paper I had lying around that I was never going to use, and once my friend Joe wrapped a present he gave me with a Beastmaster 2 poster, something I still enjoy to this day.
*A gift inside a gift - What about putting a gift inside a bag that your recipient can reuse as an alternative to plastic bags, something like a canvas totebag? ( PS If you need any inspiration to stop using plastic bags visit this No Plastic Bags Blog.) You could even wrap the gift in a t-shirt or a pillow case. (I can always use new pillowcases if anyone is wondering.)
*Hide a gift - This is especially fun for kids, but if someone did this for me in my adulthood, I’d be delighted. Instead of wrapping the gift, hide the gift so that your recipient will either stumble upon it of their own accord, or you can play the “Hot and Cold” game to help them find it. My mom used to hide our Christmas stockings when I was little, and I convinced her to keep doing it until I left home at age 17 because it was really fun!
There are an infinite number of other alternatives, use your creativity to reduce the wrapping paper waste that goes straight to our already overflowing landfills!
