Last Updated on April 15, 2023 by lindseymahoney
Happy Holidays from the Mahoney Family! This year I really focused on creative ways to reduce holiday waste in our home. These simple changes also cut down on our spending without sacrificing the beautiful seasonal decor we all love.
Top Tips to Reduce Holiday Waste
1 | Skip Nametags
Choose one style of wrapping paper for each child and skip name tags.
When they wake up on Christmas morning they will know which gifts are theirs based on the wrapping paper. Ditching the name tags means one less item purchased and one less item going into the garbage.
2 | Get Creative with Wrapping Paper
Try using craft paper to wrap some of your gifts. Wrapping paper with metallics or any foil is not recyclable.
Craft paper can be decorated beautifully and is more sustainable. Add pizazz to your presents with sustainable elements that can be composted like butcher’s twine, tree trimmings, and dried oranges.
This year I splattered white paint on the craft paper for a festive look. I also let my kids add stamps and color on the craft paper to use as wrapping paper for loved ones. The kids love it and so does the gift recipient!
A few of my girlfriends use their old Stendig calendars to wrap gifts for the holidays every year. I love this creative way to reduce holiday waste by reusing old calendars!
Another unique way to wrap a gift is using a tea towel to wrap smaller gifts. I love this fun and practical gift wrapping idea.
3 | Reuse Ribbons for Wrapping Presents
Reuse ribbon once beautifully wrapped gifts have been opened! I have two large bags full of ribbons from gifts I have received over the years.
Years ago my mother-in-law showed me how to make a bow on a gift that can be unraveled easily by untying the bow. This keeps the ribbon intact to reuse on another gift.
4 | Reuse Gift Bags and Boxes
ABSOLUTELY save all of your boxes and holiday gift bags!
Get creative and use shipping boxes to wrap gifts as well. Gone are the days when department stores packed in a handful of boxes with your purchases, now you gotta save those suckers!
5 | Decorate with Compostable Materials
Decorating with natural elements is so beautiful and the best part is that it is all easily compostable!
Try your hand at making dried orange garland. Decorate with a strand of cranberries or go old school and add some string popcorn to your tree! Get creative with natural elements while wrapping presents.
6 | Use Tree Trimmings for Decorations
If you buy a real tree, use the leftover branches you cut off to decorate your home.
You can also ask any employee at a tree lot to take some of the leftover branches and they will happily give them to you. Pine trees in your yard work just as well too!
I used leftover tree trimmings to fatten up our old garland.
The garland was purchased at an estate sale and was pretty pathetic-looking. Using floral wire, I attached tree trimmings to the garland along with faux flowers/branches that I had around our home.
The garland on our staircase was created for just $20 by thinking outside of the box and using what we owned!
I cut a few branches from my pine tree and added them to a gold vase. It looks great and smells lovely too!
I used tree trimmings to add some festive greenery to our family Santa photo collection.
Bonus | Create Trees with Wood Scraps
Cut different shapes of triangles using wood scraps to create mini Christmas trees.
I used one piece of leftover wood to cut triangle shapes. I let the kids paint their own trees and I used wood stain and watered-down craft paint to add color to the other trees.
Happy Holidays!
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