5 Green Christmas Tips

1. Skip wrapping presents. I am going to wrap all my pressies with these Trader Joe’s reusable shopping bags this year.
   

   *The bags are only $.99/each at TJs, but when I bought 10 today I was asked by the manager if I was one of those losers who was buying out all the bags and selling them on eBay for $8/each. I told them of my green x-mas plan and they seemed skeptical. I just searched eBay and sure enough there are folks out there doing this.

   If you must wrap presents consider using old newspaper and recycled ribbons or reuse gift bags.

2. Buy a live tree to decorate and plant it later. I did this last year, but the poor tree did not survive. Here are some tips to keep a tree alive. (If you live in Portland, OR you can actually rent a tree that is planted in the community soon after Christmas.)  For those who do buy a cut tree, make sure that you have it composted or mulched when the season is over.
3. Use the more efficient and less dangerous LED Christmas lights.
4. Consider making some crafty gifts or some homemade food items. Another option is to purchase tickets to an event.
5. Instead of buying somebody something that they might already have or don’t need consider giving a gift that gives back to the community through Gift It Up!, which has many donation items from 14 great non-profits. The Alternative Gift Fair is organized by a Boston non-profit group called Conscious Consuming. If you can’t make it to the fair you can give online.