permaculture

["storm30" <storm30@telus.net>]

 Have been invited onto a noon hour radio phone-in program to expound on
> the notion of a "green" Christmas....

Reply:  One idea we do is to buy ONE nice Christmas card and write something
cheery and the date. Then I mail it to my mom, next year she mail's it to
me. We can keep a card going for years and it becomes a kind of family
heir-loom rather than more paper garbage. For the Christmas cards other
people give me, I save the pictures and use then to decorate gifts for next
year (I try not to send someone their own butchered card back...)

I recieved a box of free crumpled tissue paper from work they were going to
throw out. I spent an hour uncrumpling and have had gift paper for 4 years
now. With the white tissue I cut a stencil out of old card board and
stenciled holly motiffs on it for all my gift last year. They looked
fabulous!

The next thing I do, is frowned on by the eutiquette experts on Oprah, but
it keeps the stress and cost down. I have a gift closet. I collect gifts for
people all year round. Some are free gift with purchase, some new gifts I
recieved but don't need. I make sure what I give  is something the other
person really will like, looks new, and that they did not give it to me!

 For example in May I recieved an expensive purple water bottle from my
mother in law. I already have a good water bottle. So it went into the
closet until my sisters birthday in November. It was something she needed
and loved the design and color. She asked if I got it from Mountain
Equipment Co-op. I just smiled and said I wasn't telling.

For group family.friend gifts I think having a "White Elephant Party" would
be fun. Everyone brings and trades old stuff from home that someone else
might like. My mom does this with her husbands family. (He has 8 adult
children plus grandchildren and it's too expensive otherwise.) They have
trading games and it's a hoot. Recycling at it's best.

- Storm30
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