Christmas
REDUCE WASTE WITH THESE 5 EASY ECO-FRIENDLY CHRISTMAS GIFT WRAPPING IDEAS
SAVE THE PLANET (AND YOUR WALLET) WITH THESE 5 SIMPLE, ECO-FRIENDLY CHRISTMAS GIFT WRAPPING IDEAS. THESE IDEAS MAKE IT EASY TO REDUCE WASTE!
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WHY CONSIDER ECO-FRIENDLY CHRISTMAS GIFT WRAPPING?
Many Christmas gifts have to be unwrapped and unpackaged, causing quite a bit of waste. When our kids open their gifts on Christmas morning I have a big trash bag handy just to collect all of the paper, ribbon, tags and packaging from their new toys.
We try to be as eco-conscious as we can throughout the year. We do this by choosing sustainable options when possible. As well as repurposing and recycling as much as we can. We love to repurpose items, and come up with creative solutions for reducing waste in our farmhouse.
Looking at all the little pieces of wrapping paper on the floor got me thinking. How can we wrap gifts in a more sustainable way? (And not take the fun out of Christmas)…
HANDMADE IS VERY ECO-FRIENDLY
Handmade gifts are a thoughtful way to show some love. Another bonus is the lack of packaging! Items that are handmade can be packaged however we want, often without plastics. Many handmade items don’t need to be wrapped. My mother-in-law gifted me a stunning blanket that she knitted for us. It was massive, and beautiful, and didn’t need any packaging whatsoever. Handmade gifts quickly and easily become more cherished than items purchased at the store. There is truly something to be said about taking the time to create something to give to family or a friend.
Some of our favorite handmade gifts are actually DIY skincare products. This year, we are making Pink Himalayan Salt Scrub and packaging it into these cute little glass jars. Glass jars can be used over and over again making them the perfect sustainable option.
DIY Lotion Bars are another great gift idea and they’re so beautiful they don’t need any packaging. Lotion bars can be tied with baker’s twine or regular twine with a little cardboard label. Or, ditch the packaging all together and just pop them into a stocking!
Many handmade items are less expensive than store-bought too. For example, a wreath can be made using natural elements for under $10. Purchase a live wreath from the store and it could be $50+! I share a simple evergreen wreath tutorial HERE, using natural elements from the yard.
For more handmade skincare inspiration, check out our free ebook “Simply Homemade Holiday“. This is a compilation of our most loved skincare recipes with a holiday twist.
REUSABLE ECO-FRIENDLY CHRISTMAS GIFT WRAPPING
Oh the wrapping paper!
Have you ever considered recycling brown paper bags to wrap gifts?! How about using the comic section of the newspaper to wrap presents for the kiddos? If you’re someone who much prefers using wrapping paper, there are recycled paper options available. Wrapping paper can often be recycled as long as it doesn’t contain any metallic components.
Next time you hit the grocery store, ask for paper bags instead of plastic. We store our paper bags and use them for our recyclables, kindling in a pinch and wrapping gifts!
Wrapping gifts with brown paper bags doesn’t have to be boring. Kids can draw on the boxes, and write who the gifts are for. We love to place stickers on packages to decorate them as well.
To wrap a package with a paper bag, open up the bag and cut down one of the sides (all the way to the bottom). Then, cut around the bottom seam to remove the bottom panel. If the bag has handles, go ahead and cut them off too. Now you are left with a big rectangle. Flip the bag so the store logo is facing you, and place it down on your work surface and wrap as usual.
As for boxes, when Christmas approaches we start to save a small stockpile of cardboard boxes. Usually we recycle them, but around the holidays it is wonderful to be able to choose a box from what we have on hand to package up a gift. This is a great way to repurpose what we already have, and we never have to purchase boxes!
ADD SOME NATURAL ELEMENTS
I told you using brown bag wrapping paper doesn’t have to be boring! Throw a couple of dried orange slices, pieces or greenery or even a pinecone or two on top of a box for simplistic beauty.
Long dried grasses would be beautiful as well, or truly anything from nature.
In these pictures, I used some leftover greens from wreath-making to decorate this package. Simply tuck the greenery into the twine for simple and beautiful packaging.
DITCH THE RIBBON
Ribbon can’t be recycled, but string and twine will decompose. Sure, ribbon can be pretty but there are other options available.
Baker’s twine comes in different colors, I chose this red and white blend to wrap gifts this year as it reminds me of a candy cane! Twine is another great option as well.
Some companies sell a “paper ribbon” that is another beautiful, more eco-friendly option.
DOES IT “HAVE” TO BE WRAPPED?
While there are definitely some gifts that need to be wrapped, others may not. For example, the small jars of salt scrub that we made are pretty just on their own. I wrapped a few inches of baker’s twine around the tops and placed a cardboard label. These don’t need to be wrapped any more than that, and still have a beautiful presentation.
We also love to use tins for reusable gift giving. A couple of years ago we had purchased some festive tins and use them year after year! They are perfect for oddly shaped gifts that would be a challenge to try to wrap any other way.
Some little stocking stuffers may not need to be wrapped either. The stocking keeps them a secret until it’s time to dig in!
LET’S RECAP 5 ECO-FRIENDLY CHRISTMAS GIFT WRAPPING IDEAS
- Consider handmade gifts and package them sustainably.
- Repurpose comic sections or brown paper bags for simple, eco-friendly wrapping paper.
- Throw some natural elements in there! Instead of bows, etc. natural elements such as oranges and greenery can be used to make gifts beautiful.
- Ditch the ribbon and make packages beautiful with twine.
- Don’t “over-package” gifts. Is it already in a package? Is there anything you can do to jazz up the presentation without needing to wrap it?
SHOP THIS POST
This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. See my full disclosure here.
These are some of the packaging options we chose to use this Christmas.
PIN IT FOR LATER
We hope this post inspires you to make some handmade gifts, or swap out twine for ribbon to make this holiday a little more eco-friendly. Or perhaps these tips will help you save time on wrapping this year!
As always, thank you for visiting the Simply Rooted Farmhouse today. For more from our Holiday Line, you may enjoy these posts:
