Now that you have your gifts ready to go, how can you wrap them without spending a fortune on paper and ribbon and at the same time reduce your use of paper and excess waste? The majority of wrapping paper out there cannot be recycled because of its low quality and/ or the addition of foil and decorative features. Following are some ideas to get you thinking of alternate ways to wrap up all your gifts for the holiday season and year round:

1. This video features three projects with recycled paper scraps: gift tags, quilted cards, and quilted tags than can double as bookmarks.

2. The Lean Green Family has featured a variety of wrapping alternatives, such as using cinch-sack backpacks and boots to hold gifts!

3. The State of Maine Planning Office has put together a really nice compilation of eco-friendly ideas called, “Holiday Reduction & Recycling Tips.” It not only includes alternatives to wrapping paper, but tips on recycling holiday trees, cardboard, batteries, and much more.

4. Apron Thrift Girl posted some useful ideas and posted a great picture of the reusable fabric she used to wrap presents. As she notes, two gifts in one!

5. How about recycled paper bows? This great tutorial shows you how to make your own bows out of old magazines.

Suggestions from Goodwill Staff Members:

* Wrap gifts in brown paper shopping bags and decorate with stickers, stamps, or your own design.

* Wrap gifts in old maps, fabric, or children’s artwork.

* Wrap gifts in last year’s wall calendar or old posters and prints.

* Give gifts in reusable and useful containers, such as cloth bags (pick a bunch up at Goodwill for only $0.98 each!), tins, baskets, coffee mugs, and wooden boxes.

* Cut up old holiday cards for gift tags.

* If you are mailing packages, consider packing your box with popcorn or shredded scrap paper instead of Styrofoam peanuts.

* Wrap your gift in the comics section of the newspaper or colorful pages from a magazine.

* Save wrapping paper you receive and reuse!

* Give a decorative towel as part of your present and wrap the gift inside.

* Buy a large roll of plain brown butcher paper (this employee states that this roll has lasted him years). He uses it to wrap holiday gifts and gifts given throughout the year. The packages are decorated with holiday cards received in the past and tied with ribbons and items from the beach and woods, such as balsam sprigs, pine cones, sand dollars, beach glass, and other “found” items. What a great idea!

The holiday season is officially upon us. I have found and received many great inexpensive and green gift ideas for the holidays. Following is a round up everyone’s suggestions:

1. Handmade Children’s Toys: I know I suggested checking out etsy in the last post, but I really liked this Rainbow Bunting Set that Queen City Craft highlighted in a recent post. It is a great gift for young children and made locally! Green Mountain Wee Woolies also has plenty of other handmade creations.

2. CD Covers: Roxy Jewelry had a great post about recycled CD/DVD covers made from old Magic Eye books. As she suggests, what a great idea to make a music mix and wrap it up in something special–this is an easy, thoughtful, and inexpensive gift anyone would appreciate. Though she has run out of this design, she has Grand Canyon covers available and it is also easy to make your own!

3. Cookie Molds: Do you have friends or family members who love to bake? Check out Brown Bag Designs. For the second year in a row, they have created a cookie mold whose sale benefits a different non-profit. This year they chose Heifer International and created a beautiful “Heifer and Friends” cookie mold. They cost $19.95 with $12 of the sale going directly to Heifer International.

4. Books: For all of you book-lovers and friend of book-lovers, how about putting together a collection of used and vintage titles? A post on Thrifty Chicks has inspired me to put together a collection of children’s books for my nephew. Whether you have a friend or family member who loves classics, mysteries, romance, or history, browsing through Goodwill and other second-hand stores is sure to be successful.

5. Candles: How about homemade candles? Check out this post about how to make candles in your crockpot!

6. Lip Balm: Don’t let your friends’ lips get chapped! Lip balm is fun and easy to make. Try this simple recipe at Green Bee or check out this post if you would like to make a bunch at once.

7. Food: Who doesn’t like to eat? How about putting together a basket of local foods from Maine, New Hampshire, or Vermont? You are sure to find these products at your local grocery stores or specialty shops. Maple syrup, oatmeal, ployes, granola…there is lots of great local food that would make for excellent presents.

Final Thoughts…

Not to drag down all this holiday cheer, but the holiday can produce lots of waste: wrapping paper, ribbons, bows, bags…you get the picture. I read a great post on the Lean Green Family about some easy steps you can take to reduce holiday waste.

Finally, this is the time of year for giving. If you’re not sure what to buy someone, rather than get them stuff you they may not want or need, consider making a donation to an organization they care about in their name. This is a gift anyone will appreciate. Read more about giving on the Lean Green Family’s “Spend Less, Give More” post.

Please stay tuned for more posts this month about affordable holiday options, including some great finds at Goodwill stores!

Good (late) afternoon readers! We are gearing up to write about some inexpensive, green, and creative gift ideas for the holiday season. I know there are many talented and crafty people out there, so if you have ideas you would like to submit, we would love to feature them on our blog.

We are looking for gift ideas for people of all ages and interests. We’re looking forward to seeing your brainstorms!

Please email your ideas to: info@ginne.org.