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Dreaming of a Green Christmas

Here is another option.

I am strongly considering a green Christmas. I will be recycling gifts and openly admitting it. Children of close friends with be receiving books that have been loved by my children and my children will write loving notes to explain why they are giving this particular book to their friends. In one case, my son's godparents gave him a great western town set that is completely perfect for the age of their eldest son. I will be writing gift certificates: I will clean my elderly mother's house. I will cook meals and freeze them for my sister who does not like to cook and needs to save money. I will be purchasing gift cards, but for essentials like groceries. Gifts for my son's will be challenging, but my youngest has mentioned wanting old baseball cards (recyling that means something has more value the older it is!) and my oldest wants expensive sports equipment, which I will likely buy used as it is the only way we can afford it (paddle board).

I want to stop participating in the consumer frenzy that this religious holiday has become. I want less waste, less pollution and I want to stop giving the big banks money that I do not have right now.

It might seem tacky to some, but I don't have the money...especially since I just learned that my son's braces may cost $6000 or more.

So, who wants to join me in a green Christmas?

What can I do next?

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I think it's a great idea and will consider it. Remember the days when you could take gently used toys to the fire department to be given out at christmas? They won't take anything but new in the package now! I do hope this catches on - the old fashioned xmas that was about love, family and fellowship and now so much about gifts!

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Awesome idea!

I HATE the consumerism and the constant scramble for stuff, junk and waste!

I'm with you!

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one thing my husband's family has done for 20+ years is never use wrapping paper. they reuse christmas bags over and over, and sometimes have funny memories of "getting this bag when i was 5". after each christmas the bags get stored in the rafters until the next year. so much easier and saves paper.

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Awesome idea!

I HATE the consumerism and the constant scramble for stuff, junk and waste!

I'm with you!

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I think it's a great idea and will consider it. Remember the days when you could take gently used toys to the fire department to be given out at christmas? They won't take anything but new in the package now! I do hope this catches on - the old fashioned xmas that was about love, family and fellowship and now so much about gifts!

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May your ideas become a movement!

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I am with you!

My kids gifts are being made. By myself and a few other people.

My neighbor is making them these rubber band shooters. He has a few for his kid, and my boys LOVE them. so he is playing the wood carver:)

My neighbor also came up with this cheap idea. That he again has most the parts for...I am taking some Old clothes...and he has this foam that hardens. So we are going to fill the clothes with foam. And when it dries, it makes the perfect wrestling buddy. You can smash them around. Throw them in the air...Since I have all boys...and we are always fitting with each other, I am hoping this encourages them to wrestle with their dumby and not a brother:)

I am going to give my neighbor a couple bucks for his time. And maybe a six pack of his favorite beer.

Makes me happy knowing my kids are going to still get stuff they want...and love...and It cost me nothing more then my neighbors time.

My neighbor likes it...because it now links our families together a bit more. they are our best friends to begin with. But this takes it one step further.

I am in..Where do I sign???

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Great ideas! Our family too, is looking more toward a 'green' Christmas this year. One suggestion, that may not be really money saving, that our daughter suggested is that each of our families (my husband and me, our daughter and her husband, and our son and his wife) plan an outing of some sort for all of us. (with the three grandchildren, that will total nine people, so may tend to be a bit on the costly side, depending on the outing planned). We would then give a nice card to each of the other families stating what the outing would be. The outings could take place any time during the year, but would be something we'd all have fun looking forward to and would give us time together as a family other than just at the holidays and birthdays.
I also remember our first Christmas in California. That year, my husband was deployed with the Navy. Our twelve year old son, our new baby who was not quite three months old, and I were spending the day by ourselves. Money was very tight and yet I wanted to have a nice Christmas for the older boy. I visited thrift stores and yard sales looking for just the right things to buy, and found a good many things that worked out very well. I believe I did manage to purchase one special item new for the older boy, but for the baby, it was all good recycled toys that mostly were geared for him to use when he reached about a year of age. Since spending money for a tree seemed to not be in our budget at all, I found some cardboard boxes, cut out three circles that graduated in size, and used green yarn to connect them into a 'tree' of sorts. I had my decorations box from years past, and simply took tinsel garland, fake snow and ornaments to decorate with. This 'tree' was hung from a ceiling hook that was already in place in our apartment, and looked really quite nice. I have to say, that for me at least, this is one of the most memorable Christmases we've had.

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I have done this before I had kids. I honestly don't think my friends appreciated the second-hand books! For my birthday this year, I asked for and received from my mom a beautiful stack of books that she had finished with, tied with string, garnished with a sprig of flowers from her garden. It was lovely.

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Sounds great to me L.!! And very thoughtful which is always what giving at Christmas time was supposed to be about. I am never offended by something used especially if it has been lovingly used by someone I love.

Good for you and a very good lesson for your children in which they can participate!!

Blessings on your family and those lucky relatives. N.

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