Making Your Christmas Greener & Happier – With Good Will Towards Others – And a Little Help From Santa’s Elves!

As Chief Elf of Santa’s workshop (having a Red Belt in Toy Elf Wizardry) and in charge of training and feeding Santa’s reindeer – I thought I would take some time out to invite you to learn about the “green” ins and outs of Christmas and the new ways of celebrating this holiday season without creating excessive waste – before Santa arrives where you live!

In addition to studying the three R’s in Elf School – Reading, wRiting, and aRithmetic – the three NEW R’s in the Elf Curriculum are – ‘Reduce’, ‘Reuse’, and ‘Recycle’. We here at the North Pole earn ‘Elf Points’ for every kid and family that tries out these eco-friendly practices. At the same time, you will reduce ‘Carbon Elfprints’ by aiding in the reduction of landfill dumping.

Here then are some of the best ways to improve your ‘Holiday Greenness!’:

1-Green Your Christmas Gift-Giving to Friends & Family & Those Less Fortunate Than You
A) Give Flowers or Potted Plants
B) Give a Gift Certificate – from an Organic-Conscious Restaurant (Check out www.dinegreen.com) or a Local Spa or Wellness Retreat (Check out www.spawish.com or www.spafinder.com)
C) Buy a Share of Sustainable Livestock – For a Family struggling with hunger and poverty (Check out www.Heifer.org/gift )
D) Send Gift Boxes – Organic Fruit and Vegetable Gift Boxes (Check out www.ediblearrangements.com) -OR- Organic Snack Boxes (Check out www.healthysurprise.com)
E) Send Holiday Greetings on Recycled Paper with Earth-safe Inks or ‘E-cards’ (Electronic Cards) – (Check out www.care2.com and www.smilebox.com)
F) Give the Gift of Time, Talent, or Physical Labor – Promise to Clean out the Family Garage; Shovel the Driveway; Host a Party; Fix a Car; Organize Bills or a Closet; Redo a Resume etc.

2-Get Creative with Old Wrapping Paper, Boxes, Bows, & Ribbons, and Old Newspapers, Dish Towels, Bath Towels, Scarves, Sweaters, and Handkerchiefs
A) Give Your Pet an Eco-Friendly Gift by Reusing Leftover Wrapping Paper, Boxes and Bows to create a Pet Hide-a-Way or Toy
B) Recycle Old Newspaper Comics by turning it into this year’s Gift Wrapping Paper
C) Recycle Old Greeting Cards by turning them into this year’s Gift Tags
D) Recycle Old Scarves, Sweaters, Handkerchiefs, Bandannas, and Festive Dishtowels and Bath towels by knotting the ends and turning them into this year’s Gift Wraps. In Japan, special eco-friendly wrapping cloths called “Furoshiki” are designated for this purpose.

3- Green Your Christmas Tree Decorations By Avoiding Plastic Decorations and Instead Reusing Old Items Laying Around the House
A) Creatively hang up old mittens, scarves, and belts from your closet
B) Creatively hang up old wooden spoons, coasters, tea strainers, and corks from your kitchen cupboard
C) Creatively hang up old sewing items, and arts and crafts items i.e. pincushions, ribbon scraps, feathers, dried flowers, seashells
D) Creatively hang up old photographs, business cards, ink pens, doll accessories, and other children’s toys from your family den or bedroom

4) Green Your Outside Décor by Mixing Live Wreaths, Handmade Candle Holder Luminaries, and Energy-Slashing LED lights (Instead of Traditional Incandescent Christmas Lights)
Note: LED lights last about 10 times longer than traditional lights and use 90% less energy.

5) Green Your Christmas Dinner Table Menu & Presentation by Avoiding Disposable Utensils and Reliance on Imported Foods & Wines
A) Purchase Local Foods Grown as Close to Home as Possible – Support Your Local Farmers – Particularly Seasonal Ingredients, Condiments, and Honeys and Jams –
(Check out www.LocalHarvest.org/ for finding local food growers)
B) Create your own Festive Drinks and use locally-made Organic Wines
C) Create Your Own Homemade Christmas Dinner Centerpiece using a Natural Motif – Flowers, Stones, Water, and Floating Candles in an Old Punch Bowl or Fishbowl – OR – a Collage of Old Books, Picture Frames, and small Mirrors complemented by Cut-out Christmas Quotes, Lyrics, and Tissue Paper
D) Create Your Own Holiday Scent by boiling Lemons, Oranges, Cinnamon Sticks and Cloves on your stovetop
E) Compost your Food Scraps and Properly Store your Favorite Leftovers for Tomorrow’s Menu – a Casserole or Stew perhaps – or Home-Baked Muffins, Breads, and Cakes made with Leftover Mashed Potatoes and Sweet Potatoes

6) Green Your Charitable Giving – Let Your Cost Savings Support Environmental Charities and Socially-Conscious Charities
A) Donate Old Clothing to Veteran Groups, Underprivileged Kids, Homeless Shelters, and Cancer Patients
B) Donate Old Furniture to Local Thrift Shops or the Salvation Army
C) Donate Old Christmas Cards to St. Jude’s Ranch for Children in Boulder City, Nevada – (Check out www.stjudesranch.org/shop/recycled-card-program/) – “Children at St. Jude’s Ranch learn entrepreneurship skills – making new cards by removing the front and attaching a new back. The benefits are two-fold: customers receive ‘green’ holiday cards for use and the children receive payment for their work and learn the benefits and importance of ‘going green’.”

To learn more about Elf Schooling Activities for Children – Check out www.northpole.com/Academy. And to Make a Difference to a Needy Child – become an Elf! Check out www.beanelf.org.

Meantime, on behalf of Santa and the other Elves – “We Wish you a Merry Green Ho-Ho-Ho!”