December 1st, 2007
HOMEMADE GIFT-WRAP
Create a new family tradition by making your own gift wrap with recycled brown paper sacks or butcher paper. This is easy and something my family has done the past few years.
As the holiday nears, start requesting paper instead of plastic at your grocery store, and when the time comes, bust out your stash and carefully cut paper sacks (or butcher paper) to the desired size. Then freehand your own holiday designs. It makes gift-giving much more personal and fun.
Here’s how: With a pencil, sketch your design or motif – draw a sleigh and reindeer, old St. Nick or Christmas trees, or holly motifs, stars, angels, a menorah – onto the paper’s surface, using a picture book or Christmas ornaments as a “model.” Then trace with bright colored magic markers and fill in with crayon or water color. Or trace the design with Elmer’s glue and sprinkle with glitter, then shake off the excess. Or make multi-layered designs with colored construction paper or paper confetti (recycled paper, of course!). When opening gifts, do so gently so they can be used again next year. For a finishing flourish, cut gift tags from plain or colored cardboard and sign names with a calligraphy pen.
Why? Aside from the obvious reasons, here are some stats to inspire you: According to Robert Lilienfeld, author of the “Use Less Stuff” books and newsletters, Americans toss more than a million tons of excess rubbish each week during the holidays, and a lot of that is holiday wrap and packaging. Lilienfeld, who has done ULS since 1996, has said that if each American family would reuse just two feet of ribbon, that would equal 38,000 miles – enough to tie a bow around the planet. Crazy? That’s what the man says.
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