Holiday Swapping - a great way to save money and reduce waste

Reduce, reuse, recycle has been my thing the last few years.  I really wanted a lighted snow flake on my house, but the price was making me unhappy, so when I saw one at the resale shop last summer I bought it, even though when I plugged it in at the store, I realized that the upper corner did not light. So this year when I put it up, I found a way to disguise the broken section.  I recycled a decoration no one else would probably buy and still have my snow flakes!  

I was trying to figure out how to apply the idea of recycling to other Holiday excesses I see in December and I finally figured it out. 

Holiday Swapping

Now when I say Holiday swap most people think of a cookie swap.  Cookie swaps are great.  You bake your favorite cookies and swap with others who make their favorite cookie then everybody has an assortment. Churches often do it as a fund raiser too!

However if you think outside the cookie box, there are a few other things you can swap at Christmas that can help reduce waste and encourage recycling.

Holiday Decoration Swap. Some holiday decorations are near and dear to us.  Others are the equivalent of movie extras, just adding to the overall effect.  Trade away the ones you don’t love for some new-to-you items. You can get your snowflakes too!

You can also recycle your Tomato cages into a Christmas tree.  There are a million (maybe I exaggerate) ways to do this posted on Pinterest.  I just wrapped one cage in faux evergreens and a silver garland, then put old-fashioned Christmas lights on it that I got in a trade with a friend who wanted strands all in one color that I was not interested in using anymore.  The rings on the cage make it easy to clip or wrap things, so I was able to make the tree in about an hour with these faux evergreens I recycled from a bunch of mini trees I dumpster dived about 6 years ago. I guess the sled is recycled too!  It was my childhood sled which was faded and rusted.  A bit of spray paint and it became part of my snowflake Christmas theme.

Accessory Swap You can also reuse the items you decorate yourself with, find a few friends and have an accessory or scarf swap.  You know you get tired of that scarf after a full season, so have everyone bring a few winter accessories in like new condition.  This can include jewelry, gloves, sweaters, and scarves.  You can swap and exchange and update your look instantly with no money!

pounded flower note cards

Wrapping paper Swap Another big part of the holiday is the wrapping paper. It is a drag to wrap all your gifts in the same paper, but gift wrap can be expensive.  So divide each roll you buy in half and trade with a friend for half a roll of their paper.  You get twice as much.

You can also make your own wrapping paper. I save packing paper which comes in boxes that get delivered and smooth it out and stamp it, or pound it.  Pounding is actually a very old activity that includes taking flowers and leaves and pounding them onto paper to get the colors and textures of the plant.   You use a rubber mallet and a hard surface cushioned with layers of paper so you do not smoosh the items totally flat, but allow the colored pigments to transfer to blotting paper, card stock or kraft paper. 

I have also used fresh herb leaves as a stamper.  Press the leaves into the ink pad and onto kraft paper.  Wrinkled paper hides slips, tears and other blemished and just makes rustic wrapping paper.  Makes some torn fabirc ribbon and you have great homemade packages!

You can make wrapping paper and cards this way, and the plants vary from season to season, so you can do it all year.