Selfsufficientish.com

has this been done? cant find it if it has.

1. don't visit those relatives you dislike. you save petrol and the environment and your sanity in one decision
2. wrap presents in old newspaper (Stonehead mentioned this one, and I like it so much we are going to do it this year)
3. save old paper from other people for next year.
4. make presents for those you can, rather than buying them tat they dont want. or agree to give less presents. or make wishlists of things you actually want.
5. do all the cooking yourself.

6. Cancel it completely - bah humbug

7. Make/buy/recycle/scavenge presents in green colours only.
8. Wear only green clothes on the day.
9. Cook only green food.
10. Copy the ancient Britons, but instead of woad use green paint.

What do you mean? That isn't the sort of green Christmas you had in mind...

Stonehead wrote:What do you mean? That isn't the sort of green Christmas you had in mind...

oh yep.. thats exactly what i had in mind


(mutter mutter you try and share someo useful tips and help Andy and Dave with their book.. and what do you get... sarcasm..... mutter mutter, hope your family do that to you just to teach you a lesson.. grumble....)

11) if what you are buying runs on batteries why not give them rechargeable ones and a solar recharger.

12: An extension of 11 really - avoid buying things that require batteries (but if you must then follow the advice given in number 11.)

13.Buy your pressies from the charity shops. That's what I am doing this year.
14. Make a box of cookies for friends as a gift.

15. Don't simply save the wrapping paper - leave the present wrapped up, all ready to pass on to someone else next year.

What if it were chocolate? I would be mortified not opening and eating that sort of gift. To me that is a pressie that is very very useful!

cut the little pictures of the front of christmas cards to use as name tags on gifts the following year if you can find some scissors that cut with a zig zag edge they will look even better.
keep ribbons etc from presents for re use next year

I reckon we're up to about:

18. For the person who has everything, send a cow instead; supporting relief work in poorer nations is part of greener living from a global perspective.

Wulf

19. Make some quick homebrew and drink that
20. Make your own reef from a bit of Ivy, pine cones, Dried oranges (where did I see that before ), rosemary etc.
21. Make decorations from old magazines glued together to make a chain.
22. Paint eggs to hang on your tree
23. Paint old lightbulbs to hang on your tree (saw that on here somewhere too)
24. If you do buy in wine have a look for stuff that has not been shipped from the other side of the world.
25. IF leaving your house over the christmas period make sure that the heating and lights are turned off - include going around and unplugging everything.

26.make home made hampers using recycled cardboard. Paint them funky colours, cut into strip and weave into a basket. Then fill with lots of home made goodies.

following on from the oxfam unwrapped idea, my golf loving sister and brother in law always ask for sports wear. I have found third transition, a eco-wonderful t-shirt website which donates to sports charities. Thus forcing them to tell their racist, golfy pals about good causes - hurrah!
(not all golfers are racists, I'm sure, but I have yet to be proved wrong amongst their circle of cronies).

Susan