The Countdown to Christmas continues—10 days until Christmas.

Are all your presents wrapped and under the tree? If not, check out Shannon’s tips for avoiding the paper trash this holiday season.

Gift wrap can be costly.  Not only is it costly, it is ultimately trash. So this holiday season, why not try some alternatives to save money and the environment?

1. Decorated Brown Craft Paper – There are so many options for brown paper.  You can purchase Brown craft paper at the craft store, office supply store or at Home Depot in the paint section (the same paper you use to cover furniture when painting)  The cost of brown paper is about 1/5 of the cost of wrapping paper.  Also, the craft paper comes in a much larger roll and works well for larger gifts.

Think of the brown paper as a blank canvas.  Use markers, paints or stamps to decorate the paper. Have your children draw with crayons for a special touch. You can use glue and glitter to brighten up the gift.

2. Discontinued Wall Paper Samples - Visit your local hardware and home furnishing stores to see if they have wall paper samples that you can take.  Wallpaper samples are perfect for smaller sized gifts.

3. Last Year’s Calendar- If you have a larger sized calendar, use the pictures to wrap the gift.  The heavy stock and glossy finish makes for a great gift wrap.

4. Sunday News Comics - This is a long time tradition, the colorful comics make a great wrap for kid’s gift.  To give the newspaper a glossy shine, put a sheet of clear cellophane on top of the newsprint.

5. Childrens’ Artwork - If you aren’t sure what to do with all of the pictures that come home from school each day, save them to use to wrap gifts! Grandparents especially love to get gifts with artwork done by their grandchildren.

6. Old Fabric – Fabric can make a beautiful gift wrap. Use old fabric or purchase fabric at thrift shops to use to wrap your gifts. If you are feeling crafty, make your own gift bags.  Simply follow this very simple tutorial.

7. Cereal Boxes – Use empty cereal boxes to create shirt or clothing boxes for children. Simply open cereal box at the seams and turn the box inside out. Tape the box back together on the four corners. Fold the top down to complete box.

8. Spray Painted Boxes – For larger gifts, spray paint your leftover brown boxes with sparkly gold or silver spray paint.

Originally published 12/07/09

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