Eco-Friendly Gift Wrap

Reusable Gift Bags come in all sizes and styles.

Thoughts of Christmas morning with my kids brings up images of bliss. My husband and I sit back and watch our little girls tear through present after present, screaming thank you and look at this, while we drink coffee and eat shortbread cookies.

And then there’s the waste.

Wrapping paper all over the floor, cardboard and plasitc packaging strewn across living room from the Christmas tree to the fireplace. There must be a better way to do this!

Over the past few years, I have tried to reuse paper gift bags and wrapping paper, but the majority of it gets torn in excitement. Although recycling is a great option, it would be even more effiecient to find completely reusable or eco-friendly gift wrap.

What are the options?

1.  Fabric gift bags can be bought in various styles and sizes.

2.  Eco-friendly gift wrap made from Hemp is now available in beautiful colors and patterns.

3.  Look for ribbons and gift cards made from recycled or biodegradable materials.

Lucky Crow Fabric Gift Bags

4.  Use newspaper comic strips as wrapping paper.

5. Get the kids involved! Have your children color and draw on   brown paper bags to use as gift wrap (grandparents will love it).

6.  Make your own fabric gift bags.

If you don’t have the time (or motivation) to make your own, Lagniappe has a wide selection of reuseable holiday gift bags. They have various categories of bags including adorable children’s themes (great to wrap birthday gifts), wildlife, organic and more.

Paperless gift wrap is the greenest way to celebrate this holiday season. Think it’s too complicated? The following video explores some Do-It-Yourself project ideas for eco-friendly gift wrap:

Switching to eco-friendly gift wrap may seem like to small a change to make a difference. Having cleaned up after a Christmas morning with my young children, I know that the amount of waste is overwhelming! This small change will also set a great example for the kids. I may even have them help make some fabric bags to wrap their gifts for each other!