DREAMING OF A GREEN CHRISTMAS - Follies & Fripperies

Deck the halls with piles of folly
Fa la la la la, la la la la
Now's the time to part with lolly
Fa la la la la, la la la la

As any bargin hunter knows, January is a wonderful time to get cheap goods. Why? Because everyone who got Christmas presents that they did not want is trying to get rid of these items.

So, why are all these unwanted presents being bought in the first place? Simply because people are embarrassed about asking each other what they want for Christmas...or they leave it too late to ask...or they want to surprise the recipient. (And getting the sort of present that you loathe is a pretty big surprise!)

Therefore my FIRST Rule of Christmas is:

Ask them what they want

The holly and the ivy
When they are both full grown
And other trees that are in the wood
The loggers cut them down

Christmas is a very bad time for trees. For a start, there are all those Christmas Cards. People you haven't contacted all year are still on your Christmas list and still receive a card. What can you do about it? Here are a few suggestions:

1. Consider pruning that Christmas list. If someone hasn't sent you cards for years, they are probably no longer a friend.
2. There are some wonderful e-cards that you can send. These often support worthy causes and are entirely card free.
3. If you feel you must send traditional Christmas Cards, make sure that these are made of recycled card,
4. Recycle cards among your own family by using this innovative method: write your Christmas Greetings on post-it notes and tuck-in rather than sealing the envelope. This card may then be reused next year.

Then there is all that wrapping paper, rolls and rolls of it that lasts a few seconds before it is unceremoniously torn off. There are three options here:

1. You can be very brave this year and decide not to wrap presents.
2. You can decide to use reusable wrappings: christmas boxes or bags, decorative materials etc and make sure the family knows these are to be stored and used next year.
3. You can actually reuse Christmas wrapping paper provided it is reasonably good quality and you take care unwrapping your presents.

Next there are all those paper decorations, paper steamers etc I know it doesn't feel like Christmas if your house is not decorated, but do think of doing on of the following rather than simply using additional paper:

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