It is not even Thanksgiving, and many of you are already doing your Christmas shopping. I am one of those males who really don't like to shop, unless it is at the hardware store or sporting goods store. I only go shopping when I really need to, so I find Christmas shopping much more exciting and enjoyable if I wait until a few days before Christmas to get started.

I can't offer any suggestion about how to make Christmas shopping a more enjoyable task. However, since I am concerned about how wasteful our society has become, let me offer some suggestions and ask you to help reduce the amount of waste that is typically associated with the holidays.

It is estimated that between Thanksgiving and the New Year, an extra million tons of waste will be generated in the United States each week. There are many things we can do to reduce this waste with very little extra effort on our part.

As you shop, take your own shopping bags with you. Plastic and cloth bags can be easily folded and placed into purses or pockets until they are needed. Consolidate your purchases into one bag rather than getting a new bag at each store. If you are quick to offer the cashier the opportunity to drop your purchase and receipt into the bag you are carrying, they will usually be eager to do so.

Plan your shopping in advance. By consolidating your shopping trips, you will not only save fuel and aggravation, you will also avoid the last-minute pressure of not being able to make careful gift choices.

Rather than piling up "stuff" under the tree, think about what your friends and family really want or need. Try giving gift certificates if you don't know what someone wants or simply make a donation in his or her name to a favorite charity.

Why not set an example by giving gifts that encourage others to use less stuff? Books about making crafts from reusable items, cookbooks for leftovers, and reusable tote bags would probably make good gifts for many people on your list.

Gifts that are almost always most appreciated are those that you make yourself. Consider giving homemade food items or something you've made yourself from reused items.

If you are purchasing gifts for kids, consider starting or adding to a savings account. When allowed to get involved, young children like to watch money grow, and this practice teaches children the value of financial management.

When the holiday season is over, donate any unwanted gifts to charity. If you have children, get them involved by allowing them to donate unwanted gifts from last year or clothing items that they may have outgrown.

Shop for gifts at antique stores, estate sales, or flea markets. Gifts from places like these do not require additional energy to manufacture.

As we open our Christmas presents, we will throw away more than 38,000 miles of ribbons and bows. This is more than enough to tie a bow around the earth. Maybe we should try to purchase gifts that don't have to be wrapped at all. Things to consider include tickets to concerts, museums, or sporting events; gift certificates; houseplants; or even gifts of your own time. You could also consider magazine subscriptions, but if you do, please suggest that once the magazines are read, they are then donated to a retirement home, doctor's waiting room, or other place where they can be read many more times.

When giving very large gifts like bicycles or electronic equipment, consider just tying a bow around them instead of wrapping them in paper. You can wrap gifts in old maps, newspapers, Sunday comics, or fancy holiday gift bags -- anything that is bright and colorful. If you have children, allow them to create colorful art works on plain paper for gifts to proud grandparents or special friends.

Use brown paper grocery bags to wrap small- to medium-sized boxes that have to be mailed. Make the gift a part of the wrap such as putting cookies in a flower pot or hiding jewelry in a new pair of gloves. This will keep your gift under wraps, and the gift will still be a surprise.

Many of the gifts you give will probably require batteries, and seldom do batteries come included with the gift. If you are going to provide batteries, it is much better to give rechargeable batteries.

Instead of wrapping gifts for kids, consider hiding the presents. Then give them clues to where they are hidden and increase their excitement with a treasure hunt.

Allow children to make their own tree ornaments out of things you already have around the house. Keepsake ornaments can be made of small treasures from the past or from natural materials that can be found in the backyard, like pine cones, dried flowers, unusual pieces of twigs, and sweet-gum balls.

If you are one of those who send or receive Christmas cards, consider this. Almost 3 billion Christmas cards will be sold this year in the United States. This is enough Christmas cards to fill a football field 10 stories high. If each of us would send one less card, we'd save 50,000 cubic yards of paper. Now, this is a great excuse when you tell people why they did not get a Christmas card from you.

If you feel that you must send a Christmas card, consider sending E-greetings to those who are on-line. Besides, if you don't usually receive a card from them, this may stimulate them to reply by sending you an E-greeting.

You can probably save yourself time and money by updating and paring down your holiday mailing list. Consider hand-delivering cards to those you see frequently, and present to them with an enthusiastic, yet personal, holiday greeting and message and not an apology for not mailing.

I'm sure you can come up with many more ideas that will help reduce the amount of trash we will generate this holiday season. If you want more information, please call me. I can share quite a few web addresses that have lots of helpful hints.

E-mail address: Everett_Davis@ncsu.edu

Mailing Address:
P. O. Box 2280
Lumberton, NC 28359-2280

Phone: 910-671-3276
Fax: 910-671-6278

Date Created 11/16/04