WHO KNEW you can give the earth a gift for the holidays by being thoughtful about packaging?

I’m sure it’s the last thing on anybody’s mind when shopping for holiday gifts. But at our house, at least, the amount of extra trash generated this time of year used to be enough to fill the fireplace-maybe twice. And that packaging waste was not a good thing to burn up. In recent years we’ve switched to some of these ideas on how to maintain holiday traditions with materials that are more earth friendly:

• Wrapping paper and greeting cards: Don’t buy anything shiny, glittery or fuzzy.

• Instead of wrapping, try reusable gift bags. But do keep in mind the shiny-glittery-fuzzy warning.

• Or you can make your own wrapping paper by using crayons or markers to dress up newspaper and paper bags with some whimsical artwork.

• Bows: You can save stick-on bows and reuse them for years. If the original adhesive isn’t sticky enough just put a loop of scotch tape on the back of it and press it to the package.

• Ribbon: Most ribbon is made of plastic and ends up in the landfill forever. You can find cloth ribbon at fabric and craft stores. If you sew, you can cut strips of fabric remnants and join them together for custom - designed ribbon. Or if you’re a knitter you can use a few lengths of colorful left-over yarn.

• If you’re giving food, use your imagination to make the packaging part of the gift: a decorated tin box filled with cookies or a mason jar filled with homemade snack mix.

• When the festivities are over, save sturdy materials for reuse on gifts throughout the year.

• Or you can eliminate packaging altogether by giving experiences instead: concerts, plays, sports events, picnics, hikes, etc. It’s a good way to give with the Earth in mind. More fun, less stuff!

Happy Holidays to all!