Recycled Christmas?

[northepaul]

Reading Chris's thread gave me the idea for this thread.

So how much do you reuse? Recycle or upcycle at Christmas? Do you go mad at the shops or are you making as much as poss?


I have an artificial tree, its about 5 or so years old. The decorations are around the same age, and we make bunting from material from old clothes/duvets etc and have room decorations made from natural materials, pine cones, holly and evergreens. Displays are sometimes seed heads or hydrangias sprayed with paint.

I also have an angel charm which has been in the family since I was little.

I have bought quite a few gifts for people from charity shops and craft markets, mainly we're making our own. We enjoyed making sweets last year, so are planning that again.


Food-wise I make pretty much everything from scratch, cakes etc but my one extravagance is a turkey and a piece of ham. (Oh and alcohol...) I am also swapping some cakes for another cake with a friend. I would love to say all the veggies will be from the plot, but sadly not, only runner beans...next year fingers X!!


Over to you.....

[FROSTYFRECKLE]

Like you, decorations are a few years old. We decided a few years a go small gifts for children only and the children are now all adults. I buy Mr Frosty a gift, usually music or photography related. Mr Frosty pays for my HSL membership Food this year will be from M&S (we get a discount via work so will be treating ourselves) and home delivery with Waitrose as we will be in Glasgow from mid December. Unfortunately all of the veggies will not be home grown (we've already eaten the Christmas tatties) Will make a clootie dumpling (with chewy skin - like chewing shoe leather) for Christmas Day. So we will have a few nice treats but our Christmas will not be expensive.

[veggiechicken]

I've just bought a set of sticky "Season's Greetings" labels for reusing old Christmas cards from Friends of the Earth. Don't know why I bought them as I don't send cards except to my Mum. Each year, I give her back the card that she has sent to me and she gives it back again next year! There's usually an extra message in it. We don't write on the envelopes either!

[Cranford Steve]

Havent got a tree yet as we left in the attic at our old house!
But our decorations are about 8 years old now and are still very nice. My wife makes most everything, like the stockings, other decs and so on. I usually recycle all the wrapping paper, boxes, cards and sometimes presents if they are "crap". Lol

[taff]

A bit of both. For friends and family who aren't fussy, I recycle/reuse/make presents. For the ones that do, they get bought things.
I've made an awful lot of jam this year, so they'll all be getting that, and sloe gin/vodka, quince vodka for some.
I like real christmas trees for the smell so I'll spend on that. I bought one last year, and they had a big pile of trimmings where they'd chopped off lower branches, so I got a load of those free and made a wreath too.I started making decorations last year [first year I had to have new - as in start from scratch - ones, I gave the old ones away a while ago]. I also liberated quite a few cones from the tree in work after they dropped so they'll be put to good use too.
I think I'll be making cards this year, but I also have back up ones that I've bought in sales over the years.
Actually, I might try making rum and raisin chocolate this year, I've been looking for Jamaican chocolate for years, haven't found it yet....does nayone remember that? Orangey packet with a ship on the front I think...

[Cranford Steve]

Oh and we don't really get any presents for anyone else other than our kids. It is way too expensive to spend money on other people, I may sound like a Scrooge but cash is always tight this time of year, especially when you work for your self!

[Fruit&2veg]

Yes, used to love the Jamaica chocolate, havnt seen any for ages, wonder if they still make it..........

[HeatherL]

Apparently the 'Old Jamaica' isn't made for the UK market anymore but you can get a Bournville version Cadbury Bournville Old Jamaica 180g - Chocolate Gifts - Cadbury Gifts Direct

We used to have an artificial tree but it got a little tatty after several years use, so we've had a real tree the last couple of years. We saved the trunk from last years and are thinking of burning a couple of logs from it on Christmas day . I've made homemade crackers the last couple of years and decorated the house with holly and ivy from the garden. I made the Christmas pudding and mincemeat last year, and will be doing it again this year (in fact isn't it stir up Sunday this Sunday?).

I'm taking my mum on a course to make willow Christmas decorations in a couple of weeks time which we are both looking forward to

[Florence Fennel]

I've got to buy a new tree this year, had the last one for about 10 years, but it finally gave up the ghost last year. Having said that, Himself put it back in the loft when I wanted it to go in the bin, so it will probably be up there for another few years yet. I've not decided if I'll buy another artificial one, or have a real one for a change. The only cards I send are charity cards that have to be posted to friends and relatives. My sprouts, parsnips and carrots are in the freezer ready for the dinner. We do buy gifts for our children, grandchildren and Godchildren, but I do have a "re-gift" cupboard!

[northepaul]

Like the idea of a 're-gift' cupboard....

[Thelma Sanders]

I've got an old artificial tree which is a bit threadbare, but I cut some bits of the hedge and stick them in the thin places, that way I get some 'pine' smell as well ..The prunings are also used for the mantleshelf with some candles, that get a little bit smaller each year, but they should just about do for this year .
There's a re-gift cupboard here as well!
I've got parsnips and brussels on the plot, but I'll have to buy the rest.

[snohare]

Very nearly everything about my Christmas will be recycled. That's what happens when you work for a recycling charity, and help save a container load of Christmas tat ! Cheap Xmas wrapping paper will never be a problem for me again.
Oh, and all my decorations are made with natural materiels, as old fashioned as I can get them.
As far as presents are concerned, I'm now down to only really buying much, or sometimes giving money, for my nephews. Cards are swapped within the family, and I get presents for my folks as they do for me, but nobody expects anything else nowadays, we are all too old.
What I do love to do, is buy or make spoof presents for my friends. Sometimes it can be a Snakes and Ladders type board game based on their tribulations and triumphs at work, or maybe just a book with a very ironical title that they may appreciate, like a friend lambasted for betraying her feminist beliefs by getting engaged - she received "Little Women". A secondhand copy, of course.

[jackie j]

As a small child we always had a real tree so big that the fairy had to touch the ceiling, over the years I have kept this tradition but as of late I have had an artificial tree for a couple of years and then went back to smaller real tree's much to OH 's disgust at the cost.
Decorations have been kept for years including a couple of very delicate paper chinese lanterns from my childhood. I have replaced some baubles as I got fed up with the purple ones that were my OH's.

[chris]

We've an artificial tree, it's very realistic (not the usual cone shape you see). I was in two minds.. I like the idea of a real one, but think it's a bit of a 'waste'.. I see people time and time again at the tip just lobbing them into the general waste skips that said, no idea how much pollution was created making the plastic ones!

Decorations are a few years old (we've only been together 5/6 years?) - but we're going to buy some nice new ones this year now we're a 'proper' family

[julesapple]

I've made these more times than I can remember. The kids love to make them, but don't let dogs eat them!

salt dough ornaments recipe | applesauce ornament recipe | christmas recipes

They are best dried out very slowly, so they don't warp, and your house will smell sooooo Christmassy! The second recipe has a real gingerbread look to it, and both look better with a thin coating of white PVA craft glue.

Jules

PS If you have an Asian supermarket near you, you can buy cinnamon very cheaply in bulk from there or from an online auction site.