Be eco-friendly and creative this Festive Season!
Submitted by: Steven J Brown
Trying to limit our waste and reduce our environmental footprint starts at home, and this is an area that Granny Mouse Country House feels very strongly about. Having personally implemented a number of in-house programmes over the years, the team at Granny Mouse Country House & Spa have some really good ideas to help you be more eco-friendly this Christmas, while still having an amazing time.
These suggestions will also bring the family together for quality time, encourage a creative outlet or even support your local community who has a business that could benefit:
For the Christmas tree, there is an alternative that will allow you to reuse the tree every year. They are awesome to decorate and it’s so unique. So ask your local nursery what they think is the best option.
Some local indigenous tree options include Yellowwood (Podocarpus henkelli), Senegalia nigrescens (Acacia nigrescens), Outeniqua yellowwood (Podocarpus falcatus), Real yellowwood (Podocarpus latifolius, Cape gardenia (Rothmania capensis), Cheesewood (Pittosporum viridiflorum) or what about Portulacaria afra (Spekboom).
Options for wrapping presents could include using recycled wrapping paper, or wrap with fabric which can we used over and over – again the concept of reduce, reuse, recycle really applies to wrapping paper.
Take old music sheets, if you can, use kitchen string and voila, any budding musicians in the house will be sorted. It certainly makes for an original gift wrapping idea.
If you have Christmas stocking fillers, and the gifts are small, what about decorating a toilet roll? It’s so, so easy, even the most non-creative can get this right. Toilet rolls could also be used to make crackers. There is no limit to your imagination.
If you buy fresh bread from the bread artisans in your area, you obviously get them in a paper bag. Why not use that bag as wrapping paper, cut a piece of rosemary and attach it to the bag.
You could reuse a scarf and wrap your gift in that, which in fact now makes it two gifts. Nifty right?!Another idea is to make a wreath or ask a gardener to help you whilst helping him or her earn some income. Go for a real, fresh wreath made using seasonal, natural foliage you have in your garden.
There are literally hundreds of ideas that cover all aspects of Christmas. With wrapping paper sorted, if you are looking for some clever Christmas tree decoration ideas, below are some that we have found that you may just love making:
Recycled Paper Christmas Decorations – (DIY idea by: Etsy (Bookity)
These hanging baubles are so easy and fast to make. Opt for a rustic design using pages from old books, or create festive designs using leftover wrapping paper or cardboard scraps you have around the house.
You’ll need:
Old book pagesStaplerRibbon, twine, or fishing lineHole puncher
How to:
Cut the paper into strips about 1.5″ thick and with varying lengths about 5″, 6″, 7″, and 8″.Use the 5″ strip as the middle and place two 6″ strips by each side. Staple the top and bottom.Repeat with the 7″ and 8″ strips.Punch a hole at the top and thread the ribbon or line through. Old CD’s Christmas Baubles (DIY idea by: www.jarty.net)
Who would guess that these sparkly mosaic baubles are made from old CDs? The ubiquitous CD is now slowly being phased out, both musically and for storage. CDs take forever to decompose, so instead of trashing them, use your old CDs to create these disco ball-like decorations!
You’ll need:
Old CDsClear plastic baublesHot glue gunScissors
How to:
Cut the CDs up into small random pieces.Hot glue the pieces onto the clear baubles.Driftwood – Create star decorations out of driftwood by hot-gluing them into the desired shape. Use white or gold paint (maybe even a sprinkling of glitter), whatever you have lying around the house, to help them stand out on the tree.
On that festive note – The team from Granny Mouse wish you all a happy HO HO HO and a prosperous 2022!
