Christmas is synonymous of family, love, joy and also of presents. Although conscious consumption is always encouraged, at this time of year it is quite usual that people end up buying a few gifts to see their loved ones happy. When we buy a gift, it is implicit that it will be necessary to wrap it, in order to maintain that suspense and curiosity.

But have you ever stopped to think how much garbage we, as human beings, produce every Christmas?

If we take the example of the USA, during the holiday season Americans throw away 25% more garbage than during the rest of the year. According to a study by Stanford University, this represents around 25 million tons of garbage.

This number is really absurd, and we are only talking about one country, now imagine the actual numbers worldwide.

The good news is that all this trash can be avoided if everyone changes the way they do their wrapping. We are not saying to stop wrapping your presents, in fact this curiosity to know what is inside is already part of the Christmas magic. However, there are some tips and alternatives for making eco-friendly gift wrapping.

This year we want to help you create eco-friendly gift wrapping, so that you can think a little bit about the environment during the holiday season, so in this article you will find some tips and suggestions that you can already implement this Christmas.

1. Don't buy wrapping paper

The old excuse that wrapping paper is more practical is no longer true! For those who don't know, most wrapping paper on sale is made from materials that are not very sustainable. For example, metallized wrapping paper, is made from a plastic material, which when not disposed of properly, causes a number of environmental problems. So, this year, don't buy this wrapping paper and make your own eco-friendly gift wrap.

2. Make your own eco-friendly gift wrapping

Start making your gift wrap with materials you no longer use, for example:

• Newspapers: save the newspapers you buy and use them for your gift wrapping. You can, for example, use some funny part, or just a whole sheet full of letters;
• Magazines: just like newspapers, you can use the pages of magazines for your eco-friendly gift wrapping and you can even make collages;
• Kraft paper: this paper usually comes in online orders and can easily be reused for eco-friendly gift wrapping;
• Calendars: old paper calendars are also an excellent idea to make a different gift wrap;
• Fabrics: although this is not a very common option, you can make different gift wrapping with fabric scraps that you have somewhere lying around the house, or even with old bedsheets, tablecloths, cloth napkins or even old clothes.

3. Reuse boxes

If you need to give your gift in a box, or even if this is the form you prefer, you don't need to buy a box on purpose for the occasion. How about reusing those boxes you have and no longer use, or even the boxes from online orders? You can use these boxes and decorate them.

4. Opt for eco bags

Offering a gift in a bag is also a very common thing, but what do you do with the Christmas bag afterwards? Possibly you throw it away or put it in a drawer and forget about it. We therefore suggest that you give your gifts in a sustainable bag, such as an eco-bag. Whoever receives the gift gets an eco-friendly bag that they can reuse when they go shopping, for example.

5. Say no to tape

If you choose to make eco-friendly gift wrapping, don't use tape at the end. Give priority to other more sustainable options like cotton yarn, laces, or even fabrics. In case you really need to glue that bit that has no way to stay in place, then opt for paper tape instead of duct tape.

6. Make personalized decorations

To make your eco-wraps more beautiful, a nice decoration is the solution! You can paint, make collages, use fabrics, place branches or pinecones, among many other things. You can also make your own cards.

These suggestions for eco-friendly gift wrapping are easy to make, they just require a little time and creativity. In the end we are sure you will have a lot of fun and each person will receive a personalized gift, made with love.

We also leave the tip of reusing whatever is possible for the next Christmas or even for a birthday.

Now get to work and start making your eco-friendly gift wrapping right now.

Merry Christmas!