“But this Christmas isn’t even over yet!” I hear you scream. Well, now’s the time to start planning if you want to go paperless next year. Here are my top 5 tips for having a fun-filled but paper-free Christmas.
When I say “paperless”, what I mean is no “new” paper- of any kind. No new cards, no new wrapping paper, gift tags or gift bags.  For the hard-core paper-haters, there are also “no paper options”.  It’s not as far-fetched as it may seem.
Start this year by not throwing anything away. Find a box with a lid. Use one you were planning to recycle. If you think something could be used again, shove it in the box. You may not have time to do anything with it now but it won’t be going anywhere.
Christmas cards
Save all your Christmas cards this year. When you have a bit of time, cut out the nicest shapes and designs from the cards. Don’t forget to look on the backs too. Get the kids to help. Cut a range of small and large pictures from your cards. These can all be used next year to make your own Christmas cards or as gift tags.
To make your own Christmas cards, dig out some old card you have lying around the house and cut it to A5 size. Fold in half. Decorate the front by layering pieces of paper and the shapes you cut from your cards and any holiday stickers you may have lying around. For a 3-D effect cut small pieces of craft foam and glue in between the different shapes. Don’t forget to write “Handmade” on the back. To make it extra special, how about giving the money you would have spent buying the cards to your favourite charity?
No paper option- send e-cards or post a message on your favourite social networking site to all of your friends.  For a more personal touch, email a recent family photo with a festive message.
Christmas paper
If you can contain your excitement, try to open your presents carefully so that the paper can be saved. When you’re wrapping, limit the amount of sellotape you use as this makes paper more likely to tear.  It’s OK if paper is a bit wrinkly, you can usually iron it on a very low heat. During the rest of the year, save any brown or white paper you get, stashing it away in your Christmas box. Plain paper can be easily jazzed up by simply adding a repeating stamp, by using a marker pen to draw simple stars or Christmas trees on the paper before you wrap or having a go at potato printing.
No paper option- tie presents with silk or cotton ribbon. This works especially well for books, clothes and already boxed items. It means you need to keep it hidden til Christmas day but well worth the effort.
Gift bags
This is a no-brainer and most people do it anyway. Save any gift bags you receive and use them again next year. Where you might have wrapped things separately, combine them in a larger gift bag.
Wrap with fabric
Throughout the year, when you come across any clothing or fabric that you want to get rid of, think about whether it might make a nice Christmas wrapping. Old school dresses (the gingham kind), sheets and men’s shirts are really great for this. Keep an eye out for printed clothing in charity shops. They often have bargain bins of clothing that’s a bit old fashioned but perfect for cutting up and reusing.
Make a Christmas sack
We all know that wrapping each present individually is a terrible waste of elf resources! Get your kids to help you make their own Santa sack from a pillowcase or a bit of spare fabric. Use felt to cut out the child’s name and embellish with buttons, ribbons and jingle bells. A Santa sack can be reused for years to come and will become something they will treasure well into adulthood.
Good luck with your paperless Christmas!
Posted by Scotty on December 24, 2010 at 12:29am
We've been doing this for a while. We made re-useable present bags in different sizes in off-cuts of gorgeous crushed velvet, that we reused for many years, before a rather greedy Aunt went home with most of them! One nice tip if you are giving anyone 2 bottles is to take a scarf, place the bottles base to base in a line across the diagonal of the scarf with about a palm's width between them. Now roll up the scarf so the bottles are completely enclosed in the material, take the corners above the bottle tops and tie them together, and you have a stylishly wrapped and easy to carry present. Hope you can understand that!