Dreaming of a Green Christmas

[TreeHuggerForever]

Does anybody know where I can find recycled Christmas cards? I don't want to order online, I would like to get them local. Any big retailer will do. Target had a few but they were kind of old fashioned. Any other stores? I don't really have time to make my own..

[tigerlily78]

You might try dropping into a Hallmark store. At one time they had a line of 100% recycled content greeting cards, hopefully they will have a Christmas selection of these. Their normal shoebox line of cards has a minimum of 20% recycled, but sometimes up to 60%.

AmericanGreetings card company (and likely others like Hallmark,etc.) also have software for download or use over the web where you design and print your own cards at home. That way you just need to get a package of nice quality recycled paper from a place like Staples or Office Max and print just what you need.

[outsidethebox]

My mother gets free Christmas cards and labels from half of the charities she contributes to, now she has a drawer full and will never use them. I would like to get rid of them and free some space for her. Hmm maybe I could talk her into donating them to a local thrift store.

[Rr_Salamander]

I don't have any info on green christmas cards, but given the title of this topic, I thought I'd throw out there some other things to think about:
There are a lot of ways to green your christmas, including thinking about decorations like trees, gifts and travelling. There are a million sites out there with information and helpful resources, but I'd like to take a moment to think about the simplicity of the holiday season--there's no need to buy chotchkies or junk or stuff--think about what's really important. My mom, for example, always tries to buy me too much stuff (guilt, I think...), and it's taken me years to dissuade her from that. One way I did so was by asking for events rather than stuff. She'll take the family out for a concert or Sedaris' one-man show, for example.

Anyway, thought this forum might benefit from other suggestions or questions about greening the holiday season.

[greenteadrinker]

Well you certainly wouldn't want to put a lump of coal in their Christmas stocking.
Years ago, around the advent of electricity, people simply left their stockings to dry over the wood stove in the kitchen.
Some parents had very little to give kids on Christmas except an apple or an orange or maybe even a piece of candy. They couldn't fill the bottom of the tree. They might not have had a tree at all.

The worse thing you could get was a piece of coal from the coal bin next to the stove. It meant
you were on Santa's "naughty" list and didn't deserve a present. Even rotten kids don't deserve
that horrendous treatment. Bah humbug.
I wonder how many parents actually did that?

As to the green part, pre-dig a hole (if you're in an area where the ground freezes before
Christmas) and plant an evergreen tree. I have a few "Christmas" trees in my yard,
and a friend of mine in Arizona has a yard full of them because she's been
planting evergreen trees for her son since he was born,(as a present) and he's in his 30's now.
And it's a nice tradition too; as the child gets older, they can help plant the tree.

[davidstruyk]

I found some 100% post consumer recycled christmas cards in the checkout line at Barnes and Noble.
Good Luck!