Be Green this Christmas

Be all green this Christmas and give useful but natural gifts to your best friends and others. Perhaps give unusual Christmas gifts like items friends would not normally purchase but that represent the essence of the holidays. For example, a green Christmas wreath is an accessory that visibly tells everyone a person is in the spirit of the season at first glance to their doorway. They are nice hung inside the home also and many are very fragrant.

Think of items that are reusable, recyclable, and renewable. A gift card that can be reloaded with more cash is better than one that is just pitched in the trash when used up. If you have a favorite book consider passing it along as a gift, with a note to the receiver to do the same when they have finished reading it. Homemade gifts from the kitchen are always a holiday hit. Make creative and colorful quilts from clothing that is no longer needed. Making something new from old is like a plant blooming year after year.

There are many “green” gifts you can give or make. For example, colorful recycling bins are a really unusual but useful gift. It may seem odd at first, but you will be in your friend’s thoughts all year around as they use the bins. An assortment of green cleaning agents is another useful but earth friendly idea. None of these ideas are fattening, but surely there are some holiday treat ideas that are available, such as healthy fruit baskets or a reusable container filled with chocolates.

You can create a green holiday experience for yourself as you shop for everyone on your holiday list. Another way to give an ecologically friendly gift would be to take your intended recipient shopping with you so they can pick out their own choice as you guide them towards green gift selections.

Most people enjoy having the "normal" trimmings of the holiday season, such as holiday welcome mats, Christmas wreaths, garlands and lighting. But if person is somehow having a hard time, the bleakness of their situation can seem even lonelier at holiday times. Giving earth friendly green gifts like a freshly made Christmas wreath can not only lift spirits but also remind them of the loveliness of living things. Take a few moments this year as you comprise your gift list and think green for those unusual and welcome holiday gifts!

Lynn Jebbia is the owner of Acadia Wreath Company which handcrafts a fresh Maine balsam fir Christmas wreath, Christmas Centerpiece and Kissing Ball which are shipped directly to customers and corporate clients throughout the United States.

Shopping for a Christmas Wreath

I always know when the Christmas season has officially begun when my mom and dad tell my brother and I that it is time to shop for a new Christmas wreath. Every year on the first of December we go as a family to pick out a wreath for the front door. I really like helping pick out a Christmas wreath because it is the first thing people see when they walk up to our house, so we always pick out a Christmas wreath that is sure give visitors a warm welcome.

There are always a lot of different wreaths to choose from. We always see a lot of wreaths made out of plastic that are covered with decorations like lights or fake fruit, and sometimes we see wreaths that are made out of shiny tinsel. Plastic and tinsel wreaths can be really pretty, but I wouldn't want one hanging on our door because our guests may think our welcome is fake, just like the wreath. One time I saw a wreath that was made out of feathers! A lady told us that they were fake peacock feathers, and that they are supposed to bring good luck to the home. The feathers were really bright blue and green, and even though it was beautiful we decided that it just wasn't Christmas-y enough. We want a wreath that reminds people that it is the most joyous time of the year!

My favorite Christmas wreaths are definitely fresh wreaths, because they smell as good as they look. Last year we picked out a fresh Balsam Fir wreath that we decorated with pine cones and ribbons, and I always loved walking up to the front door after school. There's nothing like smelling Christmas as you walk up to the front door! Any problems I might have had during the day just melt away when I smell that fresh wreath. Every time I see a fresh Christmas wreath it reminds me of home. It reminds me of walking through the front door to find my mom baking gingerbread cookies and warming up by the fire after playing in the snow. Fresh Christmas wreaths remind me and my family of all the good the holidays have to offer.

That is why every year we always pick out a fresh Christmas wreath for our front door, even if we look at all the other types of wreaths first. I just don't think that any other type of wreath would be as welcoming as a fresh wreath and they don’t have that Christmas-y smell. My dad always tells us that a wreath symbolizes eternal joy, and I can see why he says that. Every time I get home from school and see a wreath on the door the joy of Christmas fills my heart.

Lynn Jebbia is the owner of Acadia Wreath Company. Acadia Wreath Company, based in Bar Harbor, Maine, which handcrafts a fresh Maine balsam fir Christmas wreath, Christmas Centerpiece and Kissing Ball which are shipped directly to customers and corporate clients throughout the United States.