Gifts Mother Earth Would Love

Conservation during Christmas? Ba Humbug. Caring about the planet is fine for those other 11 months, but livin’ large is a longstanding Christmas tradition. So how does one tone down consumption and still have some fun?

The most basic way to cut back on waste without feeling Grinchy is to give only what can be consumed. Rather than giving gifts that will probably end up gathering dust up on a shelf or in a landfill, give the most precious gift of all. Time. Take someone to dinner, for a hike on the beach, or to the movies (Sag Harbor 10 pack $80 ). Bake sugar cookies (with organic ingredients) and bring them to someone who doesn’t have friends or family around during the holidays. Take your kids to the Nutcracker at Southampton High School Dec. 3rd-5th or ice skating at the Buckskill Winter Club in East Hampton.

With a little creativity, there are endless ways kids can make gifts from materials around the house and in nature. Take a clear plastic bottle and fill it with sand and shells to make “beach in a bottle.” For an even groovier use of plastic bottles make a lava lamp. They’re surprisingly easy to make. Google to find out how. From the woods, collect pine branches to either make a circular candle holders or wreaths by tying the branches with clear fish line. Then add holly or pine cones to decorate. Make a holiday themed word out of thin tree branches to use as a wall hanging. Cloves studded oranges are a quick and welcome gift.

When you do buy gifts, focus on what people really need and pay attention to what the gift is made out of. Look for items that use recycled material, are able to be recycled and contain low VOC finishes. Also, buy local. Products that are shipped all the way from Santa’s workshop contribute to carbon emissions. If giving wine for example, Sag Harbor Liquors sells over 30 varieties of local wine and five organic labels.

For super chic and original design, Sylvester’s is a treasure trove of recycled goodies offering everything from vintage wool hand mitts made from recycled fabric to duffle bags made out of Brazilian truck tarp to bamboo solar powered calculators.

Since gift wrapping can create mountains of trash, recycle wrapping paper for as long as possible. Use newspaper to wrap gifts and tailor it to the person’s taste i.e. dining section for foodies, sports section for sports fanatics etc... Kids also have fun drawing and painting on newspaper. Make gift cards out of old art work.

If you’re still feeling like it wouldn’t be Christmas without the big splurge, remember how the Whos down in Who-ville were singing after the Grinch hauled away the goods? “He hadn’t stopped Christmas from coming! It came! Somehow or other it came just the same. It came without ribbons! It came without tags! It came without packages, boxes or bags. ‘Maybe Christmas, he thought, ‘doesn’t come from a store. Maybe Christmas perhaps, means a little bit more’. Dr. Seuss. $10.20 on Amazon.com.