12 Days of Christmas = 12 Bags of Trash
Mid-December, we begin asking each other, "So, are you ready for Christmas?" And we understand that to mean putting up lights and garlands, baking cookies, decorating the tree, mailing cards, buying and wrapping presents. So I overlooked one important thing: getting in an extra box of kitchen size trash bags.
And you won’t believe the disruption in the normal flow of my life that caused.Or maybe you would. Maybe when you remodeled your kitchen you took to heart the opening line in one magazine article that said the most important thing in the kitchen is the location of the trash can. Place that important element well, and the rest of the design flows seamlessly. Well, I read the article. And I did consider that advice. I did relocate my container. I no longer have to go out on the back porch to dispose of a used paper napkin. The container is bigger. Prettier. And I just have to step on a pedal to open the lid.
Anyway it turns out that having 12 trash bags was not enough. I met the perfect storm of no recycling collection for two weeks and extra trash– gift wrapping and an open house!! I read that if we all wrapped two less presents in colored paper we would save tons and tons of trash. I didn’t manage to do this. All my gifts were as "Martha Stewart" as I could get them to look. However, I watched my Sister-in-law make no apologies as she pulled out naked gifts from a laundry bag and handed us wind up flashlights and other fun gifts. More about gift wrapping later.
Meanwhile, the back porch became a storage for12 bags full and a recycling bin that overflowed and flowed. . .The 12 bags went out last Thursday. But the recycling doesn’t get collected for another eight days!!! So much for the twelve days of Christmas.
More. Later. Gift wrapping. We hoot and holler and tease about this but my sister has become addicted to the drawstring cloth bags I first made for her about ten years ago. I just wanted to damp down her stress about gift wrapping. It seemed to be overwhelming to her. Then she asked for them again and again and again on her Christmas wish list. Now the thing is...when you unbag your gift from her...you must return the empty bag. She threatens to never give you another gift if you stiff her on the bags.
This year, my Daughter wrapped her modest gift to her Aunt inside three cloths bags she had sewn. It was like the Russian nesting dolls. Bag inside, bag inside bag. Then my Sister gave my Brother some very fine bourbon that came in a bag inside the box inside the Christmas bag belonging to my Sister. He asked if he got to keep the bourbon in its bag. She said yes, but give me back my wrapping bag!
We laugh. But I’ve been thinking about the tons and tons of wrapping paper going into landfills. I think I’m going to spend the merry month of May sewing lots and lots of cloth drawstring bags to give to all my family and to use myself. So ask me in May, "How’s it going?"
And you won’t believe the disruption in the normal flow of my life that caused.Or maybe you would. Maybe when you remodeled your kitchen you took to heart the opening line in one magazine article that said the most important thing in the kitchen is the location of the trash can. Place that important element well, and the rest of the design flows seamlessly. Well, I read the article. And I did consider that advice. I did relocate my container. I no longer have to go out on the back porch to dispose of a used paper napkin. The container is bigger. Prettier. And I just have to step on a pedal to open the lid.
Anyway it turns out that having 12 trash bags was not enough. I met the perfect storm of no recycling collection for two weeks and extra trash– gift wrapping and an open house!! I read that if we all wrapped two less presents in colored paper we would save tons and tons of trash. I didn’t manage to do this. All my gifts were as "Martha Stewart" as I could get them to look. However, I watched my Sister-in-law make no apologies as she pulled out naked gifts from a laundry bag and handed us wind up flashlights and other fun gifts. More about gift wrapping later.
Meanwhile, the back porch became a storage for12 bags full and a recycling bin that overflowed and flowed. . .The 12 bags went out last Thursday. But the recycling doesn’t get collected for another eight days!!! So much for the twelve days of Christmas.
More. Later. Gift wrapping. We hoot and holler and tease about this but my sister has become addicted to the drawstring cloth bags I first made for her about ten years ago. I just wanted to damp down her stress about gift wrapping. It seemed to be overwhelming to her. Then she asked for them again and again and again on her Christmas wish list. Now the thing is...when you unbag your gift from her...you must return the empty bag. She threatens to never give you another gift if you stiff her on the bags.
This year, my Daughter wrapped her modest gift to her Aunt inside three cloths bags she had sewn. It was like the Russian nesting dolls. Bag inside, bag inside bag. Then my Sister gave my Brother some very fine bourbon that came in a bag inside the box inside the Christmas bag belonging to my Sister. He asked if he got to keep the bourbon in its bag. She said yes, but give me back my wrapping bag!
We laugh. But I’ve been thinking about the tons and tons of wrapping paper going into landfills. I think I’m going to spend the merry month of May sewing lots and lots of cloth drawstring bags to give to all my family and to use myself. So ask me in May, "How’s it going?"
Labels: Gift Wrapping, Trash, Twelve Days of Christmas
posted by Canon Lexa at
12:06 PM
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