Gift wrap that gives

On Christmas morning, many Canadians will wake up to a beautifully decorated tree surrounded by equally beautiful wrapped gifts. But did you know that, according to the Recycling Council of British Columbia, Canadians generate about 545,000 tonnes of garbage from gift wrap and shopping bags during the Christmas season?

With that statistic in mind, you might want to find ways to make your own Christmas wrapping experience more ecologically friendly or at least more meaningful. Below are five ways to show that while you've carefully chosen a gift for a loved one, you've put just as much thought into the gift wrap.

1. Support a worthy cause
When Penny Oman was 14 years old, she was left paralyzed from the neck down after a car accident. During her extended recovery period, Penny attended a lecture given by Myron Angus, a member of the Mouth and Foot Painting Artists (MFPA). Inspired, Penny eventually became a Mouth and Foot Painting Artist herself.

An international organization, the MFPA helps disabled artists sell their art, on Christmas wrap and cards. For a look at the quality products offered by MFPA, check out the wrap and card selection at the MFPA website: http://mfpacanada.com/.

2. Gift within a gift
Practical gifts like socks and tea towels make excellent wrap for other gifts. Smaller gifts can be dropped into a pair of new socks and tied with a fancy colourful ribbon. This idea works especially well for anyone on your list who's in the university crowd and living on a stretched budget.

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3. Make it yourself
Butcher's wrap or brown paper bags from the supermarket not only wrap well, they also provide wonderful canvases for budding artists eager to help with Christmas preparations. Have the kids in your life spend an afternoon or two colouring plain brown wrap in Christmas scenes -- parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles will appreciate the wrap as much as the gift itself.

4. Recycle and re-use
Old newspapers -- especially the cartoon section -- make good wrap, especially if the whole family is in on the recycling effort. Recycled cookie tins also work well. If you have a family of careful un-wrappers, you may be able to recycle wrapping paper from one year to the next. If you are buying gift wrap this year, keep in mind (for next year!) that Christmas bags recycle very easily.

5. Be creative
Instead of wrapping large gifts, and in the process using up a lot of paper, hide the gifts away. Then wrap a set of clues in a small box, leave it under the tree and turn the gift-opening into a scavenger hunt.

Bonus tip:
Use cut-out pictures from old Christmas cards to make a colourful variety of name tags to suit the recipient of each gift.

This year, before you put the final ribbons and bows on your Christmas parcels, put some thought into your wrapping choices. Merry Christmas!

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