
Christmas it the time of joy and giving. But no matter if it’s Christmas or any other time of the year, we need to protect the surrounding we live in.
With these 4 simple tips, you’ll not only have an eco-friendly Christmas but save money and most importantly, have a real and unique family Christmas experience.
1. Create Unique Gift Wrappings
Your home is filled with materials you can use for gift wrapping. Things like cloth, towels, grocery store brown bags/paper, or kids’ artwork - everything can be used as a gift wrapper.
Also, we’re guessing you’ll have a Christmas tree. Snip a twig or have your kids use crayons to give the gift that final, stylish touch. It’s free, eco-friendly and way more fun.

2. Buy LED Christmas Lighting
The average cost of lighting a 6-foot Christmas tree for 40 days with usual lighting is $10. And with LED mini-light? Only $0.82! Not impressed?
If every US family did that, we’d save around two billion kilowatt-hours of electricity, enough to power over 200,000 houses for the entire year! You can use apps like letgo to find LED lighting near you for a far cheaper price.
3. Don’t Use Fake Trees
Although using a plastic tree sounds like a good idea, it’s not. First, they are more flammable than evergreen trees, especially when combined with regular, warm lighting. Secondly, it takes longer for the artificial tree to decompose, than for a new tree to grow.
It’s best to use a live tree in a pot and repot it in the garden. This way, the tree basically becomes a part of the family.

4. Make Gifts Together
Instead of buying plastic presents, why not gift experience of giving? First, collect craftable stuff from the house like paper, decorative items, colors and everything else you can find. Then, gather your family around and start creating unique gifts for each other.
If you lack fun items in your house, you can use VarageSale to find tons of unique items from people around you.
To have a green Christmas, we don’t have to completely stop shopping. We still need to buy things like food, decorations and let’s be honest - shopping feels good. But that doesn’t mean we can’t be smart while shopping.
Although you still need to some regular market shopping, you can use Best 10 Garage Sale Apps to find unique items that will help you create a true family Christmas experience.
Best 10 Garage Sale Apps
-
1
Yard Sale Treasure Map
-
2
GarageSale: Online Yard Sale
-
3
VarageSale: Sell simply, buy safely.
-
4
Estate Sales
-
5
OfferUp: Buy. Sell. Letgo. Mobile marketplace
-
6
5miles: Buy and Sell Used Stuff Locally
-
7
Nextdoor: Local Updates, Recommendations and Deals
-
8
Swop.it – Local Swap Deals
-
9
Listed Near Me - Buy used items, Sell for cash
Sign Up for AppGrooves
Get curated money-saving emails every day with a free AppGrooves profile