SENIOR MOMENT: Recycling Christmas

By BETTY MUSEY/Columnist

Only a week ago we were wrapping last-minute gifts, attending church programs, and baking more food than we could consume while melodious carols played softly on the radio station. Christmas, with its months of planning and preparation, now seems only a blur of pleasant memories.
A loyal reader called last week and asked if I had any suggestions for recycling the beautiful Christmas cards she was receiving daily in the mail.  Quick research revealed that St. Jude’s Ranch recycles card fronts into new greeting cards, which it sells throughout the year to support its nonprofit home for young people. Its Web site states that it willingly accepts used, all-occasion greeting cards (including Christmas) from Nov. 15 through Feb. 28, 2009, at the following address: St. Jude’s Ranch for Children, Card Recycling Program, 100 St. Jude’s Street, Boulder City, NV 89005. Send only card fronts with no personal notes on the backside.
Scout troop leaders, Sunday school teachers, and some assisted living programs accept card fronts for craft and outreach projects. Card fronts can be creatively converted into postcards, gift tags, and even small gift boxes for next year. Dedicated crafters cut and paste parts of old cards onto new blank card stock, which is available in most arts and crafts sections. An innovative way to enjoy cards for a longer period of time is to make a placemat collage of cards using pieces of clear contact paper.
A Christian author wrote that when she receives photo greeting cards, she recycles them as bookmarks for use throughout the year and says a prayer for each when she sees their picture.
Researchers noted a trend among younger consumers of mailing fewer Christmas cards, opting instead to send electronic greetings or making personal telephone calls due to financial or time pressures.
Gift bags are popular holiday commodities due to their convenience as well as their ability to be recycled. A fellow church member suggested buying Christmas themed fabric now at low after-Christmas prices and making it into gifts bags with drawstring tops for next year’s shut-in project.
Some municipalities offer Christmas tree recycling programs by shredding trees into landscape mulch or using whole trees to reinforce lake and stream shorelines. Check with your local government as to its recycling efforts.
A “Today Show” contributor suggested shredding sheets of used wrapping paper or recycling foam shipping peanuts to cushion fragile tree ornaments for storage. She also mentioned smearing leftover pinecones with peanut butter and rolling them in birdseeds as a special treat for birds during the harsh winter months.
As we usher in 2009 with celebrations and resolutions, it’s important to remember that the new year doesn’t have to be a time of “out with the old and in with the new.” Recycling helps all of us and can be incorporated into all facets of our lives.
A retired Extension agent, Betty Munsey lives and farms in Bland County.