This holiday season don’t decorate your Christmas tree the same way you always do: try something different! The “green” movement is a foot, so why not incorporate it into your tree decorations this year. If you haven’t heard of “going green” yet then you need not worry, because it is never too late for you to start. “Going green” means that you are making decisions to reduce the amount of harm you are cause on the environment, like recycling, using less electricity, car pooling, etc. Decorating your tree the “green” way can be very fun while at the same time doing your part to help the earth.
The first thing you are going to need for your tree are some new lights. This year you are going to forgo your traditional incandescent tree lights (because most likely they are dead and you were going to have to get new ones anyway) for some new LED lights. LED (light emitting diode) lights do not have same filament that traditional bulbs have. The diode is a chip, similar to one in a computer, that converts electricity to light as a by product of heat energy. For a better understanding of how they work you should check out http://www.holidayleds.com/how_do_led_christmas_lights_work. LED lights may be a bit pricey in the beginning, but they will save you money in the long run. They have a longer lifespan than traditional lights and only use a fraction of the electricity that your old lights did. You can buy LED lights on the Internet from a company called Holiday LEDs at www.holidayled.com. You might be able to find them locally at your Ace Hardware store, but it varies from store to store. I recommend purchasing a white LED light set and a multi-color LED set. It will really give your Christmas tree a whole new life. A string of lights will cost between $20-$25 for 25′ and they come in various shapes and sizes. A strand of 25′ multi-color lights will cost you about $17. This may sound like a lot, but over the years to come you won’t have to keep replacing lights.
If you are in the market for some inexpensive garland then go check out your local craft store for some wide, holiday themed ribbon. You can buy a few spools for less than $10 and the great this is you can use the ribbon year after year. When you decide you don’t want to use the ribbon anymore you can use it to wrap gifts instead of throwing it away.
Now it is time to decorate your tree. A good idea is to re-use your old decorations. You can still keep some of your old family traditions and incorporate them in to your new look. If you want new decorations then you should try making them. There are many recipes for flour or salt dough, but I recommend this website: http://www.essortment.com/all/christmastreeo_riph.htm. This is a great family bonding experience and you can make any ornament you want; all you need is a cookie cutter.
I hope I have given you some ideas for tree decorating this Christmas. You don’t have to do all of them at once, but if you are going to start somewhere then you should definitely go with the LED lights. Remember any little thing you can do to go “green” is great so good luck on decorating your tree. Merry Christmas!
