Neal's account of his donation exchange for Christmas, instead of presents, is not only a great read, but it makes you (re)think and ask what is Christmas all about.
a) Running around like a chicken without a head, trying to buy useless presents?
or
b) Sharing a special moment with loved ones?
Trick question: I know…
Sick in bed last year on the 25th, I was listening to the French news radio, when I heard a three year old girl screeching because "Santa Claus didn't bring what I ordered".
What struck me was how a little girl had absorbed such a notion as ordering a present from Santa Claus, whilst bloggers by the thousands had shared fabulous ideas to prepare Christmas: from toilet paper stars to make with friends, to Christmas trees invented with your kids and wrapping paper projects to reduce waste…all of it is Green Glam' and fun!
Not only are they sharing fabulous ideas, but they are sharing the key idea that Christmas is not about the present or the size of the Christmas tree, but about sharing time together to prepare and be together.
So this year, I sent an email round to my French Elvish blogging friends and asked them to join me to fix Christmas (the original blog is in French: Réparons & Re-Parons Noël.).
We're posting all the fabulous ideas we spot all around the world or things we create to pump some xmas sharing sense in our own way. Our main goal is to promote all of the men and women out there sharing their own ideas.
And here is a call to all Anglophone Elves to join and share on Repurpose Xmas (an ad free blog for all share-aholics).
So take your pick and travel the web to find fun projects to prepare Christmas with friends and family, while reusing waste, having a hot chocolate and sharing laughs!
Places for Green Elvish Ideas:
- Repurpose XMas
- How About Orange DIY
- Craftzine
- Re-Nest
- 100 tutos Etsy
- 101 Handmade Ornaments
- 101 Handmade Gifts Tutorials
- 101 Pretty Printables {free}
- 101 Sewing Tutorials
- what are your good web addresses?
The French Elves:
- Clémentine la Mandarine
- Ecolowoman
- Grenouille Citadine
- Mamie La Cerise (Mélanie)
- Mary Verte (Vivre Ecolo)
- Monsieur Récup (Guillaume)
- Pas Plus tard qu'Hier (Cécile)
- Ripe Green Ideas (Shabnam)
- Talalilala (Marie)
- Toute Petite (Aurélie)
- Une Idea
- Végébon (Sandrine)
Previous Xmas articles on Shareable.net:
- Ten Shareable Gifts for the Holidays
- How I Avoided Holiday Shopping Through a Donation Exchange
- 7 Experiences to Give from The Mesh Holiday Gift Guide
- Help me avoid buying junk for kids who have it all
Please share additional ideas in comments!