With a wide range of newer designs available in the market, many homeowners find themselves frequently replacing their old decorations in favor of more fashionable ones. Christmas decor withers over time, since they are usually kept for 11 months out of a year, gathering dust and mold.
What can you do when you find yourself with a heap of old decorations? First of all, don’t throw them away. Recycle them instead to minimize unnecessary waste going into your local landfill. Here are a few fun ideas you can try:
Greeting Cards
Greeting cards are a huge part of Christmas. Make your own cards at home by buying plain cardboard or colored cards in your local stationary store. Spruce them up with old tinsel and garlands, or stick small mistletoes on the upper corner of the card. Everyone will appreciate the extra personal effort you’ve put in cheering them up.
Centerpieces
Old, and even broken, Christmas tree ornaments make great table centerpieces. Take a tall clear vase and fill it about half way through with water. If you want to make it even more unique, crush old ornaments into medium sized pieces and glue it on the bottom of the clear vase. This will help light reflect better through the water. Once that’s done, fill the vase with assorted tree ornaments such as balls, pinecones, and tinsel. Pick colors that complement the table cloth.
Exchange
If your ornaments don’t show any signs of wear and tear but you’re bored of the designs, consider swapping with your family and friends. Throw an exchange party where everyone brings an array of old ornaments they’re willing to trade. To spice it up, hold a blind exchange by wrapping and tagging the old ornaments with specific numbers. Take turns picking numbers off a bowl.
Recycling is a great way to look at old items with new appreciation. After all, many Christmas decorations hold a special significance to your family. Just because they’re starting to look a bit tattered doesn’t mean you have to throw them away.
By turning your old decorations into something that you can still display around your house, you’ll be able to continue the memories imbibed within them. Over time, you may even make ornament recycling part of your yearly Christmas family traditions by taking turns coming up with fun, creative ideas to recycle old ornaments.
