Alternatives to Christmas wrap:

Seems my earlier blog on the evils of wrapping paper has led people to ask me a well-deserved question: how do I wrap my Christmas presents?
I choose reusable bags. Yes, these are made with the evil dyed paper, but I reuse a bag an average of twenty times before it falls apart, which is much more often than a piece of wrapping paper can be reused. I also reuse the tissue paper, which lasts an average of five bags.
Cloth bags are an even better choice. Hemp is preferable to cotton, since most cotton fields are heavy pesticide users, and cotton is generally bleached. However, organic cotton bags with natural dyes are a good alternative. Silk makes for an especially lovely bag. Cloth bags can be decorated with bows and arranged in such a way that there is still the anticipation of opening them, and can be quite pretty. Also, given their shape and flexibility, they can be used to mislead the recipient as to their contents.
Then there are the more environmentally friendly forms of wrapping paper. There is a type of paper made from the living bark of a tropical tree that is sold by Ten Thousand Villages that is a beautiful, colorful, thick paper. This tree readily regrows its bark, so the paper is a renewable resource. Also, by shopping at Ten Thousand Villages, the money spent goes directly into the hands of third world artisans, and not to evil corporations. (I like that word, evil.) Another paper choice is of course recycled paper, made with peroxide instead of chlorine bleach, and organic dyes.
Another choice is homemade paper. Twenty years ago, we bought a $7 roll of unbleached newsprint paper, the kind that goes into the presses. We use it for kid’s art projects. We still have over half the roll left. A very good buy. Sometimes for Christmas, we paint the paper in Christmas images and patterns, and use that for wrap. Then we are not only giving a gift, but also a work of art (depending on your definition of art).
I hope that supplies enough ideas on how to make your Christmas presents pretty and fun to open without polluting and deforesting our planet.