About seven years ago, while shopping for wrapping paper for Santa's gifts to my chldren, I was struck by a most frugal thought: do I really need to spend $30 dollars for wrapping paper?? I mean, really, buying the gold and silver foil paper to wrap a present that is torn to shreds in one second?!?
Well, that started a new and great tradition in my family: The Santa Sack. For less than what I would have spent on wrapping paper in one year, I went to the fabric store, and bought red flannel, on sale of course. I made an enormous sack, with white rope, and big bells tied to the rope. I sewed up the flannel like a bag, and just hemmed around the rope.
To start our new tradition, Santa sent a letter to our house, telling our family that he and the elves were concerned about the waste of paper, and the trees. So, he was putting all our gifts in this special sack, and encouraged all of us to reuse, recycle, and reduce our waste. The children were thrilled!
Of course this was "an experimental" project, and not every family was getting a sack. But year after year, the joy of seeing our Santa sack still brings a smile to our faces! And boy, the paper and money we have saved!
I go to the fabric store AFTER Christmas and buy Christmas fabric. I cut and sew with the serger a simple bag. Serge the top. No drawstrings, we just use curly ribbon to close the bags. I save the bags from year to year. Easy to make, easy to fill or "wrap", easy to store later. Plus some of the fabric is so rich looking and pretty, it looks wonderful under the tree. Every year I make a few more bags for the "stash". I also have found Christmas material at garage sales to use. I now only buy wrapping paper for gifts for people outside our immediate family.
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