Christmas is a time of giving but I don’t want to give burdens. I especially don’t want to burden the planet up with more stuff that goes to landfill. So this year, I’m attempting a fully zero waste Christmas.

My relationship with Christmas is pretty complex, basically I hate it. I love getting people presents but not when a seasonal event dictates it. I really resent buying things because I am supposed to and I hate the amount of waste that happens with every present.

This ends here

Enough is enough. I’m starting with the wrapping paper. Although paper is easy to recycle, having a reusable alternative instead of something that is used once then recycled is lots better. I spent all of Sunday sewing away making Japanese Knot bags. One handle is longer than the other and you seal them by pushing the longer handle into the shorter.  I’ve made them reversible too so that if you want to keep them to use as project bags after Christmas you don’t need to look at happy sprouts.

You can make your own

There are numerous instructions for making Japanese Knot bags on the internet. They don’t take up a great deal of fabric and they are fun to make. Mine are different to all the ones I’ve found instructions for because I worked out how to have no top stitching showing. Mine are simple and minimalistic, clean lines rule.

You can buy them

Check out Etsy for some stunning bags.  They look good in denim as well as cotton. Or you can buy one of my hand made ones here. Mine are big and strong enough to hold a whole pile of books or a big jumper. If you want to treat a knitter you could fill it with yarn.

Will they save you money?

My bags are large enough to be useful for storing many things, including bread so you are not just spending money on wrapping paper. Each year I’d spend about a fiver on cheap wrapping paper, even in the years where I made my own I’d be paying for paper and ink. My bags are going to last decades and can be passed from person to person with each re-gifting, or kept to use by the recipient. Yes, they will save you money in a few years. And you can be smug that your are not contributing to the waste generated this Christmas.

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