What to do with all the Leftover Christmas Stuff
As we are putting away our trees and trimmings, there are items leftover that we don't know what to do with. From cards, to food, to decorations, we are inundated with a barrage of Christmas items that have an expiration of December 25 (figuratively, if not literally). Here are some ideas to reuse and recycle these items, and give them a new life for next year, next week, or next month!
Cards
- Cut out the picture part, and make collages on a 12x18 inch piece of thick, sturdy paper (not cardboard). Once the collage is made, take it to a print shop, and have them laminated. These you can use for years to come as place mats at your dining table!
- For those who love puzzles, cut out the picture parts again, glue them on a thin board (1/4 in Mahogany underlayment will work well), polyurethane over the finished project, and cut into pieces with a jigsaw. This could also be a great custom gift for the kids or grand kids for next year!
- Cut the fronts of the cards apart, punch holes in all four corners, and tie them to one another. This can be done lengthwise or width ways. This can then be used for a table runner, or strung across a room or on a large tree next year.
- After you grow tired of eating leftovers, click here to find reincarnation recipes for your already cooked food.
- Donate any non-perishable unused food items to your local food bank. Its the gift that can keep on giving!
- Freeze it! Buy quart and gallon size freezer bags and a marker, and label the bags with the contents and date, and stick them in the freezer. Just about anything can be frozen, and when you are ready to eat it in a month or two, it will taste like new!
- Use it as packing material for your fragile tree ornaments. This is especially handy if the original boxes are missing or damaged.
- Shred it. This comes in handy as packing material in packages sent to family and friends. Another use for shredded wrapping paper is at the bottom of non-seasonal gifts. Look for Gold, Silver, or any other non-specific color, and place the shredded paper at the bottom of a basket or container, then place your gifts inside.
- Don't forget the leftover cardboard rolls! Give these to the kids to fence with each other (hey, its cheap entertainment, and it is unlikely they will hurt themselves with it!), or save it for a craft project with the kids later in the year.
- Incorporate chocolates or caramels into cookie, brownie, and other recipes. If you are a vodka drinker, hard candies can be dissolved to make a custom drink!
- Hide it from the kids, then use it as a treat in their lunches, or use it as a reward when they do good things...you can make it lasts for months this way!
- Take it to work, and let your co-workers enjoy it...then you won't feel so bad about eating it all yourself!
- Regift the gift. This simply means give the gift to someone else. You have to remember the cardinal rule of re-gifting~ DO NOT give the give to the original giver...it will inevitably hurt their feelings! Keep a plastic tote or shelf in a closet for such emergencies and occasions.
- Sell it on E-bay. As cold and callous as this may seem, its better to do that, than to have it sit in your house, unused, collecting dust for years.
- Give it to charity. Visit with your local churches, as many are affiliated with different organizations such as homeless shelters and domestic violence shelters. If they can't take the item, ask who can take if off your hands.
