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In my country, the Philippines, you can feel the Christmas season as early as September. Some people start to decorate their homes with Christmas trees and lights; radio stations start to play Christmas songs; and shopping malls start to display Christmas items at affordable prices.

Some people like to hoard Christmas items as early as September or October to spare themselves from crowded malls during December when most people do their last-minute shopping. This is also the time that prices for Christmas decorations are still affordable.

I’ve known a few people who buy new Christmas decorations every year.  But for me, I will apply the 3 Rs – Reduce, Reuse and Recycle – this coming Christmas season.

Reduce

Reduce your expenses by reusing your old Christmas decorations. By doing this, you can also reduce clutter of old decorations piled up in your basement.

Reuse

You can still use the old decorations you used last year. For fragile decorations like crystal ornaments for your Christmas tree, check first for any broken parts before you reuse them. Otherwise, just glue them back carefully; Santa won’t mind it. When storing your decorations, store them with their original boxes or containers so that it’s easy for you to identify and reuse them the following year.

Recycle

This is my favorite among the 3 Rs. I love recycling things. Look around your kitchen, there are some things you can turn into Christmas decorations. Using a clear plastic soda bottle, for example, you can cut an angel, snowman, star and candy cane figure out of it, paint them with glass paint, attach strings and use them to decorate your Christmas tree. There are lots of things you can recycle, just let your creative ideas flow. The possibilities are endless.

When recycling things, let your kids join you so they know that Christmas is not just about giving and sharing but also recycling. Recycling things into Christmas decorations is a fun way to bond with your family. I’m sure your kids would like to look at your Christmas tree with all their artworks all over it. Enjoy!