December 2020

National Christmas
card recycle
Did you know?
• The first person known to receive
a written Christmas greeting was
James I in 1611. He and his son were
sent a decorated manuscript with a
Christmas and New Year greeting by
Michael Maier, a German physician
• Over 200 years later, the
celebrated inventor, Sir Henry Cole,
commissioned some Christmasthemed
greeting cards, illustrated by
John Callcott Horsley in May 1843.
Cole had been instrumental in setting
up The Post Office 3 years earlier, so
this was a shrewd business move, as
some 2,050 cards sold that year for a
shilling each, distributed by the new
postal service for one penny
• By the 1860s, Christmas cards were
common and by 1870, the cost of
sending a postcard or Christmas card
had dropped to only half a penny,
meaning even more people could
send them
• In the early 1900s, it was popular to
send handmade cards which were
often delivered by hand because of
their delicate decorations
• In 2001, one of Cole’s original cards
(sent to his grandmother), sold for a
record £22,500 at auction
• According to the Greeting Card
Association, every year the UK spends
£1.7 billion on 2 billion greeting cards
to plant over 140,000 trees – the
equivalent, in carbon emission terms,
of taking more than 5,000 cars off the
road
• Charity Christmas cards originated in
Denmark and now raise an estimated
£50 million each year for charities
We Brits love to send greetings cards, and
despite sales declining in recent years, we
still all love to send each other a traditional
Christmas greeting. But what happens to
all those Christmas cards, packaging boxes
and wrapping paper once the lights on the
Christmas trees have finally faded? And
where does the paper come from in the
first place? How can we be sure we are not
adding to the problems facing our world as
we come together in celebration?
The answer to these questions lies in the
choices we make both before, during
and after the festive season. The hard
truth is that our reliance on consumerism
and physical goods is costing a lot more
than money, and we are currently in a
climate emergency that threatens not just
Christmas, but our entire way of life. Global
warming is happening at a faster rate than
ever:
• Global annual temperature has
increased at an average rate of 0.07°C
(0.13°F) per decade since 1880 and
over twice that rate +0.18°C (+0.32°F)
since 1981
• From 1900 to 1980, a new temperature
record was set on average every 13.5
years; since 1981, it has increased to
every 3 years
And whilst some politicians still argue about
the cause, their rhetoric does nothing to
stop the polar ice caps from melting, our
sea levels rising and our forests from being
destroyed. We are all being called upon to
‘do our bit’ to limit our impact on the natural
world, to try to reverse the changes and
save our planet before it is too late. And
what better time to make a change than
at Christmas, a time of love, tolerance, and
hope for the future?
Start small, start with YOU!
Many of us are concerned about global
warming and the impact we have on the
environment and we may find ourselves
talking to our friends and family about it,
possibly even getting into an argument
or two about the merits of one possible
solution over another. But then how many
of us leave the light on unnecessarily at
times? Or forget our shopping bags and
need to buy new ones, or turn the heating
up instead of putting on a jumper? We
may feel small and insignificant on our
own, but when we work together, we can
create a momentum of change that can not
only ‘move mountains’ but the seas, rivers,
forests and everything in between too.
Recycling Christmas cards is one easy way
to make a difference. With no Woodland
Trust initiative currently, the onus is on
us as consumers to choose cards that
are sourced sustainably and recycle our
wrapping paper and cards through the
proper channels such as a local council
recycling centre. So here are our top tips for
‘going greener’ this Christmas.
1. Buy cards and packaging which carry
the FSC (Forest Stewardship Council)
kitemark which certifies products that
are made with materials from wellmanaged
forests and/or recycled
sources. It applies to wood, paper and
other forest products too.
2. Why not try making your own cards
and wrapping paper using old
magazines, newspapers or reusing
delivery packages?
3. Collect all your recycling together
and either put into your recycling
bin or make a trip to your local
recycling centre. You may need
to check opening times and
what they recycle now,
as a lot of centres have
consolidated operations to comply with
COVID-secure requirements. Reducing
the number of times you travel also
helps the environment, so you might
want to organise a collection of old
Christmas cards and wrapping paper
at your setting to help get the little
ones involved too. Children will model
adults’ behaviour, so this is a great
opportunity to set a good example.
4. If you want to recycle the cards
yourself, you can cut them up to make
gift tags for next year. You can even
reuse those bows and ribbons too.
This is a lovely craft activity which helps
get the children into good habits.
5. Remember you can’t recycle things
that have glitter or embellishments
such as ribbons, bows, or jewels so
remove these items before recycling.
6. Folded up paper takes up less
space than scrunched up paper so
encourage everyone to fold up their
discarded paper to help with storage.
Remember to recycle your Christmas trees
too and to plan your Christmas shopping
to reduce waste. Zero-waste shops are
becoming more popular nowadays so
do a search online to find out where your
nearest one is and how it can help you cut
down on packaging generally.
Finally, remember that ‘every little helps’
to coin a well-known phrase, but when it
comes to saving the environment, it is so
true.
• The conservation charity, the
Woodland Trust, in conjunction with
Marks and Spencer ran a recycling
campaign (2008 – 2016) which
recycled more than 600 million
Christmas cards and
raised enough money
38 December 2020 | parenta.com
parenta.com | December 2020 39