Environmentally friendly Christmas cards

I want to share an idea before Christmas gets too near. Because we are an eco school, last year the staff agreed not to send each other Christmas cards, but instead to give the money they would have spent on this as a donation to a chosen charity.

Word of this spread and some parents decided that they would do the same. Instead of spending a fortune on cards that would end up in the bin, we sent an email with Christmas greetings and news to friends and family and gave the cash to the same charity.

This year staff have suggested that the children do not give their friends individual Christmas cards, but that each class makes a large card that they all agree on a message for, sign and read out in assembly. Parents are then asked to donate the money they have saved by not buying the cards.

Hopefully, the children will learn that they can spread a lot of Christmas cheer to people who need it, whilst still letting their friends know that they care about them. And as a bonus, there is less rubbish at the end of the Christmas period.