Any household with children will know just how many felt tip pens pass through their doors over the years. And it seems that the vast majority of them will meet a premature end when the smaller members of the family leave the lids off on a regular basis. I know I have tried everything to avoid their early demise, but the sad fact of the matter is, kids, get through tons of the things!
Most of us have more baby clothes and equipment than we know what to do with, all very reusable with plenty of life left in. You can, of course, donate items to your local charity shops, although some do have restrictions for health and safety reasons.
What better purpose for an unwanted Christmas tree than to raise money for charity. Just Helping who work with hospices, businesses, and volunteers to collect and recycle real Christmas trees and raise money for hospices and other local charities. You can check if there is a collection in your area or register an interest in providing one.
Many charities collect bottle tops, and particularly milk bottle tops to raise funds. It is worth keeping an eye out for collections in your area on social media, etc. We have listed here those that we are aware of. Charities can often receive up to £30 for every 500kgs of bottle tops collected and are always looking for bulk. It is possible to set up your own scheme and collect for a charity of your choice as well.
Environmental and resource issues aside, the humble Christmas card is surely one of the greatest traditions of the season – sometimes an annual communication with a friend or loved one that might otherwise see contact lost forever, a time to reconnect, update and just bring a smile in a way that social media never can – it has to be worth the effort…for me at least!
Whether you are looking forward to it or not, the time has come to think about getting those kids back to school! And it can be anything but straight forward given that our children simply don’t grow in a uniform manner – nature has not contrived to have them conveniently grow out of 6-7 year old school uniform in July of one year, ready to start the new school year in size 7-8!
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