We have some ideas for you on how to wrap your holiday gifts using things you have on hand in the eco/style section but I was so excited to receive some eco wrapped gifts that I had to show you. My friend Jenny used newspaper, oragami paper and dried flowers to wrap a candle, so clever!  She made an amazing tag with illustrations she copied from old books and some ice tea to age the paper. She topped the tag with glitter and they are better than any store bought tag! Debbie took the time to sew a bag out of funky left over fabric and tied it with a bow. She even used a piece of cardboard for the tag! Victoria put her gift in a reusable Trader Joe’s bag, awesome! Thank you so much for the inspiring ideas. Happy New Year!

It’s the thing to do. Make a resolution. Get really excited about it. And then, in about three weeks, completely drop it. What makes someone want to make a New Year’s Resolution anyway? Stacey, a working mom, says she’ll be making the same resolutions as last year. And when asked if she’ll stick to it she says, “Nope, because apparently I’m lazy and reluctant to change.”

That’s why I think resolutions fail. Not because Stacey is lazy and reluctant to change, but because we really are creatures of habit. To CHANGE is difficult. And time consuming. And generally takes years of therapy.

So why do we continue to torture ourselves with this ritual? Let us embrace who we are, what we do, why we do it. Let us find the good in why we are the way we are. The things that really matter to us shouldn’t have to change. The things we want to change, well, work on them slowly and give yourself a gold star when you work toward them.

You may not be able to keep your resolution, again, this year, but if you are realistic about yourself and about where you want to go, you can make it happen over time.

In this spirit, we’ve collected a list of resolutions submitted by Exurb editors and contributors. Check them out below. Some are professional, some personal. Some seem highly doable and others, well, maybe we’ll see them on the list next year again.

1. strike a balance with work/family/exercise

2. grow Exurb into a publication YOU check daily

3. look for ways to support and celebrate acts of creativity and individuality small or large, out here and beyond.

4. start each day with an “I’m grateful for” list instead of a to-do list.

5. use my oven timer each time I cook so I stop burning so many dishes.

Some exurbanites have been dropping the New Year’s resolution for the 101 things in 1001 days. Basically, that’s three years to accomplish some goals you have for yourself. Maybe that’s the key. Low and slow, rather than trying to cram them all in a year. But Lucida sums it up well, for me at least, as a rebel at heart “[I] Never do!! If I make it, I break it!!” Sometimes setting the goal and making it official makes it seem too much like “big brother” to me, even if the big brother is me.

We’ve put ours out there. Care to join us? What are you hoping to accomplish in 2010…and beyond?

If you need more inspiration check out these rules to live by at The School of Life

Americans send approximately 4 billion texts a day. That’s an average of 17 per day for each person who owns a cell phone. I admit to driving that average WAY up. I think my average is around 175 a day. But wait, before you laugh at me, let me tell you how practical this is. I don’t use my minutes (even if they are free in-network). I am a writer, so I prefer texting to talking. I can be concise with my conversations, I don’t have to worry about a call failing, and I now have it in writing in case I need to go back for  a reminder (or to say “see I DID tell you I needed you to stop at the store to get milk on your way home”).

Texting has revolutionized business, dating, and parent/child relations. But I know not everyone likes it. And it’s not always appropriate.

Probably NOT appropriate, Paris

Definitely NOT appropriate, George

First and foremost, driving and texting don’t mix. That’s non-negotiable. But other inappropriate texting habits? Probably not good to text your boss for a raise. Or to ask your parents for forgiveness for crashing the family car. Texting your best friend while she is on her first date, or texting your response to your Facebook friends moments after your now-fiancee pops the question may not be your shining moments.

However, I have found that texting my husband discreetly from across the room about Christmas gifts for the children was ingenious.  Sending a text to a friend letting her know I was running late, rather than taking the time to call and make me later? Brilliant. Sending grandparents text messages of cute things the kids say…priceless.

I’d love to hear your texting stories here.

U <3 2 chat 2!

Before you throw away all the extra boxes, tissue and cardboard from your gifts, consider saving some for your holiday decor storage. I keep my wreath in a computer screen box but boot boxes work well, too. Someone every year gets a new pair of Ugg boots which come in a sturdy box perfect for a holiday wreath. One of the questions I had at a holiday dinner was “Do you light those special candles you have on the table?” Yes, I do but unless they are pretty well used up, I save them for next year. I keep them in old socks so they don’t get banged up. Just be sure to keep them in a cool place. I like to wrap my strands of lights around a square of cardboard. Cut a slit in one side of the square. Thread the end of a set of lights through the slit. Wrap the lights around the cardboard, threading the other end back through the slit. Lastly, how to store your ornaments. I end up with a lot of left over tissue which I use to cushion my ornaments. Wine boxes make great containers for your tissue wrapped ornaments and you are able to put a decent amount in one box. Pick some up at Trader Joe’s next time you are there. When I inherited my grandmother’s ornaments, that is how she stored her ornaments and it still works today. The trick to having well organized holiday decor is to label every box clearly before storing.

Now that Christmas is over (hopefully not in spirit), we need to figure out what to do with the tree. This part of the holidays disturbs me a little. I mean, the tree is beautiful, the smell in the house is wonderful. But going to the farm, cutting a tree down, dragging it home and displaying it sometimes seems so wrong to me. Almost barbaric. Then someone has a job to dismantle the thing and set it out as trash. It makes me cringe a little.

However, Out Here, it’s quite easy to get rid of the body of evidence. Just remember a few tips: (from the City of Thousand Oaks website) first remove all ornaments, tinsel, and the tree stand. The City of Thousand Oaks and your trash haulers would appreciate your efforts to cut the tree in half (or even smaller pieces), and place it in your green waste cart. If you have a slightly larger tree that will not fit into the green waste cart, please leave the tree out next to your trash cart or green waste cart on your regular collection day, and the tree will be picked up. (Note: Very large trees may require special handling, and you may need to call the trash hauler for a special pick up.)

Trees collected in this program will be mulched and reused throughout the County. City of Thousand Oaks

And, because we tend to generate much more trash during the holidays (unless of course, you follow Sofie’s eco friendly wrapping tips…) GI Rubbish has the following announcement ” residents may place out twice the normal amount of trash (or recyclables) during the two weeks following Christmas (December 26, 2006- January 6, 2007). Please flatten all cardboard boxes, and place them next to your recycling cart.”

Maybe next year we can strive for living Christmas Trees and recyclable packaging. What a gift to the Earth that would be!