Adirondack Family Time™

I use 'holiday lights" all year long. It isn't any wonder that I have to replace those strings of lights with regularity. One pesky missing light and the whole string makes my house look like it has a black eye. If you have noticed, similar " The Grinch Who Stole Christmas" that  " there's a  light  on this  tree  that won't  light  on one side." please DO NOT just throw away your strands of lights.  Below are some places near and far that recycle lights. Some even offer a discount on the next string of holiday lights. Now doesn't that put you in the holiday spirit!  As we start decorating for the holidays you also may take notice if your string of twinkle lights are no longer working, please don't throw the lights in the trash. Look for places that can reuse and recycle!  HOLIDAYLED , out of Elms Grove, WI, recycles old Christmas lights and gives you a 15% discount on your next order. You do have to pay for shipping.  Ac

This week's craft is brought you you by Lauren at Goody-Goody *Handmade . She takes a simple piece of wire and shapes it free form to make this creative craft. This is something that can be done with children of all ages. You can use recycled materials and really let the creativity flow. Have  fun! Materials - paper wrapped wire (how about reuse: take an old wire hanger  - fabric scraps, cut into strips at least 1" wide. Length doesn't matter much. - glue gun - buttons, bits, beads and baubles - cord for hanging Diane Chase, author of Adirondack Family Time: Tri-Lakes and High Peaks (Your Four-Season Guide to Over 300 Activities) for the towns of Lake Placid, Saranac Lake, Jay/Upper Jay, Wilmington, Keene/Keene Valley which is available online or bookstores/museums/sporting good stores. Diane is currently working on the second guidebook in the four-book series of Adirondack Family Activities.

According the NYS Department of Environment Conservation (DEC), for every one Christmas tree that is cut, one to three more seedlings are planted.  The benefit for using a real Christmas tree instead of a plastic (fake) tree is that almost all Christmas trees are grown as crops making the switch from an artificial tree to a real one an easy decision. It takes six to seven years to grown a Christmas tree. For those years that  real tree soaks up carbon dioxide , a greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change (global warming) and the chemicals to make plastic trees actually creates more greenhouse gases. Real Christmas trees are a renewable resource. In addition most town collect used trees to be chipped and recycled for mulch, which helps reduce water usage in municipalities. Most fake trees are not biodegradable.