Tips for an Eco-Friendly Christmas
How to have a more sustainable Christmas.
While Christmas may be the most wonderful time of the year, it is also the ultimate time for consumerism and waste. We want to live more in harmony with the world around us, so here are a few ways to make your Christmas more eco-friendly…
Gifts
One of the great joys of Christmas is giving and receiving gifts, however, these can also be a great source of pollution and waste. The good news is there is a lot you can do here to be more sustainable.
First, don’t just guess what people want - ask them, and also make sure you tell them what you want too. That way you are much less likely to buy presents that are unwanted and which could end up in the bin.
One way to cut down the amount of gifts (and to make Christmas more affordable) is to do a Secret Santa where each person only buys for one other person instead of buying for everyone. Another thing you could do is make a rule that the Secret Santa gift must be bought second-hand or from a charity shop.
There are many gifts that you can purchase second-hand or even make yourself. For example, there are many online apps e.g. Vinted, for getting good quality second-hand items. Ebay sells many second-hand things, as do charity shops. I really like reading and I’ve found that Amazon books often have options to buy most books second-hand so I use that option to keep my reading habit more eco-friendly.
If you have kids that are young, they are not going to worry about the present being something brand new - you can get plenty of toys for young children second-hand whether online or in a charity shop or as hand-me-downs from other families.
If you create your own produce, or are a decent cook, or are just unsure what to give - you could put together a Christmas Hamper for people.
Choose gifts that last. Don’t buy something that is going to get broken easily or will just end up discarded in a few days.
Finally, give gifts of experiences instead of physical items, for example…
a handmade coupon for an experience e.g. a promise you’ll take them somewhere
handmade coupon for something you can help them with e.g babysitting, cleaning, teaching a skill e.t.c.
buy an experience such as a spa day, cinema trip, and so on
donate to a charity they care about in their name
vouchers/gift cards e.g. amazon
memberships e.g. National Trust, Netflix etc
cash
Packaging
The most important rule in being eco-friendly is - use what you already have.
When it comes to packaging it is one of the easiest ways to be more sustainable. For example, you can buy recyclable (and recycled) wrapping paper, or wrap things in cloth or old newspapers/magazines. And, instead of using selotape, you can use twine or ribbon, or if you really need to use tape, try brown tape instead. Even better would be to buy package-free items instead (for example at a zero waste/refill shop).
When it comes to Christmas cards, think about whether you really need to send them or not. If you do, try using ones made from recycled card and ones that will be able to be recycled by the person you give them to. Also, consider getting plantable ones that have seeds already inside so they can plant it in their garden and help wildlife too (and they can enjoy the display of flowers). You can also re-use last year’s Christmas cards as gift tags for this year’s presents.
Two other important things to be aware of when it comes to packaging - first, avoid anything with glitter on, especially wrapping paper or Christmas cards - these are not recyclable at all.
Second, when it comes to recycling the wrapping paper on gifts you receive, remember the paper scrunch test - scrunch it up into a ball and if it stays scrunched (and doesn’t have glitter), then it can be recycled. If it doesn’t stay scrunched, it’s not recyclable.
Food
If you are trying to eat in line with the seasons, one of the great things about Christmas dinner is it is pretty seasonal - potatoes, root veggies, green leafy vegetables, nuts, oranges, cranberries e.t.c. are all in season right now so it’s actually a pretty sustainable meal.
However, there are ways to make it more eco-friendly.
First, we need to reduce food waste. Christmas time is notorious for this. So do a meal plan for Christmas week. Not only will that help to ensure you don’t end up having forgotten to get something, but it will also mean you are likely to waste less food.
Where possible we can further reduce food waste by using leftovers up in meals during Christmas week e.g. it has been traditional in the UK to make Bubble and Squeak or Turkey Curry or Chicken Sandwiches for Boxing day in order to use up Christmas leftovers. What you can’t use immediately should go in the freezer to be frozen and reused in future. And of course, don’t forget to compost any uncooked food waste if you can.
Second, consider getting your Christmas food from more local and sustainable sources - perhaps a veg box or buying organic. These are both much better for the environment.
Third, eat more plants and less meat. Meat is seriously damaging to the environment, whether through causing deforestation, pollution, or inefficient land use, and that’s before we get to all the suffering caused to the animals. Up until the last hundred years or so, most of humanity (except the very rich) couldn’t afford to eat much meat, and so it was enjoyed in small amounts on special occasions. Nowadays, we can afford to have meat all year round, so if you are a meat eater why not swap things around make Christmas the time of being nice to animals and ec-friendly, and try a plant-based alternative meal instead. There are some really great recipes out there for vegan nut roasts or wellingtons or wreaths (although you can also just buy them too). I tend to make the Wellington in the video below although I buy the pastry and turn it into more of a wreath, but the filling is the same and is very simple to make. It’s absolutely delicious…
The Table
A lot of people like to decorate their table, especially for Christmas and so here are some eco-friendly ways to do that.
The most important thing is not to use single-use items like paper plates and napkins. Instead, invest in proper cloth napkins and tablecloths. And use your normal cutlery and plates.
A centrepiece decoration for the table can easily be made with natural items such as some pine branches, some pinecones, and a candle (beeswax or soy is best). Maybe add in a few leftover baubles or oranges to bring some extra colour in if needed.
When it comes to Christmas crackers, these are usually non-recyclable, full of junk, and not environmentally friendly. So why not avoid them, or even make your own using left-over toilet rolls. There is also the option of getting reusable ones.
Decorations
Humanity has been decorating at this time of year for thousands of years - right back to at least Roman times. The traditional decorations historically were evergreens so why not try decorating your home with evergreens too - gather holly, ivy, pine branches, pinecones e.t.c to make your own wreaths, garlands, and so on.
When it comes to decorations for a Christmas tree, you could also make your own garlands of popcorn and cranberries, dry some orange slices to hand on the tree, tie 3 cinnamon sticks together with twine, or make some salt-dough decorations. You could also use bunting or make paper snowflakes and paper chain garlands.
Lights are also important at this time, but please use LED Christmas lights as they are much more eco-friendly. And don’t forget to switch them off when you’re out or at night. If you use batteries, try to get rechargeable ones and make sure you know where to recycle any non-rechargeable ones.
If you already have lights and decorations, of course, the most eco-friendly thing to do usually is just re-use them. Don’t go out and buy more “eco-friendly” ones unless the ones you already have are broken.
There is an ongoing argument about whether it’s best to get a reusable plastic tree or a real tree when it comes to being environmentally friendly. I think that if you are going to use the plastic reusable one for many many years then that can be the most eco-friendly option. However, a better option than both of these is to rent a tree in a pot - you rent it for the Christmas period and then send it back to the farm for the rest of the year before renting it again. That way no trees are harmed or killed either. Alternatively, you can also just decorate a house plant if you have one.
Finally, instead of buying advent calendars every year, why not try and get a reusable one (usually these are either wood or a material (you could even try sewing one yourself) and then just fill it with little things each year.
Conclusion
However you celebrate Christmas or this season, please try to do it in an eco-friendly way and I hope the tips above will have given you some new ideas on things to try. This will be my last post for 2024 as it’s time to really slow down now and enjoy the resting period. See you all in 2025.