Our Top 10 Tips to have an Eco-Friendly Christmas

The season is almost upon us where we start putting up our Christmas decorations, eating mince pies and singing carols. Whilst Christmas is the time for giving, it can also take a lot from our earth’s resources. Christmas is sadly thought to be one of the most wasteful holidays with landfills filling up with unwanted presents or broken toys, Christmas trees, wrapping paper and cards. Research by the Stockholm Environment Institute found that three days of Christmas festivities could release as much as 650kg of carbon dioxide emissions per person. That’s equivalent to the weight of 1,000 Christmas puddings!

Want to incorporate more sustainable Christmas habits this year? Here are our top 10 tips to having a green Christmas:

1. Plan ahead - It may feel like we still have ages before Christmas day but time seems to accelerate in the run up to the holidays. Being organised, however, leads to a more mindful shopping experience and results in less impulse panic buying. Write your Christmas shopping lists early and slowly but surely work your way through it.

2. Reusable Advent Calendars - there are so many great reusable advent calendar options these days that this is an easy one to swap in here. Your kids will love the personalised approach to their advent calendars and will treasure whatever treats are stored inside. If you have a house full of young book lovers then we love the idea of creating a book advent calendar like this one here. Your little ones will love discovering a new Christmas story every day and it will get everyone into the festive spirit.

3. Christmas Trees - there is continued debate over whether real or fake trees are more sustainable particularly if they are having to be shipped from the US or Europe.  Whichever route you choose to go down there are ways to decrease the environmental impact. Oncor Trees offers fake Christmas trees made from recycled PVC that are guaranteed for at least 30 years. If you are purchasing a real tree, look for a tree disposal service, such as offered by Tidings here, that will ensure they are composted properly and not just added to landfill. 

4. Reusable packaging - one of the largest contributors to Christmas waste is wrapping paper with 5 million tonnes ending up in landfill in the UK alone. Try using reusable solutions instead such as a canvas gift bag. Not only does it make wrapping much quicker but you can keep the bags to reuse year after year. Alternatively you can try out Furoshiki by using old scraps of material to wrap up gifts. 

If you can’t avoid wrapping paper try and source designs made from recycled paper. Also stick to paper that does not have any glitter, foil or shiny parts so that it can also be recycled. You can even buy kraft paper and create your own festive designs.

5. Buy experiences - a great way to avoid the waste created by traditional gift giving is to buy experiences instead. What about taking your kids on a special trip to an amusement park, buying lessons to learn a new musical instrument or an art or cooking course? Experiences can provide a more unique, personalised gift that can create memories for a lifetime as well as being more sustainable!

6. Shop secondhand or past season stock - cut down the demand for new products and all its packaging by buying secondhand. It is becoming increasingly acceptable to gift preloved and most children wouldn’t be able to tell the difference or feel any sense of compromise when the item is still in good condition. It also provides a much more affordable solution when you have a long list of people to buy presents for. 

 If you don’t feel comfortable gifting secondhand then try buying brand new, past season stock. No one will be able to tell if the item isn’t from the current season of clothes or toys and buying discounted past season items still help to prevent the environmental pressure of new production 

You can check out Retykle’s new with tags clothes & toys here

(Photo credit: @myhongkongabc)

7. Christmas Decorations - it can be tempting to be dazzled by cheap and cheerful Christmas decorations that fill most shops in the run up to Christmas. However it is better to invest in quality decorations that will last year after year. For example, the most sustainable decorations are the glass ornaments some of us inherit from our parents. Take a similar approach and buy ornaments that you think your children will equally treasure as adults. 

If possible try to buy decorations made from natural materials such as wood or green foliage like here.  You could even have a crafting session and make some of your own as a family.  

8. Christmas Crackers - Single use Christmas crackers are usually destined straight for the bin including the small plastic toy inside. Invest in reusable ones that allow you to choose what gift goes inside. Not only does it make them much more personalised but ensures your guests receive a gift they will actually want. You can could even try your hand at making your own using old toilet rolls and leftover wrapping paper and ribbons like here.

(Photo credit: https://www.muminthemadhouse.com/make-your-own-homemade-christmas-crackers/)

9. Plan your Christmas meals - Another huge source of waste at Christmas time is food. Whilst we pride ourselves on roasting the biggest turkey with all the trimmings, the amount of food that ends up in the bin is not so joyful. Plan your meals for the week over Christmas, maximising the use of everything in your fridge so that nothing goes to waste. Also be realistic over how much everyone will eat - your family won’t turn into brussel sprout lovers for the day! Where possible buy local, seasonal produce and look up leftover turkey recipes so that you can re-use all the leftovers.

10. Let go of your eco-Christmas anxiety! - Christmas time can be overwhelming enough so focus on what you can do. One small eco-friendly swap this Christmas can still make a huge impact. Every year you can build on from the previous year and continue on your journey to having a more sustainable Christmas.