How to have an eco friendly Christmas
I love Christmas because it is such a festive time - however the amount of waste we all produce when it comes to Christmas makes my heart cry! Let’s find ways to celebrate Christmas in an eco friendly and sustainable way - here are some tips I’ve gathered for you!
Christmas decorations
Wreaths
This year I bought my very first Christmas wreath and it is probably the most beautiful you’ve (and I’ve) ever seen. I bought it from the lovely Tess who has some wreaths ready to buy in her Etsy shop, but also does custom ones (I messaged her on instagram wanting to know if she could make the pinkest possible wreath ever 👀).
Tess makes her wreaths with recycled and second hand materials, and you know I’m big on reusing existing things! Also, they make the cooooolest retro and kitsch wreaths, you’ll be the only one in your neighbourhood with such a cool one.
Trees
As much as I would love a giant pink tree in my house, I’ve always restrained myself because, well, plastic is not good, and I want to put my money where my mouth is - and my mouth is all about ethical and sustainable, so I’d be a proper hypocrite if I shouted about no plastics and then went to buy a six-foot plastic giant.
I also don’t really like the idea of cutting trees for a month - I once bought a real, cut tree, and it took me hours to get it home because it was so huge and heavy (that’s a story for another day), it lost its needles massively and 7 years after, WITH MOVING TO ANOTHER COUNTRY IN BETWEEN, I still find the odd ones in my stuff. It’s really made me realise I proper killed a tree and I don’t want to do that again.
One year, we bought a potted tree, thinking we’d plant it in the garden - very noble thinking, but me having pink hands and definitely not green ones, it didn’t survive. It’s a good option if you’re good with plants though!
The ones that have worked well for us:
I once made one out of masking tape, on a wall, and stuck photos and origami decorations so we did have somewhere to put our gifts. It was real cute and you can find lots of inspiration on pinterest - and can even make a tree out of books!
This year, I’m SO happy to have found this place where we will be renting our tree! They’ll collect it after Christmas and will take care of it so it stays alive and next year we can even rent the same one again! I’m so excited to have a live tree that will receive good care, I can’t wait to go and choose it. It’ll be a super special moment too and I’ll make sure we go with hot chocolates in our transportable mugs ☕ and probs will play Christmas songs on my phone as we wander in between the trees. More exciting than ordering a plastic tree on amazon, no?
Baubles and tinsel
Of course it’s nice to buy new decorations, but what about making it special by buying only one new decoration a year, chosen with all the love and care? Make sure you buy from small businesses too, they’ll do happy dances when they see you order coming through!
Because we don’t really have any (like I said, Christmas trees haven’t really been present in my life since moving out of my mum’s) I bought a few off Facebook market this year - all second hand, which can be a fab option if you feel like you’d love a few more.
Christmas food
Small restaurants
Lots of caterers and restaurants are offering Christmas meals collection or delivery, which means you’ll support a small business AND won’t have to kill yourself over the stove or a pile of dishes on the day before Christmas! Win win, no?
We are ordering the Christmas menu from Vegivores, a platter of cheeses from la Fauxmagerie and I’ll, of course, make some cakes for us to nom while opening presents.
Cakes for Christmas Eve - instead of leaving the boring cookies, mince pies or carrots, leave a little platter of cakes for Santa and Rudolph to enjoy… but of course you can eat them yourself if he doesn’t show up 😉 This plate of cakes comes with a thank you card written by Santa for your little ones to discover in the morning ❤️
Try vegan
What about having a plant-based Christmas this year? A vegan diet is so much more eco friendly than an animal product based diet, so you’ll try new foods (always a yes in my opinion) and have less impact on the planet!
Christmas gifts
Small business
Well, OF COURSE, my first recommendation is to buy from small businesses! If you know the person you’re buying for really well, you can go for what you know they’ll love, but if you’re unsure that they actually need something, what about something to consume? Edible or drinkable gifts are fab because the person will LOVE their gift and use it straight away-ish, it won’t stay there and clutter a space without being needed or wanted.
Plastic free
Definitely try and avoid plastic gifts - whether toys or for adults, you can find so many alternatives made in wood or other more sustainable materials. Buying from a small business, you can generally ask them to avoid using plastic in their packaging when sending to you!
A lot of small businesses have also opted for plastic free cards, or at least offer the option if you don’t want cards to come covered in plastic.
Wrapping your gifts
That is one of my favourite options - wrap your gifts in fabric instead of (non-recyclable) wrapping paper! It is SO pretty, and you can reuse the fabric wraps forever. And you can add beautiful tags for really special presents - look at this stunning kit to create your own tags! How perfect for a mindful activity, and a really nice touch on your gorgeous presents.
Before finding fabric wraps, I used to collect old newspapers people were getting rid of to package our presents. It is a pretty cool look too!
Christmas day
Crackers and crowns
Fabric crackers have totally won me - see, celebrating Christmas in an eco friendly way does not mean one second that you’ll have to have a boring Christmas! You can fill them with plastic free little bits, that won’t end in the bin three minutes after cracking the crackers, and your family will actually enjoy.
Outfits
Instead of buying a new outfit every year, what about reusing one you already own? Or if that’s not possible for whatever reason, you have two options - buying a second hand outfit, whether on a second hand platform like Vinted, Depop or Vestiaire, or on a swapping platform like Swopped - or buying a beautiful outfit from a small business that is sustainable and ethical. I’m not sure what I’ll do this year but I’ll make sure I post about it!