Christmas, the most wonderful time of the year. It is a time for family, food and celebration. A time to decorate the halls, put up the tree and be together. A time to relax and rejoice whilst sharing delicious food! 

Undeniably we buy and receive more than we need at Christmas time. I think back to post-Christmas clean ups where bulging garbage bags full of of wrapping paper were being taken out to the rubbish bins. Sadly wrapping paper in general is not recyclable therefore adding to our ever growing landfill problem. It is said that we spend approximately 60% of our income at Christmas time on gifts, decorations and food, and sadly 30% of that is discarded.

These festivities can all still happen, yet in a more sustainable way, and without taking away from the magic of Christmas. If anything, I personally believe it increases the value of the experience when you slow down, and take the time to give consideration to how things are done, and where your money is spent. There is so much joy in knowing that when you shop and celebrate in a more conscious way, this will have an ongoing positive effect and the time and effort makes the whole experience is even more wonderful.

It can be really fun to use your imagination and think outside of the box to reduce your waste and footprint whilst creating beautifully wrapped gifts and Christmas magic! 

There is so much we can do as individuals to have a sustainable Christmas, by shifting our purchases away from cheap, single use products we will alter the demand and therefore production of these products.

Do Christmas Better.

Feel the magic of Christmas by making conscious choices and sharing new traditions with your loved ones. Let Christmas fill their hearts rather than their bins. Here are a few tips I have compiled to help you reconsider some old ways of celebrating Christmas, with the opportunity to be festive with minimal impact.

#1 Practical gifts are better - Instead of buying your friends and family more “stuff,” instead think about what they may need or what they will use in their daily life. By doing this, the gift recipient can be reminded of you and the thoughtfulness of the gift each time they use it, well beyond the time of the gift exchange. A gift that lasts or the gift of an experience will bring the recipient far more value and joy. Handmade gifts are also wonderful as they take time and consideration.

#2 Give gifts that are built to last. Choose practical over cheap throw away – think of cast iron cookware for the chef of the house, a tree for the gardener in your family, or a restored old camera for the tinkerer.

#3 Conscious Spending - Shop locally and support small businesses. When you buy from a small business owner, the time, love and often tears endured to launch and operate a small business suddenly becomes worth it, and your money goes directly to them and their craft which will help them to continue doing what they are passionate about. 

#4 Think ahead - If you start to think about the people you need to buy for in advance and have a rough list in your head of what you are considering, this will help you when you see something unique that would be a good fit. Buy it there and then, even if it is in September! It is one less thing to do in the chaos of Christmas and will also help you to avoid stressful last minute shopping, which often ends up in panic buying something you won’t be proud of giving, and the recipient may not feel valued by a generic gift. 

#5 Reduce or stop sending cards. While it is a nice gesture to show someone you are thinking of them at Christmas, this can also be achieved by a phone call and while many will not admit to it there is a high chance that the card will find itself in the bin after the festivities are over. A staggering 1.5 billion Christmas cards are thrown away by UK households each year, so I cringe to think what the global number would be.  

Although if cards are a must, then choose cards that are made from recycled card or better yet - take a look at the cards on the online store, which first serve as a beautiful card, and then can be planted and will grow flowers!

Take a look here, PLANTABLE SEEDED PAPER GREETING CARDS (below).

#6 Experiential gifts Oh these are my favourite. And there are so many options to choose from, from restaurant vouchers, to massages and adventure experiences. It’s even more special if you make time to spend with your loved one while they’re enjoying your gift!

#7 Get creative! What can you make that says love? You could make photo albums, artwork, ornaments for the Christmas tree … get your creative juices flowing and google creative homemade Christmas gifts!

#8 Less meat on the table If there’s one easy swap on your table, it would have to be to serve quality, locally and ethically sourced meat and less of it. Quality trumps quantity and a few extra plant based dishes on your table will be better for the environment and for your Christmas night tummy!

#9 Wrap your gifts without the waste Choose bio-degradable or recycled wrapping, or get creative and use one of the kids paintings or get the paints out and a few sheets of butchers paper! Brown paper is a great alternative to provide your presents with an authentic Christmas feel. You could even go one step further and adopt the latest trend Furoshiki (Japanese tradition of wrapping presents in cloth). Furoshiki has become increasingly popular across the world as it has transformed the art of gift-giving. Here are a few quick ideas to get you started.

Christmas is a perfect time to become more conscious, to try new ideas or to implement awareness and change around how much waste we generally produce around the festive season. It can be really fun to use your imagination and think outside of the box to reduce your waste and footprint whilst creating beautifully wrapped gifts and Christmas magic! I personally feel more satisfaction and joy when I make the extra effort and choose conscious options as the extra thought, time, love and effort which you have put in makes the whole experience even more meaningful.