This year, Christmas is likely to be very different, however, we shouldn’t let the current situation spoil our festive spirit.  And why wouldn’t we take care of our planet while planning our unusual Christmas?

We all love Christmas but, unfortunately, it is the time when we waste the most - unwanted gifts, lights and decorations, Christmas trees, wrapping paper, food, etc… It is estimated that in the UK, 30% more waste is created during this festive period. Truly shocking!

So, here are some tips to lower our waste and have an eco-friendlier Christmas.

ADVENT CALENDARS

Who doesn’t like having an advent calendar to spark the Christmas spirit? If you are a chocolate addict like me, favour a fair-trade, palm oil free version, such as those on the Ethical Superstore website.

If you’re not a chocolate fan or if you’re looking for something different, Stylist gives you a list of eco-friendly advent calendars and where to get them. You can choose from zero-waste beauty supplies, compostable tea bags, jams and candles.

You can also buy (or even make) a reusable advent calendar and fill it up with treats of your choice. There are so many handmade reusable advent calendars available. My mum bought me one years ago and this year she mailed it to me filled with little surprises. Can you imagine anything better than that?

CHRISTMAS TREES, LIGHTS AND DECORATIONS

Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without a Christmas tree. Did you know that you could rent a tree? Unfortunately, it’s not available everywhere but if you’re in Leicester, London or Gloucester, click on your area to find out where you can rent your tree from.

If you can’t rent a tree, make sure you support your local farms or even local projects like Caring Christmas Trees in Scotland where, when buying a Christmas tree, you help a homeless person. 

To decorate your tree, switch to LED lights: they are more economical and produce lower CO2 emissions. As for decorations, you can find plenty of options for plastic free, eco-friendly decorations on Etsy. In this tough year, find what your local stores offer online and buy from them. They need our support.

Another option is to make your own Christmas decorations. This activity could fill your November lockdown month. This website offers ideas of DIY Christmas decorations and all the steps to create them. 

Before lockdown, I bought some ceramic decorations that I am planning to paint during the lockdown period. At least something to look forward to this month.

GIFTS

It’s always hard to get the perfect gifts especially when you have so many to give at the same time. And again, with this lockdown period, handmade gifts are a good option. With more time at home, you can unleash your creativity and make your own gifts for Christmas. You could make soap, personalized scrapbooks or scented candles.

If you’re not in a creative mood, you can think of a gift basket of products and support your local stores. If you have a zero-waste store, they may have all sorts of handmade gifts you can choose from. Another option is to buy gifts that contribute to a cause that is important to you.

Personally, I am planning to buy sweaters for my nieces and nephews from U Ocean as removing plastic from the ocean is important to me. Pick your cause.

WRAPPING PAPER AND CHRISTMAS CARDS

Who says gifts also says wrapping paper. Finding recycled wrapping paper is becoming easier nowadays. You can find some in a zero-waste store or online. For example, 1treecards offers lots of different recycled wrapping papers. They also offer Christmas cards made of recycled paper. 

The other option is again to create your own wrapping paper and your own cards. I have always been famous in my family for my special wrapping paper. I would take wrongly printed paper sheets, glue them together and personalize this handmade wrapping paper.

I know it takes time to make handmade gifts or cards, but the people you give them to feel more special than if you bought them something from a shop. You can try the tutorials I linked above - they are for beginners and don’t need much material. So, get creative and have fun!

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Elise Van Meerssche

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