9 Eco-Friendly Christmas Tips

Guilt-free snacking and feasting, gifts perched underneath the beautifully decorated Christmas tree, receiving cards from long-distance loved ones… I’m sure we can all agree when I say that Christmas is truly the most wonderful time of year.

And although it’s not a particularly festive thing to say, it’s undeniable that our holiday habits are quietly wreaking havoc on the environment. Whether you like it or not, this is an occasion of overconsumption. But maybe we can make a change before it’s too late.

Reusable advent calendars always remind of my childhood. Tucked in the pockets of each day in December would be small notes with clues written on them. I would follow the clues and find a small gift. It was so fun! Investing in reusable calendars means that you can enjoy them year after year, and you can get creative by trying something new each season.

There are many ways that you can gift smart. You can keep a lookout for eco certifications such as Rainforest Alliance or Palm Oil Free, or you can buy your loved one an experience (e.g. tickets to an event) as opposed to something physical that will produce packaging waste. You can also opt for gifts that will last a lifetime, or buy something second-hand to give it a new chance at life! The greatest gems can always be found in charity and vintage stores.

Christmas is, unfortunately, a holiday built around consuming lots of animal products. In the UK alone, millions of turkeys are eaten, and as you can imagine, there is still a lot of waste. This is where the vegan comes in! Foods made from plants have a much lower carbon footprint, and due to the rise of interest in the animal-free diet, there are tonnes of tasty alternatives to choose from. Tofurky sell an amazing roast that is presented similarly to the real thing to create the illusion that you’re eating the same as everyone else! However, if faux meat isn’t your thing, then there are countless nut roasts out there too. 

Enter the creative and magical world of Pinterest DIYs to see if you’re up to the challenge of creating your own Christmas decorations. I don’t know about you, but I’d be more likely to treasure and take good care of decorations that I made myself. We’re all in need of a few more indoor festive activities this year anyway, so why not add decoration-making to the list?!

If every UK household swapped a string of incandescent lights for its LED equivalent, we could save more than £11 million and 29,000 tonnes of CO2, just over the 12 days of Christmas! You’ll also save money if you opt for an LED, so it’s a win-win. 

Okay, so this might sound slightly excessive but hear me out… Make sure to carefully unwrap your gifts this year so you can store the paper away to reuse for next year. It’s not as over the top as it sounds, some people do it! However, if you’re not a fan of this idea, fortunately, there are many other ways to wrap sustainably. I like to use the brown recyclable wrapping paper because it gives presents a unique, vintage look. You can also wrap presents using material offcuts, or opt for bags that can be reused each year.

Discarded Christmas trees abandoned on pavements and beside dustbins is a common sight after the festive celebrations. In fact, a whopping 6 million real trees end up in landfill each year. Fortunately, Christmas tree rental schemes are on the rise as they’re more sustainable and convenient. If you’d rather buy your own tree, look into tree recycling schemes in your area. 

Billions of Christmas cards are sold each year only to be thrown away a few days after they’ve been opened. You can help to reduce the card waste by sending e-cards or purchasing eco-friendly physical cards. There are cards made from recycled materials that you can also recycle, or if you want to be really fancy, you can purchase cards that can be planted into the soil once you’re done with them!

Christmas is the time where you want to indulge, forget about diets, and relax for a while - I get it. But our overconsumption comes at a price. Not only is there unbelievable amounts of food waste, but packaging waste and even wasted gifts, too. You can still enjoy Christmas day and celebrate with loved ones without buying too much, and you’ll save money while you’re at it - and who doesn’t love doing that?!