4 Ways To Have An Eco-Friendly Christmas

Christmas is a time to be with family and friends, but it can also be an environmental disaster if we don't take care with what we buy and how we celebrate. Here are some tips to help you celebrate an eco-friendly Christmas.

Christmas Decor

When it comes to Christmas decor and decorations there’s so much to consider. Firstly, the biggie; your Christmas tree. We recently posted our blog on What is more eco-friendly; A real or fake Christmas tree? - Link So be sure to read over that in order to make your decision.

Secondly, is the decorations themselves. Again, we have recently published a blog all about the Best Eco-Friendly Decorations, but it is also worth considering what you actually need. We don’t want to encourage buying new decorations for the sake of it even if you have ones that aren’t so eco-friendly it’s much better to continue using these for as long as possible or donate them to a charity or charity shop so that someone else can make use of them.

If you’re bored of your old Christmas decorations then another great idea is to swap with friends and family. That way you get the feeling of ‘new decorations’ while also doing your bit for the planet.

Christmas Gifts

When it comes to eco-friendly gifts then we’re definitely going to send you in the direction of the Protect The Planet store. Call us biased, but there’s just so much choice, we’re sure you’ll find something for everyone you need to buy for. We’ve also curated a great list of Secret Santa gifts, as well as Stocking Fillers Under £5.

So often we end up exchanging gifts with people not knowing what to give and ending up with presents that we don’t want or need. It’s worth spending some time asking your friends and family what the want so that we can avoid buying unwanted gifts that are just a waste.

Another great idea is to give charity donations such as Oxfam’s Gift Cards, where you can give on behalf of your family and friends to causes including clean water, access to renewable energy, support for food growers and much more. Alternatively, with the WWF you can adopt an animal for someone as a gift.  Or you could choose to support Centrepoint to support homeless young adults. There are hundreds of charities that offer ‘gift donations’ so just have a search for one you’d like to support. 

Wrapping Christmas Gifts

When it comes to wrapping Christmas gifts, there is an awful lot of waste created. Just think of all the household around the world ripping open presents and stuff all that shiny, glittery paper and cellotape in the bin!

Fortunately, there are some brilliant alternatives. Use organic/biodegradable wrapping paper or make your own out of newspaper, brown paper or cloth. And instead of using cellotape, use ribbon or string that can be used time and time again.

If you need some help when it come to eco-friendly Christmas present wrapping then check out this YouTube video by My Green Closet. 

Christmas Food

Food waste at Christmas is just another awful part of how unsustainable the festive period can be. When it comes to buying Christmas food it helps to plan ahead and think about what meals you’ll be making and when. If you have a buffet, try and plan how many people will be eating and don’t go overboard, especially on fresh food that won’t keep for long.

You can also get creative with your Christmas food leftovers. Check out the BBC Good Food Christmas Leftovers Recipes so that little to none of your food goes to waste.

On the other hand, any food that can’t be salvaged can be composted! 

Final Thoughts

We hope that you can see with just a little bit of effort and consideration, we can make some important changes in our routines to enable us to have a more eco-friendly and sustainable Christmas. We can have a guilt-free festive holiday knowing that we’ve done our bit to help towards protecting the planet.