Have Yourself a Merry Sustainable Christmas

Christmas may be a little different this year, so why not try to make this your most sustainable, eco-friendly one yet and give the environment a present this Christmas!

If you’re struggling to think of some eco-friendly ways to celebrate Christmas, we’ve come up with our very own sustainable Christmas list, which has some ideas to get you and maybe even your helper elves started.

Number 1: Homemade bakes

We know many of you during lockdown have become star bakers, with exquisite showstopping bakes, so how about this year you make friends and family homemade biscuits as presents, or even decorate your Christmas tree with biscuit baubles. Check out this easy gingerbread biscuit recipe on the BBC Food website for inspiration.

Number 2: Wrapping materials

Ditch the wrapping paper for a creative alternative like, brown paper, newspaper or even fabric. If you’re going to set your wrapping apart from other’s try fabric wrapping, using scraps of old fabric or unused items of clothing. Check out The Fabric Wrapping Company’s great guide on wrapping with fabric.

Number 3: Decorations

If you’re like us and already got your Christmas tree, you’re probably going to want to make it stand out with some eco-friendly decorations. Well, what about collecting some pine cones on your next walk in the park or woods and use them to make pine cone reindeers. Alternatively, if there is old wool or any old pieces of clothing in your cupboards, you could upcycle it into pom poms, which can replace having to buy tinsel. Pop a string through the poms poms and hang them on the tree or use as a garland around the house.

Number 4: The tree

Each year millions of Christmas trees are sent to landfill sites once Christmas is over. So, if you haven’t bought your Christmas tree already, here are a handful of options to consider when choosing your tree.

-Buy a potted tree;

-Buy an artificial tree, which you can use for years to come;

-Buy a sustainably grown tree that can later be recycled or composted. When buying a real tree be sure to look out for the FSC logo, which shows the tree has been grown sustainably and is pesticide free, and if it has been grown locally then that is even better;

–Rent a tree.

Number 5: Cards

If you haven’t been able to find the perfect Christmas card for your family, why don’t you make your own? All you need to do is fold a piece of paper in half and then decorate it with whatever you can find. Plus, you can save any cards from this year and then use them as gift tags next year by cutting them into shape and punching a hole in the top.

Number 6: Gifts

If you’re unable to get to the shops this year to buy presents or don’t have anything indoors to make into a present, why not search online for “ethical, fair trade and handmade gifts” and order your presents. What’s great about this is you can spend your time in the warm, drinking hot chocolate and eating mince pies while searching for the best presents! Remember to search for presents that are locally sourced or come from smaller, independent sellers, as you’ll be giving them an early Christmas present too.

Number 7: Crackers

Buy reusable crackers! With reusable crackers you can use them year after year and also fill them with unique cracker fillers, maybe even make up your own Christmas crackers jokes. Keep This Cracker has all the information you need to know on making your Christmas crackers eco-friendly.

Whatever you choose to do to make your Christmas more eco-friendly and more sustainable, make sure you recycle as much as you can and pop all litter in the bin!