With the pandemic and climate change dominating our news feeds this year, the run up to Christmas 2021 will be a time of reflection and re-evaluation for many people. Now that life is back to normal – albeit a different kind of normal – priorities have changed and more of us want to eliminate unnecessary consumption, reduce our carbon footprints and focus on celebrating Christmas in a way that is more mindful of the environmental impacts of our choices. Here are a few ideas to get you started.
Paper, cardboard and plastic
From purchasing to giving, the life cycle of present buying and wrapping can generate huge amounts of paper, cardboard and plastic. If you buy online, try to group parcels to come in one delivery, as this means items can be packed together, reducing the amount of packaging required. Also, keep and reuse packaging and boxes wherever possible. A good example might be a new box of Christmas lights. Keep the box so that you can use it to store the lights one you take them down – this avoids your lights re-emerging next year in a tangle and negates the need for a new storage box.
If you use wrapping paper, make sure it’s made from 100% recycled paper. Consider eco-friendly wrapping options like old maps, newspaper or pretty fabric. When thoughtfully chosen, these can make a present look quirky and unique.
It can be hard to avoid plastics when buying food and drink for Christmas, but buying larger bottles of soft drinks, for example, uses less plastic than lots of smaller bottles. If you’re planning a party, don’t use disposable plates and cutlery. Adapt your menu to include more finger food, and if you do need extra crockery or cutlery, borrow from a neighbour.
Use natural decorations
If you have an artificial tree, the more years you can make it last, the better, so storing it carefully in its original box and treating it gently when spreading the branches and decorating it will help extend its life. For wreaths, floral displays and table centrepieces, look no further than your garden or your local area. Holly, fir boughs and other greenery are beautiful, eco-friendly and make marvellous decorations for around the house, as do simple branches of dogwood or dried hazel. Collect acorns and pinecones in the next few weeks to dry out ready for Christmas, and keep an eye out for mistletoe in December.
Avoid food waste
Images of a Christmas dining table groaning under the weight of loaded platters and heaped serving bowls have come to symbolise the festive season, but the reality is that food waste rockets at Christmas and, as a nation, we throw away almost as much as we consume. Simply planning well can eliminate much of our food waste. Do you really need such a large turkey? Will a dozen home-made mince pies actually be more than enough rather than the multiple, plastic-wrapped packets you pick up at the supermarket each year?
Having a reliable batch of recipes for leftovers is also a way of avoiding waste. Chefs like Jamie Oliver and Nigella Lawson champion zero-food-waste recipes, and websites like BBC Good Food are great resources too.
Pre-owned gifts and the four-present rule
Opting as a family to only give pre-owned items as gifts can be liberating and fun. Buying from charity shops, antique stalls and vintage specialists is an effective way to reduce your consumption and encourages gift giving that is personal, thoughtful and inventive. A trip to an antique fare or a trawl of local charity shops can also be a much more pleasant and less stressful way of Christmas shopping than fighting your way through city centre crowds.
Another way to simplify present buying is to choose to limit your gifts to four items per family member – something they want, something they need, something to wear and something to read. Again, you’ll spend less, consume less and be forced to really think about the presents you give.
Finally, take a good look at the charity sector and some of the great gifts on offer. Oxfam’s ‘Oxfam Unwrapped’ initiative, for example, offers a way to give meaningful, charitable presents. Many are donations towards life-changing schemes around the world providing farming equipment, clean water and education to areas hit by drought, civil war and disasters, and they can be sent as e-cards, ideal for distant relatives and friends.
Re-use, recycle and make yourself
Making sure you recycle everything you can at Christmas is a must. Given that refuse collections are reduced over the holiday period, plan carefully so that you don’t miss vital collections, research when local recycling facilities are open and factor in a visit to the local bottle bank when required.
There’s nothing quite like a home-made gift, and this is definitely where your garden or allotment comes into play. Jams and chutneys are a practical way to use up your autumn harvests of berries and fruits, and with attractive jars and labels being relatively inexpensive, these make lovely presents. How about making sloe gin or baking delicious brownies laden with home-grown fruit? Grow some pretty winter pansies and cyclamen and pot them into pretty baskets or containers to give as gifts – your loved ones will appreciate that you’ve taken the time to make them something special.
Scale back
We all tend to consume more when we are rushed. We buy more last-minute gifts, we waste more food and we don’t have the time to think about the ethical implications of our purchases. Forward planning is really the key to an eco-friendlier Christmas, as it allows us to be more deliberate in our choices. Scaling back on expensive gift giving and replacing it with thoughtful, tailored, cleverly chosen presents can also be so much more satisfying, both for the giver and the receiver.
So, this year, make Christmas about more than just money – make it about protecting the planet, making deliberate choices and celebrating with care and sensitivity.
