Christmas is a time for your family to spend quality time together and enjoy the fun and festivities, but the celebration of Christmas can create a lot of waste and excess! Think of how much wrapping paper is used across the world, and how many Christmas cards are produced each year! We all know that going green is a healthy way to live. That’s why it’s a great idea to teach your kids to go green at Christmas – this will help reduce the negative impact on the environment. This may sound like a big challenge, but it takes only a little effort from each of us to save our environment. Here are some tips for an eco-friendly Christmas that will reduce waste.
Easy Eco-Friendly Christmas Tips
The holidays are here, filled with delicious food, dazzling lights and trees lined with gifts. If you are striving to help the environment, here are eco-friendly holiday ideas to enjoy the festivities while keeping things green. Eco-friendly Christmas celebrations are a wonderful way to enjoy the holiday season while minimizing environmental impact. Here are some ideas:
Eco-Friendly Christmas Cards
Why not send e-cards or make your own Christmas cards this year? Your family and friends will love receiving cards that your children helped to make. It’s a great way to get into the holiday spirit – and it also is a great way to save money, too! You can make Christmas cards using recycled paper or old Christmas cards. Cut the pictures from the old Christmas cards and paste them onto recycled paper or card stock. Let your kids be creative by coloring or painting the Christmas cards. Add ribbons, cotton wool and buttons to decorate the Christmas cards.
Photo credit: maya*made
Eco-Friendly Christmas Wrapping
You can make wrapping paper from recycled materials like newspapers, paper bags, magazines, and even pieces of your children’s artwork! People who receive these presents will appreciate the time and energy that went into making them. After the gifts are unwrapped, you can also save the wrapping and ribbons for future use – or you can recycle them! Gift wrapping used only once is a waste of paper and the trees that make that paper. Choose eco Christmas wrapping like recycled paper products and steer clear of foil papers that are challenging to recycle.
More great Eco Friendly Holiday Ideas are to use comic strips from the local newspaper as opposed to standard wrapping paper. Also consider creating gift baskets or using containers to insert gifts. A decorative container or unique gift box can be reused throughout the year for storage. Cloth or paper gift bags are another option as these can be used by the recipient for a gift they give to someone next Christmas.
Eco-Friendly Christmas Gifts
The holiday gifts themselves can be green too! Rather than splurge on Christmas shopping, consider buying recycled gifts or donating some of the money you would have spent to a charity. You can also ask your kids to help make Christmas presents – homemade ornaments and crafts make great eco-friendly presents. Or purchase sustainable eco-friendly gifts. Great green choices to look for include shopping organic and Fair Trade products. Consider natural products, locally made products, and diy gifts too.
Eco-friendly Christmas gifts are thoughtful and sustainable, reducing waste while showing you care. Here are some great ideas:
Reusable and Zero-Waste Gifts
- Beeswax Wraps: A reusable alternative to plastic wrap.
- Reusable Water Bottles: Look for stainless steel or glass bottles.
- Silicone Food Storage Bags: A durable alternative to single-use plastic bags.
- Portable Utensil Sets: Bamboo or stainless steel sets for eating on the go.
- Shopping Tote Bags: Stylish, sturdy reusable bags for groceries or everyday use.
Eco-Friendly Personal Care
- Bar Soaps and Shampoos: Avoid plastic packaging with luxurious handmade options.
- Organic Skincare Sets: Sustainably sourced and cruelty-free.
- Compostable Toothbrushes: Made from bamboo.
Sustainable Home Items
- Solar-Powered Gadgets: Such as chargers or small lights.
- Plant Kits: Indoor herb or succulent kits for green thumbs.
- Recycled Glassware: Elegant and eco-conscious.
- Compost Bins: Stylish kitchen-friendly models.
Clothing and Accessories
- Fair-Trade or Organic Cotton Apparel: Comfortable and responsibly made.
- Upcycled Jewelry: Made from repurposed materials.
- Wool Dryer Balls: Reusable and energy-saving.
Tech Gifts
- Eco-Friendly Phone Cases: Biodegradable options like Pela Case.
- Solar Lanterns: Great for camping or emergencies.
- Refurbished Electronics: High-quality, gently used gadgets.
Experiential Gifts
- Subscriptions to Local CSAs: Support local farms and eat seasonally.
- Memberships: Passes to national parks or botanical gardens.
- Eco-Friendly Workshops: For crafts, gardening, or sustainability skills.
DIY Gifts
- Homemade Candles: Use soy wax and natural scents.
- Mason Jar Mixes: Fill jars with ingredients for cookies, soup, or hot cocoa.
- Upcycled Crafts: Repurpose items into unique gifts.
Eco-friendly Christmas Tree and Decorations
Another eco-friendly Christmas tip to celebrate the holidays is to purchase a Christmas tree that you can plant in your yard when the holiday is over. This is the most eco-friendly Christmas tree choice. However, if you prefer to cut a live tree, be sure to recycle your live tree at the end of the Christmas season. Contact your county’s recycling department to find a drop point in your area. Not only does recycling keep the landfills free of trees, it also adds a positive element to the environment. Your tree will be turned into chips which can be used for mulch and landscaping.
For fans of artificial Christmas trees, this is still a good option for the eco-friendly. You can re-use the same tree year after year, which reduces the number of trees that are cut down during the holidays.
You can choose to try your hand at DIY ornaments from nature and decorations that you can use again, year after year. Use natural materials like pine cones, twigs, and branches for decorations. Avoid plastic decorations and opt for items that can be reused or composted. By incorporating these eco-friendly practices into your Christmas celebrations, you can enjoy a more sustainable holiday season while reducing waste and supporting the environment.
Although Christmas lights are beautiful, they consume a lot of energy. To save energy, go without lights or choose energy efficient LED lights. Or, how about decorating your tree with other things instead of lights? You can cut out strips of paper from old magazines or Christmas cards and let your kids make paper chains to hang on the Christmas tree.
Eco-Friendly Christmas Food
Food is such an important part of the Christmas season! However, it helps to have a plan and a shopping list. This way, you won’t accidentally buy too much food, which will go to waste. Be sure to prepare for the inevitable leftovers, and have bowls or containers ready to store any leftovers in the freezer and a plan for how you can incorporate them in upcoming meals. You can also take leftovers to those who are unable to join you, including those less fortunate in your community. This is a great way to teach children how to give back and demonstrate the true meaning of the holidays.
Consider eco-friendly food options such as organic, locally grown, bulk purchases, and items with little to no packaging. Shop sustainably by selecting organic food items from your local farmer’s market or direct from the farm. Instead of buying prepared foods made with preservatives, take time to cook from scratch with fresh ingredients. Have fun doing cooking activities with kids this holiday season and sharing with your children how you are making eco-friendly choices in the kitchen. There are many simple Christmas recipes that kids can help prepare.
Serve a beautiful dinner on real dishes that can be washed and put back on your shelf as opposed to paper plates or styrofoam. Time together laughing, talking and sharing is one of the most eco-friendly ways to celebrate.
Recharge Those Batteries
So many holiday gifts—especially for kids—require batteries. About 40 percent of battery sales happen during the holidays! I suggest that to avoid the disposal of extra batteries that are harmful to the environment, you should purchase rechargeable batteries (or gifts that don’t require batteries). You may also want to think about including a battery charger as part of your gift. There are new sustainable organic batteries you can check out!
Opt for Sustainable Transportation:
Consider traveling by train, bus, or carpooling instead of flying whenever possible. If flying is necessary, try to offset your carbon footprint by supporting carbon offset programs.
Conclusion
As you can see, there are several eco friendly holiday ideas to have a fabulous celebration this holiday season while keeping it green. Remember, even small steps can make a significant difference in reducing your environmental impact while traveling. By being conscious of your choices and aiming for sustainability, you can enjoy a fulfilling holiday while respecting the planet. Treat your family to a festive occasion they won’t soon forget, proving you can have fun while still being eco-friendly. These are just a few tips for an eco-friendly Christmas. What are some eco-friendly Christmas tips that you make around Christmas time? Share with us @familyfocusblog and I’ll add your idea in here!
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Ellen Christian says
I love these tips. I made our Christmas cards this year. They came out really nice!
Shala Howell says
One of my favorite things to do is to wrap smaller gifts for my 8-year old and younger nieces in pretty little bandanas instead of paper or gift bags. They get to enjoy the gift inside and have a fun bandana to play dress up with. You can get a set of 12 bandanas in fun prints for surprisingly little money on Amazon.
Suzanne Holt says
Another great tip for reusing Christmas cards is cutting out designs on the cover and using them for gift tags.