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I know, I know, it’s a little bit early to be thinking about the Christmas holidays already—I’ve only heard about 100 times that it’s not Thanksgiving yet. But if you know me, you know I LOVE Christmas. The family, the love, the MAGIC of the season; I celebrate it all year long.
Side tangent that no one wants to read (STTNOWTR—can I make that a thing??): the magic of Christmas is not in the presents or the parties that everyone feels like they have to attend or host. I enjoy the season of Christmas because the magic literally makes everyone a little happier, a little more giving. The Christmas season gives pause to the normal grind of our daily lives and causes us to reflect a little bit more on who we want to be and where we want to go. Plus, if I’m being honest, it’s the one time of the year that I get to indulge in my love language of gift giving.
Soooo, how can we help make the holidays a little less wasteful? Every year I change one thing to slowly make my holidays a little more sustainable. Here are the top tips I’ve implemented over the years:
Table of Contents
1) Shop Local / Shop Small
Maybe it’s the millennial in me, or the gift-giving love language, but I put so much thought into my gifts. I make it my mini mission to get something that the person would not normally buy themselves. If you’re shopping at a big box store or even a large online conglomerate, you run the risk of gifting something they already have or, worse, received the same year!
Shopping locally cuts down on the shipping and carbon footprint of your purchase. And, as an added bonus, if you shop small, you are probably getting a unique, one-of-a-kind gift.
If you are shopping online, I like shopping small on Etsy for personalized and unique gifts. Etsy has been offsetting their carbon emissions from shipping since 2019! They were actually the first global e-commerce company to completely offset their carbon emissions.
2) Gift Experiences
I first started implementing this tip with the Christmases of my first nephews/nieces. I wanted to get them something other than toys that would be tossed into the toy chest or be broken after a week of playing, something to create help them think and create memories.
Some of the best experiences I can give them are learning experiences. So even something as simple as paint supplies will last them a lot longer than a plastic toy. One year, I gifted the entire family full-year passes to the zoo. One of the easiest experiences I can gift them is my presence. When I’m there we can bake cookies and play games and creates memories that last their lifetime.
3) Homemade Gifts
I know these first several are gift related, but it is my LOVE language. My favorite gifts I’ve given over the years are the ones that were the least expected. Instead of buying something that your co-worker, acquaintance, or amazing friend (you don’t get to spend a lot of time with) won’t use or run the risk that that gift might get tossed in a closet, make them something.
You can make cookies, potpourri, wreaths, memorable ornaments. The list is literally endless. Homemade gifts show someone that you took the time to think of them and most of the time are consumable so you know they get utilized.
4) Recyclable or Compostable Gift Wrap
If you live in a more urban area, call your local recycling management center and see they accept wrapping paper; I was shocked to find out that most wrapping paper is recyclable as long as it is without glitter, glue, tape or other items that aren’t typically recyclable.
Fun story: I saved all of the wrapping paper (from several households) last year with the intent to recycle it and do my due diligence. Only to find out my recycling center does not accept wrapping paper. So, while I wasn’t able to re-purpose all of it, I was able to use it to wrap some gifts, to pad some shipping boxes, and as cat toys for awhile (until one of them discovered it tasted good for some reason!).
There’s always a way to add life to our single-use products, we just have to stop and think about it before throwing it out.
5) Prolong the Life of Decorations
Doing a little research before making decoration purchases can feel soooo amazing when you realize that it doesn’t all have to end up in a landfill.
With your Christmas tree, you can opt to buy a real tree or you can buy an artificial one. And even those have options. Traditional Christmas calls for a real evergreen tree that has been cut down. Of course, this tree can be composted or otherwise utilized at the end of the season OR you can buy a real tree that can be planted at the end of the season and have an amazing new TREE in your yard next year. If you don’t have the land to plant the tree, you can always research if there are some local programs that will plant your tree for you!
Or, since I like to have my tree up from November 1st to (at least) Valentine’s Day (if we’re being conservative), I opted for an artificial one. I did a ton of research on artificial Christmas trees before purchasing. The tree I ended up going with is from a company that utilizes 100% recycled plastic to make their trees AND guarantees that my tree will outlive me (well, it will last at least 30 years). Oncor Recycled Trees made me feel really good about my artificial tree purchase. And—if I may say so—my 7.5 foot tall tree is absolutely GORGEOUS. It went together so smoothly this year with minimal fluffing required to achieve that full-tree look. Plus, Oncor Recycled Trees donates at least 1% of annual gross sales to One Percent for the Planet-approved non-profit environmental organizations. Win-win!
When opting for Christmas lights, go with LED. They are more energy efficient, and tend to last longer than typical incandescent bulbs. This does mean, however, that they are expensive. To light your house could be something akin to a small fortune, BUT they are supposed to last for 10 years!
If you have light strings that have burnt out, or if you have strings that you’ve just updated to LEDs, don’t immediately chuck them in the trashcan destined for the landfill. Similar to the gift wrap, your recycling center may take them to be recycled. Alternatively, there are online businesses that will take your old light strings to recycle for you!! You just have to send them in!
And finally, I know homemade decorations are a thing from childhood, but they do hold so many memories and they are better for the environment than store-bought decorations. You can adorn your garland with dried oranges, or re-purpose some old fabric and/or clothes to makes Christmas-y bows for wreaths or your tree. And, I haven’t made any since childhood, but those cinnamon dried-Christmas ornaments we made in elementary school are made 100% without plastic.
You can even send out your Christmas cards on Recycled Seed Paper for the receiver to plant next year. Although I’m already in full-swing holiday mode this year, I’m excited for it to be socially acceptable next week! Let me know one small thing you are doing this year to make your holidays a little less wasteful.
