Christmas is coming… T minus 7 days. Whether you’ve got all your presents already or if presents is always on tomorrow’s to-do list, check out our top tips on enjoying the festive season in a sustainable way, that won’t cost the earth!

Let’s not get Physical!

Gifts don’t have to be tangible - could you spend your money on an experience, or a day out to make memories? The most thoughtful gifts are the ones our loved ones will remember most fondly, don’t be pressured into spending lots for the sake of it. Memories, experiences or homemade gifts are the best in our opinion. You don’t have to spend a lot to give a lot!Save Money

Secret Santa

Do you have a large family or friendship Group? Secret Santa is a great way to save money and the planet, rather than buying multiple presents, you buy or make just one. It also gives everyone the opportunity to put lots of effort into the gift – meaning people are more likely to get something they like. This free website can help you organise yours.

Second hand is savvy

Shopping second hand for presents is super savvy, many second items still have a lot of life left in them – charity shops often hold many hidden gems. You may want to consider personalising an item to make it unique – adding some embroidery could make your item pop! Second hand doesn’t always mean charity shops! Still got that Lynx Africa gift pack from Aunt Susan under your bed or the cute jumper you only wore a handful of times? Consider re-gifting items where appropriate, if it’s not your bag consider donating to a foodbank or collection instead of throwing it out. One person’s trash is another’s treasure. Your local collection or foodbank donation point can be found here.

Get crafty

Learn a new craft or get your hands dirty in the kitchen- do you crochet, knit or sew? Could you gift an item you’ve made rather than purchasing something? Perhaps you are great at baking and could gift some edible makes. If you’re not much of a baker, these 3 ingredient Chocolate Truffles are a hit and fool proof- even for a novice!

Shop Local

Avoid buying from corporate institutions like Amazon, opt for small and local businesses if you can. If you want to find out why Amazon are truly the worst, check out our article here. Amazon has a bad reputation for poor treatment and exploitation of its workers, offering low wages and intense bio-surveillance, not to mention their poor waste disposal and tax avoidance?!

Paper is the new plastic

Ditch the plastic - from tree decorations and tinsel, to glittery wrapping paper – it will all eventually end up in landfill (but don’t throw out those you already own – enjoy it for its full life span or donate it to a charity shop – help it avoid landfill for as long as possible)! But when searching for new items, opt for natural, sustainable sourced decorations - you can even make your own, think popcorn garland, paper hearts, orange slices and fabric bunting. Check out these ideas: Painted acorns. Popcorn Garland. This year opt for Kraft paper- that you can decorate to with biodegradable paint or pens or swap to cloth wraps such as olds scarves, bandannas or scrap material.

Rent your Christmas Tree

A Christmas tree can bring happiness to your home this year but over 8 million trees end up in landfill each New Year, costing £22 Million. Either opt for a sustainably sourced faux tree, potted trees, rent a tree through the many schemes across the country or make one out of house hold items – you could decorate a house plant, book tower or glass bottle tower (you probably have some empty alcohol bottle lying around). Here is some inspiration.

Have a Merry Sustainable Christmas!

Photo by Olesia Buyar on Unsplash