Christmas for environmentalists...your tips for a better Christmas

[joggerbottom]

Over the years we have made small changes to how we consume over the Christmas period. What do you do to reduce waste etc whist still embracing the Christmas spirit?

This year we will:
Have a vegan Christmas dinner for the first time - thankfully Christmas pudding falls into this category!

Make my own crackers with cardboard and handpicked gifts for the children only (last year we did wooden finger puppets)

Refuse to use wrapping paper that cannot be recycled / any packaging that is shiny or has glitter on it. Last year I decorated paper with Christmas stamps

Shop local for gifts and food

Oh BTW
Faux cheese is rank, it is completely synthetic.
I'm not a vegan ( I use soya milk but limited dairy) I'd rather have proper cheese once a month than cheese-u-like every week.

This year DD 4 will be getting rainbow metal straws, a metal harmonica and some lovely children's wooden paint brushes. Some sweet treats too and some funky socks and knickers.

Stockings in our house are years and years old.

I know a family who buy new stockings every year.

We did Christmas fabric wrapping last year. To be honest it needs work, things looked very bundled into fabric. Maybe after a few years of washing it will be soft beautiful wrapping.
We have been doing brown paper for children’s parties with names written and coloured in on top and people have really liked it. Got a message last week that the birthday child’s coloured in name had been put up on the wall
I mostly don’t do Christmas cards through disorganisation but if I can organise myself I’m afraid I absolutely will send them to people like the grandparents who do love to get them.
Crackers are tricky. They do add to a table setting. Proper napkins for adults though! (Agh the washing up)
We have never had an issue eating all the food! Just don’t cook for the next few days?

I can’t think of anything we buy new each year, except a tree! To be honest I’m not sure re tree. Yes they get cut down but they get grown specifically for that , they would not be happy growing trees if you didn’t buy them, and doesn’t the speed growing when young create more oxygen than a much older tree? I don’t want to rain on anyone’s parade , but single use plastic and simply too much junk are far more of an issue.

Fucket your idea with the jigsaw is brilliant. I may have to steal it. I would have anarchy with my kids however if I told them that was their present from us.
I am being mindful about having glitter free cards and wrapping. I also have jute bags and save past Christmas bags. I have cards from rspb. It’s not exactly eco but I’ve already picked up some nice gifts from rspb and rnli. I feel like at least the benefit to the charity is slightly offsetting my consumerism.

"Do I want a load of 2nd hand stuff for presents . No. I'd rather have nothing ."

Well, my DS and DH have loads of second hand gifts....a second hand Switch, came in the box and everything.. Second hand designer clothes, still with tags... Second hand books.... Second hand toys.... also old "vintage" items, that you just can't get new.

It means they can have things we couldn't ordinarily afford.. plus saves going to waste.
Second hand doesn't mean crap quality or you live someone less...

If you'd rather nothing, than that's great. But to imply that nothing is somehow better than giving a second hand item as a gift seems a little snobby...

I've ditched Christmas cards altogether. Pointless waste which went straight in the recycle bin anyway.

Christmas crackers - we still buy them, but fill your own ones from Oxfam.

Get most of my gifts from teh school's christmas craft fayre which is excellent and supports small businesses. Ask the relatives for "experiences" for the kids rather than stuff.

Losing battle with the inlaws though as for them any celebration or event is about as much plastic tat as you can squeeze in the house.

Child free? Not a Christian? Just don't do Christmas- which is afterall the biggest capitalist "buy buy buy" success if all time.

Say no to being a consumer.

Save yourself a shitload of grief, money, and calories.

I use a plastic tree - my argument being that we've used the same tree for 8 years so that's 8 real trees that don't need to be cut down and discarded after a few weeks. Makes me so sad seeing the streets littered with dead trees that could be alive and in the ground.

As a pp has said, I think this may well be a flawed argument if you buy a real tree locally since they wouldn't be grown if people didn't buy them. Best option I think is a potted version that can then be planted in the garden.

We've done experiences rather than things from grandparents for the past few years. It works really well and the DC love it. We have enough "stuff".

Yes we thought about the anarchy of no other presents from us. Of course they will get the one from Father Christmas and then spoilt by relatives. But if we don’t change the way we celebrate Christmas then they are going to grow up expecting more and more and the cost to us and the environment is too much. The eldest gets money as he is 17 and has done for 8 years, he will get things he needs like socks, stationary etc. He will have some chocolate in his stocking.

The kids get ridiculous amounts of relatives and they never play with it, and don’t appreciate it.

We need to refocus what Christmas should be about. We are doing now and I’m sure they will be upset, and the treasure hunt idea is our attempt at a consolation prize, and hopefully they will enjoy it and it becomes a new tradition.

Secret santa amongst groups of friends or extended family czn help keep present buying under control

I cut holly and other seasonal foliage and make little posies which I use to decorate gifts. They look really lovely and stylish and they are free and environmentally friendly. If you don’t have any holly, ivy or other evergreen trees ask a friend who does. You can also make your own wreaths if you are feeling adventurous.

Fucket, your point about starting new attitudes now is exactly what we are doing this for.

It is lovely to have a celebration to look forward to, but it doesn't have to mean overconsumption. My memories as a child at Christmas are about visiting family, playing board games, singing in the school concert and of course, opening a stocking. I can only remember a few presents that I had.

Having a tree to decorate is lovely, but it doesn't have to be restyled every year with llamas and narwhals!

I love the idea of having a tree with handmade paper garlands and an angel on top made by the kids. So that is what we are doing this year to make it festive!

we have been buying things they need. So big soft fluffy dressing gowns, a nice soft blanket etc, but in general terms cutting right down. Consumerism has gone mad.

Placemarking. Some good ideas.

Placemarking too[santa]

I have just had a look online for natural Christmas ideas and there are some gorgeous things you can make.

I have a rattan door wreath and just supplement it every year with holly and yew plus christmas tree offcuts. It always looks beautiful and apart from the initial outlay for the base 5 years ago it is also free.

We've had secret santa with DHs family for the past few years, he has a a lot of siblings and Christmas at in the in laws used to consist of a massive present session of mostly tat. Now it's a lot more streamlined, and I will probably do what I did last year and ask for spa vouchers for an experience rather than stuff I don't really need.

We did brown paper (albeit one that had a printed pattern on but still recyclable) last year so will do that again too. I did buy a big toot toot set for DC but second hand off Marketplace, cost far less and in great condition too. We did go to card town last year though so will look at reducing that.

We have a plastic tree, but I got it for free from my old work place 12 years ago as they were going to chuck it. It's a 7ft homebase one well made and will keep on going for a long time still I reckon.

We bought a potted tree with roots, about a foot tall for DD's first birthday, after a few years of bringing it in and putting it in bigger and bigger pots we had this permanently planted as a feature in the front garden, we have solar lights on it now. It's about 18 ft tall.

I'm another secondhand presents person - books mostly, at Christmas we all like books so that's what we get. The fun is spending all year scouring secondhand book shops, stalls, website for the perfect ones.

I’ve given up novelty gifts, or stuff for stuff’s sake. I don’t have an issue giving things that are going to be useful and used. I’ve started asking people what they’d like or at least checking in with them.

Last year I gave my sister a promise to take her to dinner. We didn’t manage to synchronize a date until March but it was lovely to have an evening of uninterrupted chat and to treat her to a restaurant she was keen to try.

I took my dm shoe shopping for some decent orthotic, wide fitting shoes that she considered scandalously expensive. She wore them out.

I gave fil a Spotify subscription and spent an afternoon over Christmas setting up playlists of obscure 1950s songs he hadn’t heard in decades

My sil got serving dishes that she picked out that have been used lots as she loves entertaining.

I gave mil a bag of aniseed balls and a jar of gooseberry jam. Both were childhood favorites and she had no idea they were still available. She has asked for the same again.

I’ve tried to shop more locally in general. I still use wrapping paper, but I choose the kind that can be recycled rather than foil or glitter.

I buy food more mindfully, and use it up. I don’t use foil trays anymore, I just soak everything in soapy water.

I still send a few Christmas cards but only to elderly relatives and because it’s only a few I take the time to write a proper note and include some photos. I don’t send cards for anyone who I can text or email.

I use a plastic tree but it was second hand when I got it and I’ve had it for 15 years and see no reason to replace it in my lifetime. I don’t believe that real trees are an ethical choice on any level.

Some of my decorations go back three generations.

The dc are my weak point. I try to encourage them to consider sustainability in their toys but I’ve also bought some awful tat. I don’t mind stuff like lego that has such strong second hand value. I don’t buy novelty stocking fillers or tat, and a good proportion of their gifts are things they will get use out of. I wish I had kept their expectations lower from the start.

Real Christmas trees are better for the environment than fake ones.

Buy second hand stuff, buy less plastic toys and tat, use recyclable wrapping paper. Only buy things you know people will use otherwise go with a failsafe voucher/money.

vouchers might not be the best plan with brexit looming..

For adults last year we did a secret Santa with £10 budget that had to be from charity shops. This worked really well with gifts such as books, records, jigsaws and fair trade chocolate. There is also potential for funny novelty stuff. If anyone doesn't like their gift it can just go back to charity but a donation of money has been made in the meantime.