To ask what you're doing to make your Christmas more simple/ethical?

[Quizeerascal]

Just that really. There's been a lot on social media in the media and in real life conversations about how we can make Christmas more simple, ethical, sustainable and I wanted to see what others on MN were doing. I've bought reusable wrapping paper for a relative who I think will appreciate it as well as buying toiletries from an ethical company, socks which donate to charity and shopping at farmer's markets/small businesses. I'm interested to hear others' ideas

Our Christmas dinner will be organic and Fairtrade... we will make some Fairtrade gifts... but only for loved ones who like that kind of things. We want to make sure our loved ones get gifts they actually like. In case of one friend we did not buy a present but will donate in his name... but only because we know that this is what he wants us to do. He actually told us.

... and now am going to see what everybody else is writing.

I’ve got a potted tree which I’ll plant out and bring in each year. Actually I noticed today they are half price so I’ve might get another so each one gets two years to recover from being dug up!
It’s about 3 feet shorter than my average tree, but I was thinking last year the bauble’s were a bit sparse, so the lack of height will eliminate the need for buying new ones

Buying gifts which are wanted and useful. No wrapping paper, I’ve got some gorgeous Christmas boxes from tkmax which can be used many times over. No crackers this year. No selection boxes.These are always massively over packaged and have plastic trays.I’ve bought large bars of chocolates and put them in reusable bags. Fabric Christmas bags from pound shop, like large sacks, again reusable and can put larger presents in them.
No Christmas cards.Plant based diet. Said NO to secret Santa. Focusing on enjoying company of family, nice food, tv, walking dogs on dark evenings and enjoying seeing all the pretty lit houses, Christmas drinks, and not leaving heaving bins for someone else to deal with.
Just basically pulling Christmas back to a simpler day, like it used to be. So I can actually enjoy it. It’s easier because my children are teens. I know it’s harder when you have young children, and the endless plastic toys. Toys are shit now, what happened there?

Mine are:

Kids had a chocolate advent calendar only this year. Not great still, but normally they’d also get a Smiggle (DD) and some other kind of toy one for my son. The smiggle one particularly was just gimmicky and I don’t want another lot of landfill.

Stocking presents- we started this from last year- not wrapping them. We made up some story about Father Christmas wanting to be more environmentally friendly (!) and it would be more fun to pick out presents one by one from your stocking with your eyes shut.

Shopping small- I have bought some stuff on amazon but have tried to buy more from small businesses. Generally buying less but better quality and not feeling the need to do stockings full of small but fairly pointless tat.

Brown paper packages tied up with string.

I love this thread.

Virtue signalling central.

Virtue signalling central.

wait until the kid has, not an orange as it's environmentally outrageous, but a simple carrot as a gift to appreciate the real values of the good old days.

I have halved the items I'd usually buy for the kids. Tried to steer away from plastic tat and get useful items they will use regularly despite not being fun toys. We're trying to do clutter free.

Great thread.

Not taken part in secret Santa to reduce consumption
Wrapped pressies in old magazines
Bought on high street where possible to reduce postage and packaging and support local business
Bought higher welfare meat from local butcher.
Recycled all packaging
Gifting within family only items we need (I'm getting socks)

We’re doing a secret Santa for adults, and it has to be something homemade, reused or repurposed. I’m making my own crackers, hats etc. Most of the presents are wrapped in brown paper, or fabric, with string or ribbon- they look lovely! Our tree is a pruned branch of one of our damson trees, decorated with our usual Christmas decorations. I’ve enjoyed preparing so much more this year.

Oh, and all of the food will be homemade- no M&S packaging this year!

You can call it virtue signalling, but it’s been fun so far, and it’s cost loads less!

No crackers this year
Adult presents price capped / edible / specifically wanted. No ‘fun’ tat stocking fillers.

Not sending Christmas cards.
Received one today from family member who put a note in Christmas card to say they will no longer send Christmas cards and will make a donation to charity instead. We cheered!!!

Introducing old style fun to replace tat.

Will have roasted chestnuts on the BBQ.
Put sixpences in the Christmas Pud
Do fun carol singing (good quality, rehearsed singing) round the neighbourhood (known and willing families, as on Halloween)

Brown paper wrapping.

Food bank advent - give one item to food bank/homeless shelter collection for each day.

No cards.

Buy less tat.

Mainly buying second hand for the dc (still at an age they wouldn't notice anyway).

Buying only useful/ wanted/ experience things for immediate adults in family, and pact with friends not to do presents and opted out of work secret Santa.

always reuse decorations, wrapping etc.

only meat will be on xmas day itself

trying to do locally and independently bought where possible although havent ruled out the odd Amazon purchase

I'm amazed that some people arnt bothering at all. went to the local garden centre last week and people swarming to buy armfuls of tat that will go straight into landfill eg twerking fluffy dogs, cheap train to go round the bottom of the xmas tree (demo already broken) etc. People will only stop selling if demand drops - so depressing

no

Only do presents for DC not adults in my family (by mutual agreement) - admittedly this is not so much an eco measure but because all the adults are very fussy/hard to buy for and it saves a lot of stress!

Brown wrapping paper - but that’s the kind I like anyway

Food - our boxing day lunch has always been cold meat and fry ups so I guess that’s waste reducing?

Charity gifts - done this for ages in place of adult gifts, by mutual agreement

No cards —too lazy—

No toy based advent calendars, “only” chocolate ones

All decorations are reusable and hardly any are plastic (mostly glass, felt, wood...) does that count?

The DC will get a bunch of plastic tbh 🤷‍♀️ they’re at that age where books and clothes just ain’t going to cut it

We’re not buying many presents for the adults in the family and are mainly sticking to wishlists when we do.

I’m trying to buy more wooden toys for DD than plastic. DD’s stocking is small too, which stops me from buying lots of stocking fillers.

DD also has a wooden advent calendar that can be used for years.

Firstly we certainly aren’t spending any less money this year, we are just being more conscious of how it is spent.
Presents are being wrapped in brown paper and paper tape, and presents are either experiences such as a day out for the family at the zoo etc for some point in the year. Or far fewer but higher quality gifts that are practical and will last far longer than the type of gifts we would usually buy.

It’s interesting to read how many people are wrapping presents in brown paper. I went round to a friend’s house yesterday. Her presents under the tree were wrapped in brown paper and tied up with red and white string, and they looked great!

Nothing, for the love of Christ ...
I plan to eat, drink, be merry and buy a fuckload of gifts.

Announcing that I'm doing a present amnesty well in advance. I don't want gifts and am not buying any. My whole family is doing the same. Much more enjoyable to me, no stress and no waste.

Most of my gifts are food from Fortnum & Masons. The gifts are likely to be useful and the jars can then be recycled.

Ethics are for life not just for Christmas.