How to have an as eco friendly as possible Christmas?

[EyeEyeCaptainCaptain]

I really want to try and make this Christmas much much more eco friendly. We've managed to make lots of little changes this year to our day to day lives so I'm feeling ready to also tackle Christmas but I don't want to make it any less special or have to change any traditions.

I thought it might be a good idea to have a thread where we can all share tips and ideas of small or big changes you can make.

My first one is not buying pointless filler gifts. Only buying stuff that I know is wanted/will be used/will be appreciated.

I am also going to try and work out how to wrap presents without sellotape which I will probably really struggle with as mine look awful even with sellotape!

Of course it's justifiable - time with family, to show love and appreciation, to celebrate still being alive, to enjoy a mince pie, to brighten up a long winter, loads of reasons.

I've used brown paper with butchers twine for the past few years. They look so lovely under the tree. Last year I also bought tape which is recyclable but it is a bloody nightmare to use so I'm looking for alternatives this year. Someone on another thread mentioned fabric wrapping. Does this not work out to be extremely expensive? How does it work? Do people return their fabric to you after they've opened their presents?

No crackers here. Switching to cloth wrapped presents (once the paper i. The drawer is used up). The tree is fake and will last for the foreseeable, so am happy with that - especially as I’m allergic to real ones.

Presents are homemade or second hand. Just bought DD1 hair chalks from the nearly new sale (unused) and a ‘build a robot kit’ (also unused). Still looking for DD2.

Christmas food tends to be a normal roast or similar. Noting extravagant. Trying to reduce the plastic generally for food though.

Cards only to the octogenarians.

I think the easiest way is to give edible/drinkable gifts only, in recyclable packaging. If they can be home made, even better.

I also buy brand new but unopened small things from charity shops (the inlaws often get a jigsaw puzzle) because the item has already been manufactured so I feel less guilty as a secondhand/thirdhand user.

Paper doilies make great decorations for plain brown wrapping paper.

I save all the string and use it next year.

And, yes, I also give knickers, socks and essential clothes as Christmas gifts. And am happy to receive them. It's the buying "extra" new stuff that we don't want or need that I try to avoid. For example, each of us in this family probably owns 4 or 5 woolly scarves. It's just excessive and some of them need to go to the charity shop, where they will probably languish and then end up in recycling. But I don't think I've ever actually bought one of these woolly scarves - they were all Christmas gifts.

I've just broached the idea of doing charity donations instead of grown up presents with my siblings this year, with the option of giving homemade edibles if people want to give and luckily it's gone down well.
I love my siblings but we aren't close enough for me to know what they want and I fear I often end up giving them things they don't need.

I'm really trying to cut back on tat in stockings as well, so this year the cost will probably be more but nearly everything will be useful.

Also making my own wrapping paper/crackers and gift labels with recycled paper where possible.

Hoping to make some gifts as well and will definitely get as many things as possible from charity shops.

I'm telling everyone one in advance that I won't send any cards this year for the sake of Amazon forest fire. All the cards end up in the recycling bin any way.

I use swatches of fabric to wrap around gifts, tied up with ribbon. That plus drawstring bags. I know my way around a sewing machine but they're so bloody easy anyway. Lots of festive-themed fabric, some just Christmas colours, some random - if I run out! I give 99% of gifts in person, so once unwrapped I take my fabric stash back

My 8yo loves seeing the same bags every year and can even remember what it contained the previous Christmas - or sometimes 2 Christmases - ago, and he's only just 8!

I sometimes cut two pieces of brown paper in the shape of a bell or star or what have you, then see up around the edges with red thread, with the gift inside. Very cute. They look lovely on the dinner table with something small inside (pair of earrings, for eg) in lieu of crackers. Find jokes off the internet, no bang needed, make your own hats etc.

My Christmas tree is a thing of beauty - the sort of thing a happy family would gather round in a Dickens novel. But I think only two of my Christmas decorations and the lights were bought new; everything else including the tree is second hand.

Like everyone else on here, I've made my own giftwrap by stamping parcel paper. I was worried it'd look monotonous but I've made a pretty diverse range of styles just from one stamp set and a few different colours of ink. Last year I used scellotape, but I'll be using washi tape this year.

Thanks for the washiest tape tip. Will definitely be getting some.

Washiest???!!!

I've just made some fab eco Christmas cards.... combination of an old AA road atlas saved from recycling and old Christmas card
Family & friends where possible have a page of the map book that is personal to them or funny which is doubled then folded and I've cut out Father Christmas / snowmen/ snowflakes etc plus words from old cards to make a Christmas scene

They have turned out really well so glad I'm fished the map-book out, knew it would be good for something.

Great thread! I'm doing the brown paper wrapping with "proper" ribbons this year I think! Will be following with interest!

The map book is a brilliant idea!

I've bought most presents second hand (but in new condition) throughout the year. I've tried to choose stuff that is actually useful rather than novelty value. Gloves, eco friendly drinks bottle, soaps, socks etc.

No wrapping paper here. I'm using brown paper and pretty gold ribbon. No sellotape... Wrapping does take longer but the parcels look lovely.

We're not doing elf on a shelf, Christmas bedding, pyjamas, Christmas eve box or disposable advent calendars. We have a felt advent calendar with pockets filled with chocolates.

All decorations are reused from last year apart from one new bauble each that we choose at the garden centre.

We do plenty of fun things, theatre trip, portable North Pole, santa sleepover at Chessington, decorate gingerbread etc.

I have also read about brown paper wrapping and that does appeal to me - I am terrible at wrapping however, so making no promises about holding it all together with string, I do think some kind of glue will be necessary (although I do have washi tape as well, good call).

One side of our family does an adult present draw/secret santa, we set a price limit and you have to buy a present for that amount - sometimes you know who you are buying for, sometimes it's just numbers out of a hat so you have to make sure the gift is suitable for either a single young woman/elderly man/middle aged couple so household items tend to feature mostly tbh!

We already have some reuseable advent calendars that come out every year - we love advent calendars - last year mine was a Prosecco one so I've still got (and using) the glass and the majority of it was drink (some bath products). Might get the Holland and Barrett one this year, it looks good.

New pyjamas for Christmas Eve so everyone get one present under the tree to open early and on the last day of the school term we go ice skating. Love Christmas!

Stocking presents will not be wrapped. Stockings for DCs only, no tat. So far I have a chocolate orange, pack of batteries, nice quality wind up toy, book and Harry Potter wand for each of them.

No presents from DCs to other people. Grandparents etc. Instead we'll give them decorations they make at school or bake biscuits.

I love the idea of wrapping with fabric. If you google 'furoshiki' there are gazillions of videos showing the Japanese art of wrapping things in fabric. I guess people could keep the fabric or give it back if they didn't think they'd use it. Either way,it could then be re-used.

Great idea for a thread!

Love the fabric wrapping - never heard of it before but I’m definitely going to do it as most of the people I buy for spend Christmas at my house so I can take the fabric back.

It has also reminded me that I’ve got a fabric advent calendar that I could put chocolates in rather than buying disposable ones.

Don’t have many tips to share I suppose it’s just to try avoid overbuying especially for the kids - whats that saying “something to wear, something to read, something they want and something they need”, not sure I can stick to that but am going to try aim for one main present then just a couple of others.

I’ve been saving this thread for a while and finally got round to reading it through. So much inspiration.

I’ve been moving towards a more eco Christmas over the last few years. I stopped using disposable cooking trays, and just fill the sink with hot soapy water and soak the cooking tins as I’m dishing up.

I like cooking and have a good store cupboard so mostly just use frozen veg to cook sides. It cuts down on waste and prep time. We love the leftovers and I slice and freeze some of the turkey and ham for lunch meat and make stock from the bones. With a freezer and a little bit of effort there’s no need for much food waste.

I bake and freeze throughout December so there’s always treats for visitors (a few seconds in the microwave) without needing to buy a lot of plastic wrapped goods that go stale. I do have a few sins of course; Aldi’s florentines being one!

Before Christmas I set up a recycling area in the shed where I can sort and store for a trip to the recycling centre in January. It takes the pressure off the normal bins.

Recycling and second hand gifts are great. People who would be offended at a charity shop gift can be quite taken with vintage items from eBay, and first edition books. Charity shops can be a good source for fabrics - either scarves which could be part of the gift, or old duvets and single curtains that can be cut down (a pinking scissors is great if you don’t want to hem). If you let them know that you want fabric for crafts, there is often stuff in the back room that is unsuitable for sale. Don’t forget to recycle the off cuts as rags!

The biggest stumbling block for me are the dc’s toys. The lure of plastic remains strong and I’m trying to steer them to toys with strong resale value. Last year DS got a gift of The Lego book by Daniel Lipokowitz which is a history of Lego and he’s realised that there are lots of desirable sets no longer available to buy new so I’m hoping he’ll want something second hand this year.

@Barbarara could you share some easy cook/freeze recipients

I've seen beautiful, reusable, embroidered crackers for around £15 each!

But I thought you could easily make them yourself. Either a linen napkin or hemmed square of fabric on which you embroider a Christmas design (or even just leave it plain), embroider/trim with narrow lace two opposite sides if desired. Then wrap around a card inner tube containing a teeny present, etc, and tie each end with ribbon.

And shout 'bang' when you open them!!!

@mankyfourthtoe I freeze everything. My only real advice is to spread things out on parchment, and then transfer to boxes/bags so you can easily get out a single portion without it being stuck together in a big lump.

But no special recipes really - just big standard cakes, scones and cookies. Usually Delia or Mary Berry.

If you're terrible at wrapping (I am!) then just use gift bags. They can be re-used over and over again and they're quick and easy. Much better than wrapping paper.