What are you doing to be greener this Christmas?

[Nc123]

Inspired by a thread elsewhere, I’m interested to know what are you doing to be greener at Christmas this year?

I reuse advent calendar, decorations and tree each year.
I have a clear out each November to make room for stuff coming in.
I generally try to buy preloved where I can (though I’ve not been good at that this year)
I buy useful gifts and only things that I’m sure will be used or played with.

This year I’m also planning to use brown paper to wrap with natural decorations made of things like dried orange slices and cinnamon sticks to minimise wrapping waste.

I do buy my kids quite a lot of stuff at Christmas but i try to keep plastic low, don’t spoil them the rest of the year, don’t fly, walk rather than use the car for short journeys and buy preloved wherever I can - so Christmas is my chance to give them nice things.

Tell me what you’re doing for a greener Christmas!

Previously we’ve done secret Santa at work as either homemade or from a charity shop

Every year I try and improve.

This year is the first all the DC don’t believe in Father Christmas which I think will help cut down on stuff.

Recyclable wrapping paper only (MIL doesn’t care though so I have to separate it all out later), loving the fabric ideas, may work on that. Don’t have any off cuts to hand but maybe if I’m somewhere and I see something suitable I’ll get it.

Don’t send cards anymore.

Avoid plastic tat as far as Poss. Have started filtering my chocolate buying for those that use cardboard packaging.

I’m not having an advent calendar - decided I’ll just treat myself to more chocolate for less money, lol.

DD is reusing her Harry Potter cardboard calendar and has prefilled it with chocolates she likes, the boys still have their usual ones this year, something to be worked on in future.

Reuse all decorations and fake trees, I did read it can take a long time to offset the impact of a plastic tree so will have to keep them forever! Will get a real tree one day (when the building is done) but will have to find a good source.

No travelling. Fewer guests, less food.

Open to other ideas.

@Leftbutcameback

Always reminds me of my gran carefully opening the wrapping paper and smoothing it out to use again! She also used cards for labels the next year - cutting them out with pinking-shears

Yes my old relatives used to do the same. We could learn a lot from how they did things in the old days.

I've never heard of paper tape, where do you get it from?

Been reusing fabric bags for a few years now. Getting plastic free crackers. Lots of our decorations are handmade and plastic free (paper snowflakes, paper chains, origami baubles etc). Christmas Tree comes from a local farm less than 5 miles away and it's then collected by a local charity for composting. The DC are getting shampoo bars in their stockings this year. And, thanks to this thread, I've now ordered some paper tape.

I won’t be sending out cards, presents will be wrapped with fabric, cutting down on gifts and will try and buy everything second hand

Have been using brown wrap for years.

I saw a nice idea I will start which is old plain pillow case, write child’s name on and let them decorate each year, so over they years they get more detailed. Ds is 1 year so this year will just be name and first scribble. Then use each year for main gift or side gift that will fit. Just tie top up with string or ribbon like a sack.

I found paper tape on etsy but apparently all washi tape is recyclable.

@OneTimeGo

Genuine question (not meant to be today). Why is fabric wrapping better than paper? Paper wrapping can be made of recycled paper and can be recycled. What do you do with the fabric? I don’t want my drawers filling with fabric that might be in the wrong size.

I’ve wondered this too. Was tempted last year but if you’re buying fabric squares (rather than using scraps you have lying around) it really adds up. I’m looking into biodegradable paper instead, if such a thing exists!

I do many of the things listed above but have realised that by far the biggest impact will come from reducing my meat and dairy consumption over Christmas. When you add in wasted food the impact is horrendous. Waitrose have some really good vegan and vegetarian options in their food to order, as do Cook, so I shall combine outsourcing some of the cooking with reducing the environmental harm I cause this year.

I’ve cut out one present from the list so far, I’d like it to be more but DH unwilling to cut back his side of the family.

Will use wrapping paper that can be recycled.

Reuse decorations. Won’t be eating any beef for the whole week as we’ll be eating up the turkey.

Buying a couple of plants as presents for some people.

I’ve asked for things I will be buying anyway.

Not brilliant but I’ve cut down a lot more in life so Christmas is one big splurge!

@Bpickle1

Best thing you can do to be "green" is not have any kids.

Well that was helpful..

I use brown paper and off-cuts from the tree for wrapping, tied with sting (Yes it's a real tree - I did read around the environmental impact as much as I could a couple of years ago and discovered they're fairly equal, unless you use your tree for 20+ years)

I don't buy "stocking fillers" that aren't actual useful things, or gifts which will be appreciated and enjoyed (as opposed to the plastic tat stuff that gets punted at us as must-have stocking fillers)

I don't visit people so save on the carbon emissions 😆😆😆😆

Reusable advent calendars

Send very few cards

Try not to overbuy food and create food waste

Drink loads of wine so I'm warm without the central heating

Recyclable wrapping paper and sellotape
Gift tags are made of a paper I'm repurposing from something else
Reusing the advent calendar with little or no plastic tat in it

We always re-use all decorations, tree, lights, etc., can't remember the last time we bought anything new.

In recent years, we've really cut down on buying excess food/drink that we simply don't need. We don't buy a huge turkey anymore, now just enough for Xmas day meal. Really cut down on chocolates/sweets etc. Got fed up a few years ago with still eating the turkey a couple of days later and eating/drinking the excess chocolates/alcohol etc through to mid January!

As for presents, we only gifts for eachother of things we actually need. We never buy "tat" or lots of items just to create piles of presents. The value varies enormously from year to year according to who needs what. Some years, we've bought DS a big ticket item like an ipad or xbox, but other years, we've spent as little as £50 on him - he's happy with the "highs and lows" as he knows he gets something big every few years that's something he really wants.

This thread has got to be one of the best for most ridiculous first response 🙄

For me, I'm planning to sew some fabric gift bags to save on wrapping paper, and for the things that must be wrapped I have brown craft paper and recyclable tape.

I've bought some preloved books for people and will continue looking for good quality second hand gifts for a few others.

We have an agreement with inlaws to buy presents for charity or donate to the food bank in lieu of buying for each other so I'm buying less.

I'm quite crafty so I've made some homemade presents (only for people who request them and will 100% use them and I've used my craft stash for the majority of the materials).

Like you OP, I buy things that are useful and avoid plastic waste as much as possible - and I include selection boxes and toiletry sets in that.

I use the same decorations every year (a lot of them are from my first Christmas away from home 18 years ago).
This year I'm planning to get a small real tree in a pot for outside - it'll be decorated every year with the overall aim to keep and grow it until its big enough to come in as the 'main' tree.

I've ordered a Turkey from a friend of DHs who has a farm nearby and veg will come from a green grocer / farmers market that sells from local farms so the food won't have travelled far. There will also be no food waste - DH will do a roast Christmas Day, cold cuts with roasties, stuffing, pigs in blankets etc Boxing Day then any meat that's left gets turned into a 'Christmas pie' and either eaten over the following day or so or frozen.

@AtLeastThreeDrinks I’m looking into biodegradable paper instead, if such a thing exists!

Normal paper is biodegradable so if you get a wrapping paper that isn't shiny, glittery etc then you can stick it on the compost heap.

Oh and years ago I started cutting out the fronts of Christmas cards with my pinking shears and keeping as gift tags. (Only the ones that work and when people haven’t written on the wrong side.)

We normally just get a turkey crown but not sure if that’s more or less green than getting the whole thing tbh. Means less waste in our house, but is it wasted elsewhere?

Think recyclable tape is probably my next easy step.

[quote TuftyMarmoset]**@AtLeastThreeDrinks* I’m looking into biodegradable paper instead, if such a thing exists!*

Normal paper is biodegradable so if you get a wrapping paper that isn't shiny, glittery etc then you can stick it on the compost heap.[/quote]
I’m not sure why that hasn’t occurred to me before, of course it is! Thanks @TuftyMarmoset.

I don't do much of a wrapping, it's only for the relatives who won't be coming at the family gathering but when I do I use the paper that doesn't have glitters etc, so that it would be biogradable. We have quitted store bought gift cards years ago, too, and now I either do video cards or handmade stuff for those that enjoy getting cards. There are also some green present ideas like plantable pencils- www.amazon.com/Sprout-Plantable-Eco-Friendly-Sustainable-Stationery/dp/B07932F8M8?tag=mumsnetforu03-21 My SIL loved the ones I got her last year and now it's a thing in our family.

I'm planning on giving my presents inside reusable shopping bags (just the cotton type things from primark etc) probably not the best but I'm time poor and not creative in the slightest

Please don’t put wrapping paper that can be recycled on the compost heap!

Does anyone have any recommendations for online fabric shops please? I’m imagining the sort of prints you find in old-fashioned haberdashery shops but there aren’t any near me so I shall have to go online.

Don’t buy anything glittery. reduce cards sent

I haven't done christmas cards for years

Most gifts for adults will be experiences rather than "stuff"

DS's 2 main presents are wooden and one of those is second hand

I've bought a wooden advent calendar to reuse every year

I'm buying reusable cloth gift bags, my family can then reuse them for our presents next year. I got some from Etsy that are really nicely made and plastic free. My DIL suggested it and I really love the idea.

www.etsy.com/uk/shop/LindyLouCrafts23 is the link.

We normally just get a turkey crown but not sure if that’s more or less green than getting the whole thing tbh. Means less waste in our house, but is it wasted elsewhere?

As far as I know the rest of the turkey does not go to waste, in the sense that it will wind up elsewhere. Whilst buying just a turkey leg in a supermarket or butcher isn't really a British thing it is common enough throughout the rest of Europe - I just hope Brexit hasn't cut off the opportunity to move parts of the carcass across borders to where the demand is. The rest of the carcass will be stripped and processed into turkey twizzlers or dinosaurs or whatever the kids are eating these days, and the bones will be used to make pre-prepared turkey gravy.

What is definitely wasted is your money. Buying a crown is barely any cheaper than buying a whole bird and if you consider it in terms of price per kilo then it's quite frightening.