Christmas is often a time of excess. We indulge ourselves more than we would at other times of the year – and honestly, we often deserve it as a midwinter treat after a long and often hard year! But that doesn’t mean that you should forget about caring for the environment. Here are some tips on how to keep your Christmas eco friendly…
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Give Planet Friendly Gifts
One of the biggest problems with Christmas these days is that it’s becoming more and more commercialised every year. The focus is more on gift giving than spending time together as a family, and about showing kindness and love to your fellow man – the original meaning of Christmas. You can circumvent that by giving gifts that are eco friendly. Go to independent stores rather than big chain retailers, or use sites like Etsy to buy handmade gifts from small sellers. Give gifts that are recyclable – you could even give gifts to charity instead, although that might not be so popular with the younger members of your family! Go for gifts made of recyclable materials like paper and wood rather than plastic.
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Go Solar Powered
As a gift to both your family and the environment, consider using solar power in your home. It doesn’t have to be the only source of energy to your house – rather it can supplement the energy you already have. Solar power is a truly sustainable resource as the sun is expected to be around for another five billion years, and it will also lower your energy bills all year round. Look online for a solar company that suits you.
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Get An Eco Friendly Tree
Instead of buying a new real tree every year, consider investing in a plastic tree that you can use every Christmas from now on. If you love the smell of pine in your house over the festive season and you’d rather have a real tree, go for an organic eco friendly tree. You could also consider growing your own or renting a tree instead – but if you decide to buy a tree like most years, make sure that you recycle it when you’re done.
Buy Your Food Ethically
Remember that you don’t have to have turkey every year. If you’re vegetarian, there are a lot of delicious vegetarian and vegan Christmas recipes out there! If not, make sure that you buy ethical meat – go to your local butcher instead of your grocery store to support local business and go for organic, free range meat for your family dinner. After Christmas, make sure that you eat all of your leftovers! You don’t want anything to go to waste.
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Go Old Fashioned With Your Family Time
Instead of letting your family sit around watching TV all Christmas, make sure that you spend some good quality time together. Appreciate the outdoors by wrapping up warm in your new Christmassy scarves and gloves and take a long walk as you digest your Christmas dinner, before spending the evening indoors playing games instead of glued to a Christmas movie. Remember that it’s the season for love and togetherness – enjoy spending time together (and lower your energy bills by turning off your devices!).
