As November is underway, many people are beginning to think about what Christmas presents to buy and how to decorate their homes in the jolliest way possible. Oftentimes, however, as we make our way to Bath & Body Works for their annual wonderful-smelling soaps and candles sale, we forget just how wasteful these items can be. To continue enjoying the holiday season for years to come, we should make an effort to help out our planet as much as possible — and that includes opting for more eco-friendly choices during these festive times.
- Homemade wreath
Instead of going out and buying a pre-made wreath made out of synthetic leaves and plastic, you can take a walk outside and pick up any leaves, pine needles and vines to create your own personalized homemade wreath. For extra fun, use dried citrus and berries to glue onto the wreath.
- LEDs
An immense amount of energy is used during the holiday season with all the Christmas lights. So, to be more energy-efficient, try making the switch to LED lights. They use 80 percent less energy than regular lights. Or even better, try looking for solar-powered Christmas lights!
- Paper chains
Instead of buying sparkly garlands made from disposable products, search through your recycling bin for newspaper or G.O.O.S (good on one side) paper to make your own decorative paper chains. It’ll be an enjoyable activity for the whole family and a great way to reduce waste!
- Local candles & soap
As popular as Bath & Body Works may be, it is not the most eco-friendly. The brand is not cruelty-free nor is its product packaging recyclable. As an alternative, try shopping from local shops that make their own soaps and candles with sustainable ingredients. These kinds of products tend to come with low-waste packaging or none at all. Help out the planet while getting all your favourite holiday scents!
- Pinecone centrepiece
A sustainable and budget-friendly decoration choice is to take a walk to your nearest park and pick up some pinecones. You can spray paint them any festive colours or leave them bare. Throw them into a bowl and you have a lovely festive centrepiece.
- Newspaper wrapping
When it comes time to wrap presents for loved ones, think about how to do it sustainably! While colourful, holiday-themed wrapping is cute, it is incredibly wasteful and tends to live no more than one life cycle. This is why you should consider choosing bags that can be saved and reused for another year or use old, recycled newspapers to wrap your gifts.
- Real Christmas tree
Last but not least, though fake trees last several years, they heavily depend on natural resources when being built and only end up in landfills. If you want to make one big eco-friendly change, try buying a real Christmas tree this year! You can support local family-owned farms this way, and once the holiday season is over, the tree can be returned to its natural state and decompose. You can even make a day out of Christmas tree picking with friends or family.
These are but a few of the many eco-friendly ways to get into the Christmas spirit, so do your own research or come up with your own ideas! The holiday season is many things, but it doesn’t need to be wasteful and harmful to the environment.