Christmas is a time of gifts, joy, and family togetherness.
Unfortunately, it can also be a time of excess when thoughts for
conserving money and resources seems to take a nosedive.
Celebrating a green Christmas isn't about going without; it's about
being thoughtful and considerate of not creating waste at a time of
celebration, as a show of respect for the occasion and for our
environment. The benefits of cutting down on excess flow to your
wallet, your bank account, your sanity, and your happiness, as well as
to the environment, so there are plenty of good reasons to celebrate a
green Christmas this year and ever more.
Here are just a few suggestions to help you start this pathway, and
you'll be bound to come up with many of your own green solutions and
traditions for Christmas as you get into the swing of it.
!! Steps !!
Reflect on the meaning of Christmas for you and your family. If the
meaning of Christmas is lost beneath the rush to prepare for it and
excessive spending, getting deeper into debt, boastful exchanges of
gifts, and even feelings of anger and deprivation when gift
recipients can't have "what they want", then it's hard to celebrate
wholeheartedly. Whether you celebrate Christmas for religious
reasons or as part of a secular tradition, Christmas as a
merchandising opportunity is neither green nor fulfilling. Reining
in the excesses isn't about depriving you or your family of the
enjoyment and beauty of Christmas. Rather, it's about taking back
the real spirit of Christmas and putting excess in its place while
still appreciating the accompanying gifts, decorations, food, and
other elements of Christmas in a way that is considerate of family
calm, our environment, and of what Christmas is truly about.
* As part of your reflection, consider how you can celebrate
Christmas in ways that cut down on excess spending, packaging,
eating, etc. As a reward, you'll find focusing on less will bring
about a more fulfilling experience for everyone.
Allot time. One of the key problems at Christmas is the lack of time
and the excuses we make as a result. It's easier to drop into the
dollar store and to buy up excessive amounts of decorations shipped
all the way from China, made from resource-intensive materials
because they're cheap, plentiful, and right under our noses as we
stock up at the last minute. Gone is the joy of sitting down
together as a family to craft our own traditional decorations,
cards, gifts, etc., from materials that are renewable or recycled,
and gone is the creation of family heirlooms. While it is
unrealistic for most busy families to handcraft everything for
Christmas, marking a little time on your family's calendar to make a
few things by hand can create a new family tradition, and gives
everyone involved a sense of personal pride and achievement at
having contributed something personal themselves.
* It's recommended that as part of celebrating a green Christmas,
you or your family set aside a little portion of time and choose
one or two discreet projects to complete as a family or
individual. This could be something like making this year's cards
from last year's cards, making gift tags from old cards, sewing
felt toys, making 3D snowflakes, etc. Whatever takes your fancy
and is something that those participating will enjoy doing.
Choose the most eco-friendly Christmas tree option for you. The
Christmas tree debate can be a difficult one and needs to be
resolved according to your own conscience. While some people
advocate artificial trees because these can be reused, their
downside can be that they have a limited lifespan, need to be
replaced when they wear out, and many are made from non-renewable
resources. Cutting down living trees from forests is only
sustainable where it involves harvesting trees that are going to be
removed anyway because of forest thinning or where the forest was
created just for the purpose, such as on managed Christmas tree
farms. Yet, some people are concerned that even with a Christmas
tree farm, the manner of growing the trees might be an issue if
industrial chemicals were used rather than eco-friendly growing
options or if mono-culture is replacing local biodiversity; always
ask how the farm is managed to find out if eco-friendly practices
are being used.
* Consider purchasing a living Christmas tree. This option has the
benefit of not removing a tree for a temporary use and allows you
to plant the tree in the garden or in another suitable place after
use. Read How to choose a living Christmas tree for details on how
to choose a suitable tree.
* Be sure to compost a cut tree after use. If you don't have a
garden or you're not able to hire or borrow a wood-chipper
machine, check with your local council to see if it has a scheme
for chipping or composting trees. Many municipalities in North
America have taken to collecting trees for direct chipping and
composting rather than simply dumping them at the tip.
* Avoid overdoing the plastic decorations and the cheap dollar store
decorations. Affordability doesn't mean you should indulge in them
– and don't forget the clutter you'll end up with in storage!
Cheap decorations come at a high environmental cost, while simple
and fewer decorations can be very effective and elegant.
* Turn off the tree lights after you go to bed and while you're out.
Try putting your indoor and outdoor lights on timers if you cant
remember to do this manually.
Make your own decorations. If you've managed to allot some time,
make your own Christmas decorations as much as possible. Making your
own decorations is fulfilling because it's personal to you and lets
you use your hands and imagination to the fullest extent. And
remember that this isn't a race to compete with the commercially
produced, molded mass produced decorations; it's simply about making
_your_ decorations rather than making them expertly. There is a lot
that you can do at home with existing materials or using recycled
materials, and many of these things don't take much time:
A button wreath Use recycled materials (such as colored paper, old
magazines, ribbons, etc.), reuse old decorations and build on them,
to create decorations. Read wikiHow's Christmas decorations category
for a whole range of inspiring crafty how-to ideas.
* Make edible ornaments. Half the fun is cooking them, eating bits
as you go, and decorating them. The other half is admiring your
handiwork spinning on the tree. Ideas include popcorn and
cranberry strings, or simply stringing these food items onto thin
gauge wire and shaping it into stars, hearts, etc. And cookie
ornaments are a lot of fun for kids, in all sorts of Christmas
shapes such as gingerbread men, stars, Santa, reindeer, baubles,
etc.
* Use the garden or natural items from the outdoors for ornaments.
Collect pine cones, twigs, berries, sprigs of evergreen plants,
red apples, oranges, etc. to create wreaths, centerpieces, simple
ornaments, etc. Simple clusters of pine cones, berries, and
evergreen pieces can look very effective and beat their plastic
counterparts hands down; after Christmas, simply toss them back
outdoors, no need to clutter your house storing them.
* Twist corn husks around and around in a circle to make a beautiful
Christmas wreath. Weave in some evergreen twigs if you want to add
a little green.
Make your own gifts. Making your own gifts at Christmas time is an
excellent way of ensuring they're eco-friendly and well within
budget. There are many possibilities but the important thing is to
draw on your own strengths and talents, so that whatever you make is
enjoyable for you and results in a gift-worthy item for the
recipient. For example, if you have kids, consider making a puppet
theater or toys and dolls. Read How to make your own Christmas gifts
for more ideas.
* Make food. Giving homemade food beautifully presented in
eco-friendly packaging is a delightful gift, part love and part
delicious! How about homemade jam or bread? Read wikiHow's
Christmas cooking category for more ideas.
Consider putting together cherished items to make an album. Albums
aren't just for photos, although a photo album that has had your
personal time lavished on creating it can be a great gift in itself
too. Use albums to collect family loved recipes, vacation
collectibles, craft patterns, science project instructions, detailed
suggestions for a future family vacation, scrapbook mementos,
trading cards collected from cereal boxes, etc.
* Give the gift of time. Could someone you know use help around the
house? Would someone love to learn something you could teach? Make
homemade coupons or promise certificates, and be sure to follow on
what you've promised!
* Keep in mind the interests of each recipient and the need to
reduce waste by using eco-considerate products when making the
gifts.
Buy eco-friendly gifts if you're not making them. There are plenty
of choices to purchase "green" gifts. Look at the many online
eco-focused stores or visit stores offering eco-friendly gift
options, including such items as durable water bottles, organic
clothes for babies to adults, books, recycled paper products, etc.
* Another great gift idea is that of donating money to a charity,
buying a "gift that keeps on giving" such as a cow or farm pack
for people in communities that need help to access drinking water,
grow crops, live sustainably, etc. – look for your favorite
charities that provide this service. It can be a family choice if
wished, with all of you choosing the gift online and having it
sent in your family's name.
* Buy garden products. Things to till the garden with, seeds,
seedlings, plants, planter pots, soil, etc., are great
eco-friendly gift choices. Be sure to choose plants wisely – opt
for natives and locally grown varieties and food crops over
exotics. Heirloom seeds can be an enormously successful gift for a
garden-lover.
* Reusable grocery and shopping bags are always handy.
* Biodegradable, organic, and health conscious cosmetics, body and
bath products are a burgeoning industry now, including soaps,
shampoos, bath oils, bath salts, perfumes, etc., that are made
from ingredients known to be safe to both humans and the
environment. Making up a small basket of such products can be a
great way to introduce a friend or family member to new products
that have less impact on their health and the environment.
* For a young couple with a baby, pay for a diaper service to spare
them endless diaper washing and to lure them away from disposables
a bit longer.
* For kids, think science kits, solar power gadgets such as radios
and flashlights, books about ecology, or tickets for a trip to a
local nature reserve, museum, or zoo to see conservation in
action.
* Think about gifts that can help family and friends whose
eco-consciousness is newly emerging. You can give them books on
the topic, or be bolder by buying them items for the house that
they can start using and noticing benefits from immediately, such
as a water-saving device for the toilet, a solar light, a
thermostat for their heating, insulation, hose nozzles that shut
off water automatically, etc. These are the sorts of things people
love to consider but don't necessarily make the next step to
purchase for themselves. This is a great way to enable them
practically. Be sure to explain energy savings they'll experience,
if relevant!
Be considerate of paper. When it comes to cards, gift tags, and
wrapping, there is a lot of waste involved; in the UK alone, it is
estimated that 1 billion cards end up in the bin, with an average of
17 cards per person. And any eco-conscious gift recipient will know
the unpleasant feeling of awkwardness at seeing virgin paper ripped
off gifts and unceremoniously tossed aside, never to be thought of
again while still wanting to appreciate the joy experienced by the
gift recipient! Sidestep this dilemma by making eco-friendly
wrapping choices from the outset.
* Recycle cards. Read How to out old greeting cards to use for more
ideas, such as making new cards from old, and making gift tags
from old tags. And don't forget to use your origami skills to turn
old cards and paper into new tags!
Use recycled wrapping paper. If you have last year's paper still,
give it a quick iron under a towel to remove the worst of the
creases (do this at the same time as your regular ironing of
clothes, to lessen energy waste). Look for paper products that state
that they're recycled, or use simple recycled brown packaging paper
and make it more interesting by adding decorative elements of your
own, such as stamping with cut vegetables, sticking on old cards, or
drawing on it. Old magazines, newspapers, old posters, or brown
paper bags can make stylish wrapping too.
Make tags from recycled items.
* Lessen the amount of cards sent by using electronic cards over the
internet. This can also save you time as you don't need to buy or
make cards, address the envelopes, add the stamp, etc. Be aware
that some people won't like this though, especially older people
who continue the tradition of card sending, so be sure to send
them a real card still.
* Instead of using tape, use string, ribbon, and leftover tying
material to keep presents wrapped. For a pet, wrap with a leash or
collar.
* Use an item of clothing, fabric, a bandanna, a handkerchief, a
scarf, or a tea-towel to wrap gifts in. This saves on paper
completely and looks really pretty and novel sitting under the
tree. The wrapping is a gift and won't be tossed away. Other ideas
include placing the gift inside a cookie jar, mug, pillow case,
lunchbox, tote bag, bucket (great for garden gifts), flower pot,
etc. And quilters love receiving gifts wrapped in quilting fabric!
Make fabric gift bags and reuse them year after year within your
family. Make it a family tradition to gather up the cloth bags after
gifts are opened and to return them to their storage basket; this
habit won't take long to be reinforced and expected by everyone.
Buy locally grown food. Christmas is the ideal time to buy locally.
Visit your local farmers' market is with a list of the food needs
you have for Christmas. The food will be fresher and the shorter
transportation distance from field to fork will significantly cut
down on carbon emissions.
* Avoid buying food that is overly packaged. Items bought loose or
in bulk will taste just as good as their cellophane-wrapped
competitors.
* Minimize your food waste by not buying excessive amounts. Simply
confirming how many people are eating will prevent you from
preparing too much. Avoid throwing out any leftovers, the majority
of foods can be kept for several days if refrigerated.
* Consider having more vegetarian food at Christmas. Eating more
grains, vegetables, and fruit is not only healthy but will help to
reduce your energy consumption, for meat takes a lot more water
and energy to produce than plant foods.[1]
* Be sure to use up the leftovers completely. You'll save money
doing so, and cut down on waste.
Recycle all packaging Create a recycling point in your house for
collecting bottles, cans, paper, packaging and cards. The main source
of extra rubbish post Christmas are all things that can be recycled.
Check with your council to find your nearest recycling center, or to
see which days they collect - don't forget this may differ from usual
over the festive period.
* If you have any unwanted presents, don't bin them, donate them to
your local charity shop instead.
!! Video !!
!! Tips !!
* If you buy decorations, choose sturdy ones that can be used year
after year, not the flimsy sort that will need to be thrown out in
the new year.
* Try to select presents made from sustainable or recycled
materials, avoid anything which is over packaged or liable to
break easily.
* Once the holiday season is over, don't bin your received cards,
recycle them or keep them to make gift tags and decorations next
year.
* Lights always bring a tree to life but remember to turn them off
at night and when you are not in the room.
* Look into purchasing LED lights for your Christmas tree. They
will last many more years than standard lights. Also, if one light
goes out, the rest of the string will stay lit. They are a bit
more expensive to purchase up front, but are well worth the cost.
* If you're throwing a party don't use disposable plates and cups.
Instead, borrow the real thing from a good friend or relative.
* The benefit of purchasing online is that you don't need to join
the Christmas crowds.
!! Warnings !!
* Bear in mind not to fall into the trap of consuming too much, just
because objects have "green credentials". Too much of anything is
still too much, no matter how eco-friendly it is!
* If using berries as decorations, take care. Keep poisonous berries
such as holly berries away from food and out of reach of kids,
animals, and adults who aren't thinking. If in doubt, only use
safe berries such as raspberries, blackberries, etc. or don't use
berries at all if you're worried someone will try to eat them.
!! Things You'll Need !!
* Recycled products
* Eco-friendly gifts
* Craft items
* Living tree
!! Related WikiHows !!
* How to Make Your Own Christmas Gifts
* How to Have a Green Wedding
* How to Have a Christmas Party
* How to Decorate for Christmas
* How to Make a Christmas Wreath
* How to Make a Christmas Cake
* How to Have a Great Christmas
* How to Recycle
* How to Create Urban Rainforests
!! Sources And Citations !!
* Original source of article,
http://www.videojug.com/film/how-to-have-a-green-christmas How to
Have a Green Christmas from VideoJug – used with permission.
!! Article Tools !!
* Read on wikiHow
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