Christmas is fast approaching, so let’s consider celebrating it more sustainably. I have successfully avoided being sucked into the Black Friday or Cyber Monday craziness. In fact, it would have completely passed me by had it not been for some invidious emails and adverts.
Let’s have a look at some of the points that can help us to make this season as ethically and green as possible. These include minimising food waste, cutting down on packaging, reusing Christmas stuff from previous years and buying ethically and perhaps thinking of alternative (non-materialistic) Christmas presents. For a rough guide, look here.
Image by coombesy from Pixabay
Natural Parenting
- Maybe start with being selective with the toys you buy for your kids this year (and in years to come). Below are some good links for toys. Look here for an age-by-age guide to toys.
- Useful links for books and toys: Hape Wooden Toys, PlanToys, World of Books, Snazal Wholesale Books.
- Also, try and see what you can find in charity shops. Very often, it may just be the thing (or things) you have been looking for.
- I thought of an Advent calendar made from little hessian bags pegged on a string As from 1st December, my daughter will open a little hessian bag every morning with a little surprise in it. By the time Christmas Eve arrives, her set of jungle animals and farm animals will be complete (I admittedly have bought these new, off eBay!). I have also filled it up with biscuit cutters, finger paints, crayons and some other toys like puzzles and small nesting beakers I found in the charity shop. That way, the overload on Christmas day will be a bit less daunting.
Green Home Life
- Think of eco-options for your decorating. Re-use some of the things you have already got, and don’t by any plastic decorating stuff. We have decided to decorate our living room it with Ivy and Holly, a bit like the way people used to do it in the past.
- Read about a sustainable Christmas at home from A-Z here.
- Try your hand at wreath making, if that is something that interests you. You can find a host of excellent tutorials here. You may also want to try some of the eco-raft activities listed here.
- Other things you can do are buying less for a start, going for battery-free gifts and concentrating on connecting with Nature together with your family. So, look for experiences instead of “stuff” and combat “stuffocation“.
- Here are two more comprehensive lists that are very likely going to inspire you: 21 tips by Friends of the Earth and the Guardian’s A-Z tips.
Green Planet
- It just shows that positive change is possible. Read more about the single mum who sparked a plastic-free revolution.
- As the year is drawing to an end, read here about other people’s efforts at going zero-waste.
- Why not sign the “Campaign for free a Boxing day for Next’s employees. This is one more step towards curbing consumerist behaviour and protecting other people’s rights to a free festive period.
And last but not least take the time to be a bit more sustainable with yourself and your own resources and read my recent post on Eco-anxiety.
Have an enjoyable (and sustainable) Yuletide.
Josephine x
