Christmas! The big event is just around the corner once again! Can you believe how fast this year has gone? For those who celebrate Christmas, it is a holiday of giving and spending time with family. However, with that comes the stress of finding perfect gifts and creating a magical Christmas.
So much is wasted around Christmas because of the stress we place on it being perfect and there are certain traditions that we do for the sake of tradition. Of course these traditions should not disappear but they should instead be adapted to be more sustainable and better for the environment. Think of it like giving a Christmas present back to the Earth.
Wrapping
Every year the UK uses 227,000 miles of wrapping paper and a huge chunk of this ends up wasted in the bins. Fortunately, most wrapping paper can be recycled but it is the production of it that is the problem. You can still have the surprise element of opening gifts without the traditional wrapping paper by using newspaper.
Newspapers are another thing that serve one purpose and end up in the bin so why not reuse them. They can have an authentic look and can be wrapped with ribbon to add a bit of colour. If you still want to use typical wrapping paper then carefully unwrap it and reuse it next year to wrap your presents. This way it will not only be more sustainable but cheaper in the long run as well.
Leftovers
Food is a major part of Christmas and the dinner is the main event with the most pressure placed upon it. If you are open to substituting your usual turkey with a meatless option then that is a great start. Alternatively, if you still want the meat aspect then make sure all elements of the dinner are being used up as an astonishing 270,000 tonnes of food is thrown away in this period every year.
The best way to do this is reuse leftovers and make more meals out of them. Personally, my family usually make a bubble and squeak out of the vegetables and the leftover meat is frozen to have on our next Sunday roast. Therefore, if you make too much Christmas dinner, which you will undoubtedly do, you don’t have to worry about sending yourself into a food coma and can enjoy it again another day.
Christmas Crackers
I love Christmas crackers and could not have Christmas without them but cannot argue with the fact that most of them have pointless plastic toys in that end up in the bin. This year why not try buying fill-your-self crackers and you can add a little chocolate in it. Alternatively, you could buy crackers that come with a game inside or cookie cutters that are more likely to be used over and over again.
Usable gifts
Avoid getting gifts for the sake of getting gifts. Really think about what the person you are buying for will like and get a lot of use out of. If you are unsure, a gift receipt is a great way to ensure the present isn’t wasted. With stocking fillers in particular, it is easy to buy useless little plastic things but these can be replaced with tree decorations or perhaps chocolates.
Small brands
We all have a habit of coming up with a gift idea and immediately looking it up on Amazon, especially if you’ve got Prime. However, we should really be considering where we are buying gifts and what kind of companies we are supporting.
Buying from big monopolies only make them bigger and dissolve any competition. Small businesses have had an even harder couple of years than normal due to Covid and therefore, we should be supporting them instead. If you can access a local shop then that is ideal as it avoids delivery costs and impacts. However, if you are unable to do this and have to order online then Etsy is a great place to find small businesses.
Words by: Choe Hill
Edited by: Yasmine Moro Virion