5 Easy Ways to Make Your Christmas More Sustainable

Let’s start with the harsh reality of Christmas in the UK (I know, not very festive but it’s important you understand the scale of the issue I’m trying to address) – as a country, we produce 30% more waste at Christmas time compared to any other time of the year. That is anything from Christmas decorations, Christmas trees, wrapping paper, greetings cards or food waste.

But by replacing common Christmas practices with sustainable alternatives, we can help mitigate the damage that the most wonderful time of the year has on our planet.

At Sunshine Thrift we recently launched a collection of second hand and vintage Christmas decorations, all of which came to us from people who no longer needed them. Without us rehoming these decorations, they may have ended up in landfill!

It was during the build up to the launch of this collection that I truly learnt the scale of the issue we are trying to tackle and that’s why I wanted to share with you five easy ways you can make your Christmas more sustainable.

1. Give second hand gifts

I am a huge advocate for giving second hand gifts, especially at Christmas time. In a world where you can walk into any supermarket, high street store or simply go onto your phone and pick the first gift that you see, giving a second hand gift is the opposite of that. It takes thought, time and consideration to give a second hand gift, plus it is an accessible sustainable alternative to buying brand new.

As the gift giver, finding the perfect second hand gift may not come easy, but rest assured once you find the perfect gift at the perfect price it will be worth the additional effort, plus the pride of being able to tell the recipient that their gift is second hand is an unmatched feeling.

2. Reuse wrapping paper and packaging

The typical UK household produces around three bin bags worth of packaging waste at Christmas. Think back to last year’s Christmas, was there any wrapping paper or packaging you could have saved? We all have that one relative who opens their presents like they’re holding a small explosive device, that is wrapping paper that can be saved for next year. If you shop online, think of the boxes and protective packaging that is delivered to your front door, this can be reused.

Crafty TikTokers have shared some ideas on how you can use even small scraps of wrapping paper to create bows so you don’t waste an inch of wrapping paper nor do you have to buy any bows.

Using leftover packaging and wrapping paper doesn’t have to look like you have dragged a gift out of the bin, instead it can create a truly unique handmade look that adds that personal touch to any gift.

3. Gift an experience instead of a physical gift

This is something I am a big fan of! For too many years I was guilty of buying my family presents simply for the sake of it, not knowing if they would really want it as a gift. In recent years I have drifted away from this unsustainable (and frankly lazy) habit, instead finding wonderful experiences that I know the recipient would thoroughly enjoy. Not only does it remove the risk of an item ending up in landfill, it allows you build more memories with the people that are important to you and that is what Christmas is all about.

Gifting an experience can appear to be the expensive option on initial research of gifting experience websites, however, this is something you can put together yourself without the help of a Wowcher or Buyagift.com. For example, if your recipient is a big football fan, why not take them a football match instead of the usually bought stadium tours, and treat them to a meal afterwards to make a day of it.

4. Shop local and support your community

Being sustainable at Christmas time isn’t all about reducing waste, its about making better purchases. If online shopping isn’t for you and you would prefer to be out in the shops buying gifts, festive outfits or decorations be sure to support your local community and shop in locally owned independent stores. These are the businesses who will value your custom more than anyone, your Christmas is personal for them. This could be anything from buying a gift at a local maker’s market, buying your Christmas cards from the local gift shop or buying your festive desserts from the local bakery.

5. Choose second hand decorations

So, you’ve bought your second hand gifts, you’ve bought your festive food from the local bakery and now you need to decorate your home to really get into the festive spirit but how do we make this part of Christmas more sustainable?

Well, it’s hard, the choice of decorations and baubles in the shops gets more and more overwhelming each year. Plus, whose idea was it to put Christmas decorations on the shop floor in October? What’s next, putting our trees up on the August bank holiday?

Wherever possible, try to use existing Christmas decorations in your attic or shed. With a bit of DIY and crafting you can bring old garlands, wreaths and decorations back to life at very little cost.

However, if you want to freshen up your Christmas decoration selection this year, be sure to choose second hand. In November, we launched our very first collection of second hand and vintage Christmas decorations and the response was crazy! With a third of the stock selling in less than 24 hours, it was clear to see the demand for second hand decorations. Take a look at the remaining pieces we still have in stock, I’m sure you’ll find something you love that will put the final piece in your sustainable Christmas puzzle.

Final Thoughts

As we head into the festive season, I hope these easy-to-implement tips help you enjoy a Christmas that feels a little lighter on the planet and a lot richer in meaning. Choosing second hand, rethinking how we wrap and supporting local businesses are things more of us should be doing, especially at Christmas time and I really hope that through this guide you can see just how easy it would be to make these small changes. By making these small changes, you will be a big part of reducing waste and making Christmas more sustainable for generations to come.