Christmas has turned in to the ultimate consumer time of year. And in a way, I totally get it. I love getting gifts and I also really love giving gifts. But I think it’s all gotten a bit over-the-top, and no one should be going in to debt for the holidays.
So how to try to make Christmas a time of festive cheer instead of stress? It’s obviously easier said than done, but here are a few of my tips towards it.
How to Have a More Sustainable Christmas
Gifts
I shared a video on twitter the other day about how the endless cycle of gift-giving that we are in seems like a positive and kind thing on the surface, but that it can actually be incredibly selfish. If we give an expensive gift to someone (aunt, uncle, who knows) they’ll most likely feel forced to return the favour in equal value even if that isn’t financially viable for them. So by giving them the gift, which makes us feel great, we are accidentally putting them in an uncomfortable position.
Which is something that I completely get, having been in that “not having money for gifts” place myself.
So how to break that cycle? Just don’t buy miscellaneous gifts. I’m not talking about not gifting your children or your partner a gift, but the extended realm of gifting that can go on for ages. Instead, what about writing them an extremely thoughtful card, or if you really feel the need to give them something, homemaking something? (Last year, we gifted most family members with some homemade sweet and spicy cashews that I whipped up.) Or if you do strongly feel the need to buy a gift, focus on something that person really needs, not tat. Maybe it’s a pair of new gloves. Maybe it’s a bookstore giftcard for a student.
With closer family members (children and partners), I am a strong proponent of editing Christmas presents down to just filling the following categories “want, need, wear, read”. That’s how Sam and I have framed our Christmas presents for the last few years, and though we might not have as many gifts under the “tree” as many people, it’s been overwhelmingly satisfying.
When you shop, why not buy second-hand? Almost every single book I purchase is second-hand and both online and in charity shops you can find some great books in brand-new condition for under £2.
Decor
This is going to make me sound slightly grinch like, but for the last two years, Sam and I haven’t had a Christmas tree. That isn’t to say that we haven’t decorated, but we’ve not purchased or put up a tree, for many reasons.
First of all, I wrestled with environmental impact. Is it better to buy a plastic tree that you use for dozens of years (but will eventually get thrown away and not recycled), or a real tree, grown on a Christmas tree farm, yes, but leads to various environmental issues around crops? It’s not a quandary that I really have an answer for yet.
Second of all, we really don’t have space for a tree. We’d have to rearrange our furniture to fit one in, and call me Scrooge, but I don’t want to do that.
Instead we’ve decorated by bringing in twigs and boughs, and decorating those. Wreaths, holly, and off-cuts are what we drape around. For us, it’s more about bringing some Yule nature inside and not buying more plastic. Sam and I have a tradition every year of making Christmas ornaments out of his old egg shells, for example. It’s hilarious to see our ornament collection grow.
But if you really want a live tree, look out for RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds) ‘Pull a Pine’ events. In some nature reserves, young pines and invading protected heathland and you can spend the morning lending a helping hand, and you go home with a tree!
Last year, I wrapped all the gifts that we were giving in old brown paper bags that I had saved up throughout the year, and it gave our presents a very rustic, kraft-like appearance. And I felt great that I was recycling. This year, I’ll be using up some paper that I was gifted, but next year, I’ll be straight back to my brown bags.
Food
My food tips at Christmas would be the same at any other time of year really, but try to buy as local as possible. If you have a farmer’s market near you, check that out! Buy wonky veg from your high-street shop, if that’s an option. Buy your veg as plastic-free as possible. If your family is carnivorous, keep meat products for only one dish (like a main and not including bacon in everything).
But most of all, keep it simple. There’s no reason to set yourself some really difficult chef-like goals on Christmas. Stick to recipes that you know and have practiced and don’t set yourself impossible kitchen tasks, if it’s going to stress you out. Plan a main, a few sides, a dessert and everyone will love your meal.
Food waste sky-rockets over the festive period, so use those leftovers! Eat them, add them into stews, make bubble and squeak or save them for later! If really you can’t do those things find someone in your life who composts and give any leftover fruit and veg to them. (Remember, you can’t compost anything with meat or dairy in it.)
Most councils will recycle used tinfoil that you’ve used for cooking, if you clean it first. Check your local councils site and do that if you can. Personally, I often wash our tinfoil, straighten it out and reuse it. 4,200 tons of tinfoil are thrown away during Christmas. Let’s try to curb that together!
Activities
It’s a modern inclination to run-around rather frantically during the festive period. Going to shops. Going to work dos. Trying to see and do all the Christmassy things. In reducing your high street gift list, you’re freeing up a bit of time. But set aside some days to do nothing if you aren’t working. Where you stay inside in your pyjamas and watch Christmas films and play games with your family. Or make Christmas cookies.
As an actor, I’m obviously a big proponent of the arts, but I completely agree that the “big” tickets that people feel pressured to buy to the ballet and the panto can be so unaffordable. A great option would be to see if any local theatre groups are doing a panto. Which local ballet schools are performing ‘The Nutcracker’. You never know. You can luck in to some absolutely brilliant quality at the fraction of the cost. You might not be seeing a “big name celebrity” but you might be seeing a better actor or budding prima ballerina.
Or for an even cheaper and just as magical day out, check out some of your local National Trust sites. A lot of them let you walk the grounds for free (and they decorate!) or there might be a great local walk arranged. In York, there’s a great Christmas morning dog walk on the city centre side of the Millennium Bridge that everyone is welcome to attend!
Having a slower, simpler Christmas season is about going back to the basics: people, nature and food. And it can be just as magical.
Is there anything that I missed that you think should be included in having a more sustainable Christmas?
If you liked this post, you may also like:
An Eco-Friendly Christmas Gift Guide
Tips on Slow-living at Christmas
Christmas Gift Guide for the Feminist in Your Life
York Christmas Ice Trail
Recipes: Christmas Morning Favourites
UK cities for the best Christmas Mini-Break
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