A Very Sustainable Christmas

Ah Christmas, a time for plastic wrapped gifts, eating turkey sandwiches until it hurts, and spending so much money come January, you can’t afford to leave the house. 

 

 

 

 

 

If you’re new to the reuse wrapping game then don’t worry! There’s still time to start a collection before the big day. First off, ‘Who Gives A Crap’ toilet paper comes wrapped beautifully decorated paper ready to be used for wrapping presents so you can now make it a festive tradition to treat yourself to some fancy bamboo toilet paper in the lead up to Christmas. 

 

 

 

 

I have to admit I’ve stopped sending Christmas cards at this point. I just can’t justify the paper usage and the carbon emissions for postage. But if like me you don’t have the heart to stop sending Christmas cards to elderly relatives and that one person who just loves an elaborate Christmas card to sit on their fireplace, consider buying these from local makers, at charity shops, or even make your own! We love the selection of locally made cards at Kist. 

 

And if you can’t quite get let go of their Christmas cards sending tradition how about you elf yourself? Why handwrite dozens of cards when you can snap a picture of your merriest self and watch it come to life as a dancing elf? Or better yet a quick catch up on zoom or FaceTime in the lead up to Christmas could mean 1 million times more than a card or digital dance. Perhaps a festive FaceTime is the 2021 edition of sending a Christmas card. 

 

 

 

Choose eco-friendly and independent businesses. Sure Amazon is convenient, but Jeff Bezos won’t do a happy dance every time you buy something. There are countless incredible local and eco businesses who, thanks to the pandemic, are relying on the next few months to keep their businesses open. Chances are you will also find a much more personal, and get even sometimes personalised gift, from the shop round the corner, or the person who crafts from their spare room. 

 

De-stigmatise Secondhand. Charity shops are one of the best places to hunt for unique gifts that are affordable and sometimes still brand new. Antique Centres, rummage sales and secondhand selling apps are also great places to hunt for gifts. And you can often find secondhand but still brand new items in their original packaging for a fraction of the price of like for like items in the shops. Why not drop by the Gate Church Carbon Saving Project community wardrobe and see what you can find. 

 

What is the ultimate way to ensure your gifts are unique? Make them yourself! Food based gifts are cheap and relatively easy to make but are some of the best received. I can’t think of a gift more thoughtful than a hamper of homemade goodies. And if you’re feeling brave, a handmade or up-cycled project is a labour of love that will most like be cherished forever. We have a Christmas cake recipe bag which makes a great Christmas gift.

 

If shopping and crafting aren’t really your thing, or you just don’t have much time to spare this year. Secret Santa is a great way to save money and avoid buying unnecessary gifts, especially if you get your whole family involved. You can set a budget that works for everyone and ask for exactly what you’d like! No more running around on Christmas Eve for that one hard to buy for person, and no being inundated with socks or bubble bath from everyone you know. 

 

 

1. Regift! There’s absolutely no shame in gifting a present forward to someone who you know will love and appreciate it! 
2. Donate it! There are plenty of organisations that make sure to gifts in the hands of those who may ordinarily go without. 
3. Donate it! (but not straight away). Charity shops benefit most from new items or items with plenty of life still left in them. So unwanted gifts are ideal… however they tend to get inundated with these kinds of donations in January so if you can hold of a couple of months when donations are a bit lower it will be even more appreciated. 
4. Give a gift of kindness. Sure you may not need another pair of fluffy socks but someone experiencing homelessness, or a neighbour who is struggling with their heating bills might really appreciate them. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you’re going out to celebrate with family or colleagues, choose a local restaurant or bar over a chain (and I’m totally bias, but better yet choose a vegan restaurant!) At The Little Green Larder we are huge fans of Rad Apples and Loco Ritas. 

 

Host your own Christmas potluck where everyone can bring food in reusable containers and takeaway leftovers so nothing goes to waste. 

 

 

 

“Deck the halls with foraged holly fa-la-la-la-la-la”… those are the lyrics right? 

 

If you’re looking to add a little more colour, secondhand decor is the way to go. Check charity shops, reuse centres and Facebook Marketplace for everything from trees to trimmings. You might end up with decor so bright you can forego the Christmas lights! 

 

If you’re don’t have a lot of space to store decorate you can create a Christmas card tree on a wall, and use paper and foil garlands and lanterns which fold up to a fraction of the size and make paper chains and snowflakes. These make a big impact but can fold down to fit into just a shoebox so you can keep reusing rather than having to buy and let go of new decorations every year. 

 

Alongside paper chains and snowflakes, there’s plenty of ways to DIY decorations from materials at home. You can cover old baubles and festive cardboard shapes in strips of fabric, puts fairy lights and candles in old glass bottles and jars and that’s just a couple of ideas of making decorations without buying any craft materials. 

 

 

 

Go vegan! With turkey shortages predicted for this year, maybe now is the time to question whether you really need a bird on the table at all. Or any animals for that matter. You can buy, or even make a plant based alternative to every traditional Christmas dish and it’s getting easier and easier than ever. Never before has there been so many plant based bacon options to keep your tempeh pigs cosy for Christmas dinner. 

 

Make your own. It’s cheaper and uses much less plastic to bake and cook everything from gingerbread houses to roasties for the big day, and most things can be made ahead of time so you don’t have to spend all day in the kitchen. Here at the larder we have pre made Christmas cake kits, and now is the perfect time to pick up all of the packaging free ingredients you need to make your gingerbread cookies, mince pies and stuffing. 

 

Ignore the best before. Chances are you will have a lot of food to eat over the Christmas period and there’s a chance some of it won’t make it to the table before it reaches its best before. Chances are if it’s a couple of days past best it’s still totally fine. There’s plenty of recipes online for using up leftovers, lots of things can be frozen, and if you just can’t get through it, you can share with neighbours, donate or pop on a food sharing app anything you know you want be able to eat. 

 

On the flip-side if you don’t quite have enough food to see you through the festive period, the good news is there is plenty of food surplus to be rescued this time of year, you can check community kitchens and fridges, food sharing apps, and even supermarkets which often give veg away for free after Christmas Day. There’s also likely to be a huge amount of reduced food in Supermarkets (festive and non festive) as they overstock the shelves, which can sometimes cost pennies if you go at the right time of day. 

 

 

 

 

One of possibly the best tips for a sustainable and pocket friendly Christmas is to forego the 25th of December. The benefits of this are endless! Pushing Christmas back by a few days, or even a month, can make a huge difference. Think about it; you can get all of your food and presents much cheaper as the demand has gone down. You can even get food from food sharing apps and organisations from those who bought too much. You get to avoid panic purchases and overbuying because you have more time to prepare, or DIY instead of buy. You will probably find it easier to take time away from work and get quality time with family. You can even borrow decorations from a friend or family member who has packed them away for the year so you don’t have to buy your own. You get to keep your cards and decorations out for longer and you have given yourself a little festive pick me up to avoid the January blues.