9 Easy Tips for a More Sustainable Christmas

Are you looking to be more environmentally-friendly and have a more sustainable Christmas this year, but not sure where to begin?

Christmas is the biggest holiday of the year and may be the most wonderful time of the year, but it’s probably the worst holiday for the environment. A lot of artificial trees get purchased, too much food is made and then wasted, and so much wrapping paper is used and then thrown away.

But the good news is that there are many ways to be more sustainable at Christmas.

In this guide, I’ve compiled a huge list of ideas that you can use to celebrate this festive period with the environment in mind.

Pick one or pick multiple – every little change you make to be more earth-friendly this Christmas makes a positive impact, no matter how small it may be.

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Here’s how you can have a more sustainable Christmas.

1. Opt for a Sustainable Christmas Tree

This year, make your Christmas more sustainable by choosing a better tree. If you don’t own a fake Christmas tree but have been contemplating it – don’t buy one!

You might be surprised to know that buying synthetic plastic trees for Christmas is not more eco-friendly than using a natural tree.

Artificial Christmas trees need to be used for decades before it becomes more environmentally-friendly than using a real tree. That’s because fake Christmas trees are produced in factories in China (raising their carbon footprint) and are often made with PVC, a type of plastic. This makes them usually unrecyclable, and they end up in landfills.

Here are some sustainable Christmas trees to try instead of using fake trees.

1. Use real trees from a local grower

Purchasing a real Christmas tree instead of a fake tree can reduce your environmental impact because the process of growing real trees is natural.

Real trees are grown outside, typically at a tree farm, providing oxygen, cleaning the air, and providing habitat for wildlife, making it a better option than fake trees.

Purchasing a real Christmas tree also means that you’re supporting a local tree farmer which helps keep wildlife thriving.

When tree farmers cut down trees for Christmas, or when you cut down your own tree (great family tradition!), they’ll keep planting more. This helps keep our forests growing which helps fight climate change.

You can help by supporting planting trees, either through tree farmers, or even supporting brands that plant trees when you make a purchase.

When buying a real tree, you can get it cut and then after the holidays, there are various ways you can get rid of it in an environmentally-friendly manner.

You can recycle the tree, return it, compost it, mulch it, make potpourri, use the branches for decor, use it as firewood, and more. Since there is no root ball, the tree can’t be replanted. But if that’s the route you want to take, then consider a…

2. Choose a living Christmas tree

Another option for a real tree is a living Christmas tree which is essentially a potted tree.

Using live trees for Christmas is one of the most sustainable options for a Christmas tree, especially if you love having that real tree smell. Because honestly, another perk of real Christmas trees – they smell amazing.

You keep it inside for a certain amount of time, depending on the tree, and return it to the outdoors afterwards. You can reuse it for future Christmas’ and even repot it when it gets bigger.

You can also plant living trees outside after the holidays.

Planting the living Christmas tree afterwards would be the low-maintenance way to extend the tree’s lifecycle as well. You’re simply letting nature take its course.

But if you want to keep the tree in the pot, you’ll need to make sure you water the plant. (Use ice cubes!)

Learn more about how to care for a living Christmas tree.

3. Rent a tree

Although not a widely common service, renting a Christmas tree is another great sustainable option for a Christmas tree.

If renting a Christmas tree interests you, do a quick Google search to see if there are any businesses in your area that offer this as a service.

Related Post: 5 Ideas for a More Sustainable Christmas Tree

2. Eat Sustainably During the Holidays

During the Christmas holidays, there’s often a lot of family get-togethers and therefore Christmas dinner. Buy your produce and meat from local farmers for a smaller eco-footprint and to support your local businesses.

Additionally, make sure you aren’t wasting any delicious Christmas leftovers. Freeze what you can or give some leftovers away to family and friends to ensure it gets eaten.

For a huge list of actionable tips, check out my post of 30 ways to reduce food waste at home.

3. Drink Sustainably Too

Don’t forget your drinks! Christmas often calls for celebration and for some people, that means alcohol. Opt for locally-brewed beer, wine, liquor, etc.

Another way you can drink more sustainably this Christmas is to try out some organic drinks! Organic alcohol simply means that the ingredients were grown on an organic farm so there are no pesticides, fertilizers or chemicals.

4. Use Sustainable Christmas Decorations

Another huge part of Christmas is decorations, and unfortunately, there are a lot of Christmas decorations that aren’t great for the environment. Stay away from cheap plastic ornaments that are prone to easy breakage,

Here are some things to consider when decorating this Christmas.

1. Skip plastic when possible

When buying new Christmas decorations, skip decorations that are made with plastic. Plastic Christmas decorations are often difficult to recycle and therefore not accepted by recycling programs. So if it were to accidentally break, you’ll have to throw it in the garbage.

If you have plastic decorations already on hand, you might as well use them but if not, consider donating them.

2. Use sustainable materials

Consider purchasing Christmas decorations for your home, both indoors and out, as well as your Christmas tree, that use sustainable materials like wood, metal and natural fabric.

These types of sustainable materials are more durable, and some of the most eco-friendly. And since the materials are natural, they won’t do too much harm to the environment should they wind up in a landfill, but they can often be composted.

See if you can find someone local who makes natural Christmas decorations like wreaths and garlands out of evergreen branches, for example.

For your Christmas tree, skip buying cheap plastic ornaments and opt for more eco-friendly ornaments that use natural materials, like wood. Wood is a lot more durable than plastic, making it less prone to breakage.

3. Opt for soy or beeswax candles

Candles are a great way to make your home smell like Christmas. If you love candles, consider buying candles that are made with natural ingredients like soy or beeswax.

Many candles are made with paraffin wax which is a byproduct of petroleum refining. When burned, it releases toxic chemicals into the air.

4. Make your own decorations

Using natural materials such as wood, pine cones, evergreens, oranges, cranberries, and more, you can make your own natural Christmas decorations that can be reused or composted after the holidays.

Check out my post for some DIY natural Christmas decor inspiration.

5. Shop secondhand Christmas decor

Another way to decorate sustainably during the holidays is to buy secondhand Christmas decorations. Buying secondhand items is one of the best things you can do in general, and Christmas is no exception.

Consider purchasing secondhand Christmas ornaments, lights, fake trees, anything!

My rule for shopping secondhand is that the materials don’t matter. As long as I’m going to use the item for years to come, I’m happy that I can expand the lifecycle of the item.

While on the topic of secondhand, if you need a new outfit for a Christmas party, don’t forget to check out your local thrift store! Buying secondhand clothing is awesome too, no matter the time of year.

6. Decorate your tree with wishes

Make your own Christmas traditions this holiday season, and a great idea is to decorate your Christmas tree with wishes. Have everyone write down wishes they have for the new year on a piece of paper with some rope or twine, and decorate your Christmas tree with them.

5. Opt for Sustainable Christmas Lighting

Christmas time means that there’s a lot of lights being powered which uses a lot of energy and racks up your electricity bill. Here are some ways to reduce your energy usage during the holidays and save some money.

1. Use energy-efficient LED lights for Christmas

LED uses up to 80% less energy which saves money and reduces carbon emissions. Try and use LED lights for your outdoor Christmas lights, as well as your Christmas tree.

If you’re using regular incandescent light bulbs, you can be paying up to 90% more than if you were just to use LED lights.

2. Use a timer for indoor and outdoor lights

You can purchase programmable timers that will turn the lights on and off at the times of your choosing. This is perfect for the evenings, so you control how long the lights are on, and not have to worry about forgetting to turn them off before bed.

3. Get some solar powered lights

Have you considered solar powered outdoor lights? You can find solar-powered lights for the house, the pathways, for railings, etc. that all run on the sun. And you don’t have to worry about the cold weather affecting them. Unless they’re covered in snow, solar panels actually work better in cold temperatures.

6. Skip the Disposable Christmas trends

Things like Christmas crackers and advent calendars are fun and popular Christmas activities but they’re pretty wasteful.

Consider making your own Christmas crackers, minus the waste. Since you can choose what to put inside them, you won’t end up with any junk.

The same for advent calendars. You can make your own reusable advent calendar to use year after year and choose what you want to put inside them.

7. Choose Sustainable Christmas Cards

1. Ecards, the best sustainable Christmas card

Instead of sending physical Christmas cards to family and friends, save trees, time, and money by opting for electronic cards.

A great option for this type of eco-friendly Christmas card is Greenvelope. All of Greenvelope’s beautiful templates are made by artists all over the world and there are over 400 Christmas designs to choose from.

Greenvelope has planted over 26,000 trees and has saved over 990,000 pounds of paper. They are also a member of 1% for the Planet.

Shop Greenvelope.

2. Recyclable/biodegradable cards

If you love the act of sending a physical Christmas card, consider buying or making cards that are 100% recyclable or compostable.

Avoid glitter, foil print, plastic and glue – basically use Christmas cards that are only made with paper.

For a biodegradable Christmas card, you can get crafty and use brown paper and eco crayons, which is also a fun idea if you have kids.

3. Plantable cards

Another great and sustainable Christmas card idea is a plantable card that contains seeds. Plant the card and watch something grow. Learn more at Botanical Paperworks.

8. Wrap Christmas Gifts Sustainably

The way you wrap your Christmas gifts is one of the best, if not the best way to have a more sustainable Christmas. That’s because there’s a lot of waste generated all over the world from Christmas, and most of it isn’t recyclable.

There are various ways you can wrap gifts that are zero-waste and plastic-free, making everything either compostable or reusable.

Here are some ways you can wrap gifts more sustainably.

1. Reuse gift wrap waste

A great way to reduce gift wrap waste is to reuse it. When you receive gifts wrapped with wrapping paper, gift bags, and/or tissue paper, hold on to them and reuse them for wrapping future gifts.

If it can be reused, you might as well reuse it, giving it more use and postponing its final destination: the garbage.

2. Wrap gifts with brown paper

Brown craft paper is the more eco-friendly option when it comes to wrapping paper. Most wrapping paper isn’t recyclable, which means all that gift wrap waste is headed to landfills.

With brown craft paper, it can be recycled or even thrown in the compost.

3. Stay away from plastic ribbons

Plastic ribbons that stick on gifts are typically only used once, or have to be reapplied with tape. They’re also not recyclable.

To fight plastic waste, try using twine, rope, or fabric ribbons which can be tied and reused forever.

4. Skip the plastic tape

Although sometimes frustrating, I’m not going to lie, you can wrap gifts without using plastic tape. You can secure wrapping paper by folding and tucking the folds. I’ve also successfully wrapped gifts using only craft paper and twine.

Another option is to use washi tape which is made with plant-based materials.

5. Wrap gifts using fabric

An extremely easy way to wrap a gift with no waste is using the furoshiki method, which is essentially wrapping the gift with fabric and tying it off.

Consider using old scarves or shirts, or even cutting up old sheets, curtains, etc. to get a large amount of the same design.

Read more sustainable gift wrapping methods.

9. Gift Eco-Friendly Presents

What you decide to gift your friends and family members is another important part of having a more green Christmas.

Choose zero-waste or plastic-free products, shop from small businesses, give a handmade gift or gifts that give back like planting trees.

Here are some sustainable gift ideas that are perfect all year round, including Christmas.

Final Thoughts on this Green Christmas Guide

Christmas is a holiday that’s celebrated by many, and with that comes a lot of waste, but with these eco-conscious tips, you can have a Christmas that’s more mindful of the environment.

It’s a great feeling when you know you’re doing your part even if you decide to only make a few small changes during the festive season.

If you found these sustainable Christmas tips useful, make sure to save it for future reference! This list is massive and full of resources.

If you want to start planning for the New Year, check out these eco-friendly New Year’s resolutions you can consider adding to your list of goals!

Share these sustainable Christmas tips with your friends and family!