Articles > Eco-Friendly Christmas
Have a Magic Eco-Friendly Christmas
Christmas is knocking on the door, so it's time to prepare. How about, apart from dreaming of white Christmas, you think about making it a bit greener this year? If you like the idea, start discussing your intentions to have a green Christmas with your family early in the season. You can easily decide on a few key areas to improve without sacrificing family traditions. It is also great to explain to your kids why you are doing this, so they can get educated in eco-friendly manners. Besides, using natural materials and “green”options is not just great for the environment, but also for yours and your children’s’ health. So here are some ideas. –
Christmas Cards
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Consider switching to emailed holiday cards. You can send photo and holiday e-cards using sites like www.ecards.co.uk or http://ecards.excite.co.uk.
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Buy cards printed on recycled paper, handmade papers, or paper made from materials like hemp. You can try to find cards that donate a portion of proceeds to a good cause.
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Get creative and make Christmas cards as a toddler craft activity on a Sunday afternoon. You can use eco-friendly materials like real tree leaves, cotton, sugar, old Xmas tree decoration… use you imagination. You can make a recycled paper at home, as well, which to be used for everything from Xmas cards to gift wraps.
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Reuse holiday cards you receive to make gift tags. Most people don't write on the back of the front of the card.
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Recycle all Christmas cards you receive once festive season is over.
Gift Wraps
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As a general rule, skip wrapping paper whenever possible. If you feel you need to wrap presents, try doing so with ribbon or string instead of sticky tape. Make sure that you use recycled wrapping paper, and. Give is a trendy twist with designer recycled wrapping paper by Lisa Jones. Ask you toddlers to help with mummy and daddy’s gift wrapping, but do their presents secretly, so you don’t spoil the surprise.
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Find some old boxes (from shoes, for example), use them as gift boxes which you can decorate yourself.
Christmas Tree
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If you've been wondering which is better, the simple answer is that real trees are the more eco friendly choice. Although artificial trees last for many years they are made from metal and derivatives of PVC, which requires large amounts of energy to make, and also creates by-products such as lead which can be harmful to both the environment and human health. A live tree certainly evokes the season with its pine-fresh smell, and families often enjoy the annual ritual of picking out the perfect tree.
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Rent a living Christmas tree from the ChristmasTreeMan.co.uk. It'll be delivered to your door in a pot (to keep the tree alive) and some feed to keep the tree healthy. When Christmas is over your tree will be collected and returned to the ground. Or this year, why not start growing your own? Have a live Christmas tree in a pot that you can take outside to the garden and use next year.
Decoration
Decorate your home with natural and recyclable materials. Rather than spending money on artificial Christmas decorations that won't biodegrade, why don’t let nature decorate your home.
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Get inspired and try some other organic and natural products to decorate like popcorns, home-made oat cookies, cinnamon sticks, seasonal berries, dried orange peels, pine cones, holly, etc. Tell your kids help you with decorating the tree and the house – it will be great fun and a way to spend a wonderful day with the family.
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Use seasonal fruits as decoration, which you can eat afterwards, or are at least biodegradable. You can also use dried fruits for decorating both the Christmas tree and the house. – How about creating strings of dried fruits and hanging them out around the tree? Or have a handful of dried fruits and place them in a glass bottle/ other container, and add some dried flowers and an ivy branch.
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Wreaths don't have to be made from evergreens. Make your own from fabric remnants, tree ornaments, or shells. You can use some old hair ribbons to decorate wreathes.
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Use vintage Christmas decorations. Look out for bargains at markets and car boot sales – all those bizarre old trinkets may do a beautiful decoration and give your home a magic spirit.
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Hand wooden letters on the tree to spell out words such as love, joy and peace.
Lights
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Use low energy LED fairy lights (light emitting diodes) which use a fraction of the energy of standard lights. Switching to LEDs is 90% more efficient than incandescent lighting. LEDs don't get as hot as traditional lights, lowering the risk of fire, and if one bulb goes out, the rest of the string still works. They last longer, too.
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A slightly more expensive option is solar-powered lighting.
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Why don’t you use candles for your Christmas evening and forget the electric light bulb for a couple of hours? This will not only reduce your energy use, but will also create a truly festive atmosphere for the whole family.
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When it comes to Xmas tree lights, best option is (to avoid lights at all, and secondly comes) Solar Powered Christmas Rope Light.
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If you fancy outdoor lights, there is also an eco-friendly option by buying Outdoor Solar Powered Christmas Fairy Lights.
Candles
Avoid paraffin-based candles. Instead, buy natural options like soy, beeswax or vegetable-based candles, or you can even make some yourself - read here how. These are biodegrade, smoke-free, and far more eco friendly. You can find some here. They are a better option for a baby room, but be careful and never leave a baby or toddler alone in a room with candles.
Gifts
Your little ones are already dreaming of their Christmas presents, aren’t they? How about making their dreams come true in an eco-friendly way? – There are loads of beautiful natural material toys (and not necessarily old-fashioned). They are far nicer to touch and to play with, great for children’s imagination and creativity. The choice between educational, art, role-play, etc. toys is great, you just need to find what your little pumpkin has wished for, and make sure Santa brings her the best (eco-friendly) gift! You can try online stores like http://thetoyshopoxted.co.uk, http://www.littlenuttreetoys.co.uk, or http://www.whywoodworks.co.uk.
And when it comes to mum and dad, how about going green, too? You can hide small gifts under the tree like natural scented candles, organic cosmetics, reusable eco-bags or recycled wallets, and probably go for an experience presence like aromatherapy or Ayurveda massage, musical tickets, yoga or flamenco dancing classes? Don’t forget to add a handmade or recycled-paper card. Be eco-friendly, original and thoughtful of what your loved ones would appreciate most.
Christmas Dinner
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Avoid the last minute supermarket dash. Buy your Christmas dinner from a farmers market or organic shop. Buying organic will be fresher, taste better and it’s best for kids (and parents, of course). And you’ll be buying local too, benefiting rural communities and reducing food miles. Check out www.farmersmarkets.net for your local market where you’re likely to find a selection of vegetables, fruit, meat, bread and cakes & dairy produce.
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Go for a free range organic turkey - order from your local butcher in advance - or get an organic one delivered to your door from an organic online butcher.
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If you buy online, don’t forget your greens! A weekly organic vegetable box makes life easier and would make enough for the family Xmas dinner.
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Get some nice fresh organic spices, too. Make sure you have rosemary to sprinkle over roast potatoes or meat, sage, which is a delicious addition to stuffing and nut roasts, and parsley to add in to sauces and soups.
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And if you really can’t eat any more then use your leftovers creatively. Visit www.lovefoodhatewaste.com for brilliant recipes and cooking tips for leftovers such as turkey and ham pie or turkey, or mango and lime salad.
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If you are breastfeeding, make sure you avoid any alcohol, tobacco, hot spices, and food that may lead to allergic reactions like peanuts, eggs or wheat (if you are aware of a specific allergy).
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And if your baby is not ready yet for a family dinner, make sure you cook him a Xmas dinner, too, but in a baby or toddler-friendly way in terms of consistency and products you have already introduced.
Recycle
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And do it properly! – Make sure all your empty cans, bottles and jars find their way to your recycling bin. Start by cutting down on the amount of glass you use - buy large bottles of drink rather than lots of small ones to save on the packaging. Rinse and recycle your aluminium foil. For more information on recycling check out www.recyclenow.com.
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You can also either recycle or, even better – give your unwanted Christmas presents to charity shops, children organisations or hospitals, so that way you would not only show that you care for the environment, but also for the people in need.
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