Join GreenKiddie on

Follow GreenKiddie at Twitter

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

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.
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.
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.
Reuse holiday cards you receive to make gift tags. Most people don't write on the back of the front of the card.
Recycle all Christmas cards you receive once festive season is over.

Gift Wraps

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.
Find some old boxes (from shoes, for example), use them as gift boxes which you can decorate yourself.

Christmas Tree

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.

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.

Christmas Decoration

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.

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.
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.
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.
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.
Hand wooden letters on the tree to spell out words such as love, joy and peace.

Lights

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.
A slightly more expensive option is solar-powered lighting.
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.
When it comes to Xmas tree lights, best option is (to avoid lights at all, and secondly comes) Solar Powered Christmas Rope Light.
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

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.

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.
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.
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.
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.
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).
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

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.
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.

How to Treat and Prevent Babies and Kids' Eczema Naturally
When my little one was 2-month old, she has been diagnosed with severe eczema. Poor girl was crying all the time, her skin was dry, red and scaly, she couldn’t sleep and… I was feeling devastated. Doctors prescribed steroid creams, which made me even more nervous and worried than before, because of the possible side effects. As a first-time mum, I didn’t know what to do, or where to seek advice. Then I started talking to people, reading books and researching on the Internet for advice on… Read more

Your Guide to Mother and Baby Winter Essentials
Is it just great when the winter is white and when kids have lots of fun playing outside, making snowmen? Rather than spending the weekend in front of the TV, join the kids outside and have fun together as a family! Even when temperatures go below zero, it is still beneficial even for the very small children and babies to go out for a short walk and have some fresh air. Just make sure you’ve got handy your winter essentials…Read more

The Real Nappy Guide
A friend of mine told me a story the other day. She’s got a 2-year old lovely daughter, Ester. When Ester was a baby, mum started her on disposable nappies. Baby constantly had nappy rash, so my friend had to change different nappy brands, from Pampers and Huggies to food retailers’ own nappy brand… but no difference at all – they were all full of lotions and nasty chemicals, irritating the newborn gentle skin. Besides, I wasn’t aware about… Read more

What’s Really in Your Toddler’s Breakfast
I am sure every parent is aware of the importance of giving breakfast to children, but how aware you are then it comes to ingredients in your toddler’s bowl? Healthy breakfast options containing appropriate for kids level of salt and sugar is what we need to look for. With some expert help, we did a cereal breakfast research, aiming to establish the salt and sugar level in different cereal and porridge brands, and to find out what are really the healthy options. The results were… Read more

How to Naturally Pamper Yourself in New Year’s Eve
The day before New Year’s Eve it’s time to have a "day off" from the daily routine, leave kids to enjoy their quality time with daddy and find a way to indulge yourself. How we feel is not necessarily related to our outlook, but it does boost the confidence, right? So don’t underestimate it, but rather take advantage of those stolen few hours of “me-time” and pamper yourself naturally, following those 5 easy steps... Read more

Christmas Gift Guide: The Perfect Baby and Toddler Eco-Friendly Toys
“Dear Santa, My name is Veronica, I am 2 years old now, and this year I've been sooo good that I deserve the best gift ever! But I am a bit confused – the problem is that I can’t decide what gift to wish for… so I am leaving to you to bring me the toy that you know I would enjoy most. I am sure this toy would be made with all your love, inspired by every funny day spent with me during this year.”… Read more

Planning a Toddler Christmas Party? – Get Some Healthy Party Snacks Ideas
You are invited to your toddler Christmas party at the nursery, and need to bring some party treats for the kids. Or throwing a Christmas party for your child’s friends and neighbours? I guess many parents would go for some mince pies and cakes, but I will give you a healthier choice. And I bet your little ones would enjoy it even more!... Read more

How to Fight Swine Flu in Babies and Children Naturally
Cases of Swine flu are doubling in the UK weekly, and more and more parents are getting concern about their children's health and the possible side effects of the prescribed Tamiflu for babies and small kids. Well, there is always a better (and safer) alternative, and in this case is to prevent and treat flu naturally. First of all, try to boost your child's natural body defence by… Read more

Eco Halloween – Boo!
With just a few weeks to go, there is enough time to prepare for Halloween. And to think about how to give it some eco twist, without missing out all the fun. Here are some tips on having a “green” Halloween – from Trick-or-Treating to hosting a Halloween party… Read more

Mummy is Back to Work!
How to make sure your childcare provider will keep up your eco habits
Going back to work is an emotional moment for both mother and child. It is hard to believe that someone else will take care of our little ones the same way we do. But mummies do need to go back to work, and children do need to find their new friends at the daycare... Read more

The Healing Power of Water Therapy
Did you know that water can “absorb” our emotions? – There have been lots of studies proving that water structure changes according to peoples’ thoughts, either positive or negative. In a way our emotions are being absorbed by the water, and might be kept there for ages. Our feelings and thoughts affect the health of our bodies… Read more

Summer is Bright, Summer is Colourful… but Why Don’t you Make it a Bit “Greener”
It’s summer time, and the family vacation is on its way! Having a baby on board or small children makes the holiday planning even more exciting… and tricky. If you have chosen to be a green parent, it is possible to keep on with your eco habits… Read more

Healthy Mother and Baby through Ayurveda
From birth each baby is individual, has already a personality, waiting to become more visible to others. One baby may sleep well and sooth easily, while other may be restless even when not hungry, wet or in pain. There is a science explaining why people are different, and, by its individual approach, “recommends” a specific lifestyle… Read more

What’s the difference between an allergy and intolerance?
If you think your child has a food allergy or intolerance, then it's important to get a proper diagnosis. Don't cut food groups out of your diet without medical advice, because she could miss out on important… Read more

Feng Shui for Kids! How to help your children grow and develop in a positive way and enhance family harmony
There are no bad children, only bad behaviour. Our environment affects our behaviour. We know what to expect if we give our kids a lot of sugar or caffeine. They will bounce off the walls. We know what to expect if… Read more

Help Your Kids "Go Green"
Recycling, reusing, waste-reducing – if you really want to make a difference, it’s better to do it together. Children will copy you in everything you do, so the best way to help them “go green” is to be a good role model yourself. So... Read more

Create a Children's Garden
A children's garden is an excellent way to create a safe, summer place to continue learning. In his own garden a child can observe and discover while he interacts with nature. An ideal children's garden will be completely safe and kid friendly. This means no chemical fertilizers or pesticides... Read more