How to have a Low-Waste Christmas
Tips on having a lower-waste Christmas season, while also spending more time doing Christmas activities with your family!
I like to think that not too long ago, almost all Christmas decor was handmade/homemade… before all the consumerism, materialism, and marketing completely took over the holiday season. Wouldn’t it all be so much more special if our homes were decorated by items crafted together by our own family members? It would sure make us keep the decor longer instead of throwing it all out to get the new best thing the next year. Not to mention the fun times and memories we could all have getting together to not only decorate but make all the decorations from scratch!
These macrame ornaments are available on TheWanderingHomeCo Etsy shop.
Ornaments & Garland
Here are a few ideas on how you can make your own Christmas ornaments & garlands this year:
Popcorn garland. This is a classic. Now this will most likely only last for one Christmas season, but fortunately, it is made of all natural food ingredients so it can be composted! Some people also like to add cranberries to their garland. You can have a whole evening watching a Christmas movie, stringing your garland, and snacking on them too!
Dried oranges garland/ornaments. This one has gotten more popular lately as I have seen it a lot on Pinterest and on Instagram reels. You thinly slice some oranges and dry them by baking them at a very low temperature. You can then either string them up into garland or make them into ornaments. This one can last several Christmas seasons if stored properly. Mine has lasted for two years so far! Bonus, drying the oranges in the oven will help warm up your home in the winter, and it will smell delicious! This one would also be compostable if you decide to throw them out at the end of the season.
Upgrade old ornaments. Our styles change, and that’s okay. Instead of throwing out old ornaments, try giving them a refresh by painting them! You could just paint them all a solid color, try your hand at a cute Christmas scene, or just let your kids have fun painting Christmas ornaments.
Clay or salt dough ornaments. You can find air dry or oven bake clay at almost any craft store, and you can simply follow the instructions on the box. Your family can create any shape ornaments or just make circles and paint them! Similarly, you could make salt dough ornaments. It is moldable like clay, but you can make it out of everyday kitchen ingredients.
Crocheted ornaments/garland. This one does take a bit more skill, but crocheting is such a cozy winter hobby. If you have thought about learning, why not start with some little ornaments? There are lots of free patterns and tutorials available!
Felt ornaments. There are so many possibilities using felt! You can either sew pieces together or simply use hot glue. You can make super customized garland and ornaments, and also so many other little decor pieces for your home.
Beaded ornaments/garland. You can buy a big bag of beads and string your own beautiful beaded garland. You can also get creative and paint them to make unique ornaments!
If you are really against DIY, you can still do your part when it comes to purchasing Christmas ornaments. When buying, try to invest in items that you will continually use year after year, not something that will easily get broken or will go out of style. Also consider buying from small businesses and artists. As a small business owner/artist myself, I can’t say enough how happy it makes us when someone chooses to buy our handmade items. When shopping from artists, you can find so many beautiful and unique pieces that will add so much character to your Christmas design.
Wrapping
I probably don’t need to tell you that the amount of wrapping paper that gets thrown away each year is ridiculous. We have all seen the piles of wrapping paper on the floor Christmas morning, and almost all wrapping paper isn’t even recyclable. But if you were wondering, a quick google search will tell you about 2.3 million pounds of wrapping paper end up in the landfill every year. There are so many better ways to wrap gifts that won’t generate unnecessary trash.
Here are some alternatives to traditional wrapping paper:
Use what you have. If you are looking to be very low waste, consider recycling things you already have! Trader Joe’s paper bags always get a Christmas theme during the holiday season, and I have cut out the decorative parts of the bag and used that to wrap gifts for a few years now. You could also use newspaper, plain paper bags, or reuse wrapping paper from gifts you were given the previous year!
Try reusable gift bags. Even if you are not interested in creating less waste, these are such a cute idea anyway! These are Christmas gift bags that you can use year after year. There are giant bags that look like Santa’s gift bag, or you can get customized ones with family members names on them. Here are some you can purchase from Etsy. Etsy has so many cute and customizable options! You can also find some more affordable options of Amazon as well.
Traditional Japanese wrapping technique. This is essentially taking some sort of fabric and wrapping a gift using a specific tying technique. This year I am thinking I might wrap some things in a tea towel for those that might like an a tea towel as a little bonus gift.
Gift a reusable bag. This is a very simple option. Make the bag as part of the gift! (Only if you think the person would be interested in keeping a bag of course.) You could use a cute tote bag, or maybe a nice reusable grocery bag.
Other Decorations
Forage for branches. You may have to do some research for this, but you can use your own evergreen branches (if you have any at your home) to make garlands & bouquets. Make sure to be fire safe, you don’t want to let the branches get too dry.
Pinecones. Depending on where you live, you may be able to find pine cones all over the place. You can use them as craft pieces for ornaments or even just fill up a bowl of pinecones and sit it out as decor.
Paper stars. - Paper stars have gotten very popular the past couple years. And there are plenty of tutorials out there on how to make your own! You can even use pages from an old book or even a thrifted one in order to reuse/recycle.
All in all, Christmas should not be about shopping, and trying to have the most aesthetic or best decorated house. This Christmas, try to use what you have, invest in items you will have for years, and shop from small businesses and local artisans.
Have a very Merry Christmas (:
