How to Have a More Conscious Christmas

Christmas can be the most wonderful time of the year. But our waste goes up by 25% for the 4 weeks leading up to the big day. There is also the over-consumption Christmas brings. We clutter our lives with stuff we don’t use. Here are some tips to living more consciously.

Conscious Giving.

We can get swept up in the whole giving presents and shopping like a crazy person. Even now I can become a little nutty when creating Christmas content. I used to love to shop for others but I have always made presents for the family as well. Now I opt out of the gift giving but there are a few well thought gifts to my family. If you feel you need to give a present, there are so many ways to be giving and eco-friendly as well.

Shop Eco – There are so many reusable products on the market that can be perfect little gifts for loved ones. A Bamboo Fibre coffee cup for the coffee lovers Stainless Steel Tiffin & Cutlery Kit for the foodies Woven Hemp Exfoliation Glove for the beauty gurus Fun kitchen stuff like wax wraps and grocery kits for the chefs in the family.

Experience Gifts- I love this idea and Aaron and I are choosing to do this, this year. We decided to take a trip and the money we would have spent on presents we can put towards an adventure. But if you are wanting to give an experience and share a moment with your loved ones. take them to see their favourite band, go camping or even dinner for two.

Shopping Second Hand. Do you really need to buy new? Something yes but a lot of items you can find second hand. If you are patient you can keep an eye out for something that a loved one has been wanting. A piece of furniture, tech, clothes. Finding those special pieces for half the price and because it’s not new you have saved resources.

Homemade Gifts- This has always been my specialty. even when I was a little girl, I would gift the things I made at school and It was special because it was made by my hands. There are so many ideas on Pinterest. You can make mummas a DIY spa kit. Christmas cookies in a jar, upcycle a container and stick a cute plant in it and even get crafty with a sewing machine make a cute tote bag for grocery shopping.

Setting Up the Tree

So I have a plastic tree, major sadness these but now I know how environmentally unfriendly it is I can’t get rid of it. But If you don’t have a tree stay away from the plastic ones. the most environmentally friendly is a potted tree. It can grow with you as the year’s pass. Can’t find a potted Christmas tree? No worries be a little untraditional use a plant you already own. or make a wallhanging tree. There are so many crafty ideas on Pinterest.

Ornaments- So I own a few plastic ornaments but I refuse to buy any more and instead, I like to make my own. For tinsel, I make a huge batch of popcorn and thread it on a string.  This year I made salt dough ornaments in Christmas shapes I love these because they look ceramic and so easy to make.

Lights- We don’t go overboard with lights but we do have lights on our tree and as soon as the sun goes down they are on. We use the light for ambience and it makes us feel happy having them on.

Finding an outfit for Chrismas Parties

I used to go shopping all the time but I’ve dialled it down immensely. The fashion industry is a mess & textile waste is so crazy, let alone the toxic chemicals that are going into rivers in third world countries where fast fashion and most high brand labels are made. For special occasions, where you are only going to wear it once I like to borrow or thrift. My beautiful friends always let me raid their closets and if I can’t find anything there I head to the op shop. I have found great sustainable pieces hiding in-between so much synthetic.

Cooking for the big day

We tend to overcook over the holidays and over shop groceries like there is an apocalypse. So we end up with a lot of food waste. If you are going to see family or if their all coming to yours, ask everyone to bring a Tupperware container. That way everyone is sent home with something yummy and it won’t be left in the fridge to go off. So you have cooked this beautiful feast but what to do with all this organic waste? If you don’t have a handy compost in your backyard, you can sign up to a great community called Share Waste. It shows you homes in your area that have share compost bins, you can take your organic waste excluding meat and dairy.

Eco Table Setting

The simplest settings are always the most beautiful. I have a bottle brush trees all along my street, so I cut a couple of stems off and bought 1 stem of eucalyptus which was $5. This sets a base and looks truly timeless because let’s face it nature is beautiful. I have been collecting plates from op shops (thrift stores) for a while now for my food photography but there are great finds leading up to Christmas.

Easy Steps can be taken to be more conscious and hopefully, these tips help you on your way.

I want to wish you all a beautiful and conscious Christmas. x