10 Easy Ways to Make Christmas More Eco-Friendly
Posted by EYR Team on 3rd Oct 2022
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Christmas is a time for celebration, spending time together and creating special memories, but it can also be a time when we generate more waste and consume more than usual.
From Christmas decorations and wrapping paper to gifts, food and packaging, there are plenty of opportunities to make more sustainable choices during the festive season.
The good news is that making Christmas more eco-friendly doesn't have to mean giving up the things you enjoy. Small changes, such as reusing decorations, choosing thoughtful gifts and finding new uses for everyday materials, can all help reduce waste.
We've put together 10 easy eco-friendly Christmas ideas to help you enjoy a more sustainable festive season, including simple ideas that can be used at home or in an Early Years setting.
1. Choose Reusable Christmas Wrapping
Christmas wrapping paper can create a huge amount of waste, particularly when paper is used once and then thrown away.
Where possible, choose reusable alternatives or find ways to reuse wrapping materials from previous years.
You could try:
- Reusable fabric gift bags
- Fabric wrapping
- Recycled paper
- Reusing gift bags
- Saving ribbons and bows for another year
If you're in an Early Years setting, why not let children decorate their own reusable gift bags or wrapping paper? This adds a personal touch while reducing the need for single-use materials.
2. Rethink your Decorations
One of the easiest ways to make Christmas more sustainable is to reuse the decorations you already have or make your own!
Look around your setting or home for materials that could be repurposed. Old cardboard, paper, fabric scraps and other craft materials can be transformed into festive decorations with a little creativity.
You could make:
- Christmas tree decorations
- Paper chains
- Snowflakes
- Christmas wreaths
- Hanging decorations
Reusing materials not only helps reduce waste but can also provide children with opportunities to get creative and explore Expressive Arts and Design.
3. Make Your Own Eco-Friendly Christmas Crackers
Christmas crackers are a festive favourite, but many shop-bought crackers contain plastic packaging and small plastic toys that are quickly thrown away.
Instead, why not make your own eco-friendly Christmas crackers using materials you already have?
You can use cardboard tubes, recycled paper, leftover wrapping paper or other craft materials to create your crackers. Children can decorate them with drawings, paint, stickers or natural materials.
4. Choose Sustainable Gifts
When buying Christmas gifts, think about whether the item is likely to be used and enjoyed for a long time.
Rather than buying lots of inexpensive items that may quickly be discarded, consider choosing gifts that encourage open-ended play, creativity and learning.
Alternatively, why not consider making your own? Simple ideas such as decorated plant pots, handmade ornaments, Christmas pictures or personalised cards can make thoughtful gifts without needing lots of new materials.
5. Reduce Christmas Food Waste
Christmas can involve a lot of food, and it's easy to prepare or buy more than you need.
Planning meals carefully and thinking about portion sizes can help reduce unnecessary food waste.
Where possible, make use of leftovers rather than throwing them away. You could also freeze suitable foods to enjoy later.
For children, this can be a useful opportunity to talk about where food comes from and why it's important not to waste it.
6. Choose a Real Tree
Artificial trees often end up in landfill. If you're looking to buy a new tree, read these tips to check your real tree is as green as can be:
- FSC Certification If the tree supplier has an FSC Certification, it means that they act sustainably and protect healthy forests and the environment.
- Recycle After Christmas, you can recycle your tree in several ways, such as using it to create paths or making it into garden chippings. There are lots of recycling options in the UK, check out how you can recycle yours by heading over to the government website.
- Replant If you buy your tree with roots, you can replant your tree in your garden for an evergreen plant all year round.
7. Recycle Where You Can
Christmas often means extra cardboard, paper, packaging and other materials.
Before putting something in the bin, check whether it can be reused or recycled.
Encourage children to become recycling detectives by sorting suitable waste into different categories. This can turn an everyday task into a simple learning opportunity.
Talk about why we recycle and what happens to materials after they are collected.
Remember: Recycling rules can vary depending on your local authority, so always check which materials can be recycled in your area.
8. Repurpose Christmas Packaging
Don't throw away packaging as soon as a gift has been opened. Boxes, tubes and other packaging can become fantastic resources for creative play.
For example, children could use cardboard boxes to create:
- Christmas houses
- Reindeer
- Christmas trees
- Festive characters
- Small-world play scenes
Repurposing packaging gives materials a second life and can also encourage children to think creatively about how everyday objects can be used in different ways.
Remember: Always check that packaging and materials are clean, safe and suitable for the children using them.
9. Send Sustainable Greetings
We love to reconnect with loved ones at Christmas time, it's what it's all about. But did you know that 2.65 billion cards are sent every Christmas? When you add to this all the glitter, plastic, and ribbon that can't be recycled on top of this, that's a lot of mess for the planet. Make your greetings more sustainable with these tips:
- Go Digital! Why not send an e-card or email to family, particularly those who are far away? It's much kinder to the environment, as well as cost-effective, and saves so much time. Try personalising it with a video greeting!
- Recycle. Recycle old cards and use them again.
- DIY. There are so many lovely ways to make your own Christmas card. Try using your handprint to make a reindeer, or a picture of Father Christmas, to personalise the card for your friends and family.
10. Make Christmas About Experiences
One of the simplest ways to make Christmas more sustainable is to focus less on buying things and more on spending time together.
For children, experiences can be just as exciting as receiving a new toy.
Try:
- Christmas baking
- Winter walks
- Christmas storytelling
- Singing Christmas songs
- Making decorations together
- Playing traditional games
- Exploring your local area
These activities create opportunities for children to learn, communicate and spend quality time with the people around them — without needing to buy lots of new things.
Why Is an Eco-Friendly Christmas Important?
Making more sustainable choices at Christmas can help reduce unnecessary waste and encourage children to think about the impact that our everyday choices can have on the environment.
For Early Years settings, Christmas can be a particularly useful time to introduce simple ideas around reuse, recycling and caring for the natural world.
You don't need to make dramatic changes. Reusing decorations, repurposing packaging, reducing food waste and choosing durable resources are all simple steps that can make a difference.
Most importantly, involving children in these decisions helps make sustainability something they experience as part of everyday life.
Eco-Friendly Christmas Ideas for Early Years Settings
If you're looking for ways to make your nursery, preschool or classroom more sustainable this Christmas, start with the resources you already have.
Encourage children to:
- Reuse craft materials
- Make decorations from recycled materials
- Sort recyclable materials
- Create gifts using materials you already have
- Explore natural materials
- Talk about reducing waste
- Reuse decorations from previous years
These activities can also support several areas of the EYFS, particularly Understanding the World and Expressive Arts and Design.
Make Your Christmas a Little Greener
You don't need to have a completely waste-free Christmas to make a difference. Small, realistic changes can help make the festive season more sustainable while still keeping it fun and memorable.
Whether you're reusing decorations, creating crafts from recycled materials, reducing food waste or simply spending more time together, there are lots of ways to enjoy a more eco-friendly Christmas.
Why not choose a few of these ideas to try this year and see how you can make your Christmas celebrations a little greener?
We would love to see how you have yourself a merry eco-friendly Christmas! Share your stories with us on social media by tagging us or using the hashtag #ExploreWithEYR
