How to Make Your Christmas More Eco-Friendly
Simple Ways to Make Your Christmas More Eco-Friendly (Without Losing the Magic!)
Christmas is a season of sparkle, excitement, and indulgence - but it can also be a season of serious waste. According to environmental charities, Christmas is one of the most waste-heavy times of year, making small conscious swaps especially powerful.
With a few simple switches, you can enjoy all the fun and none of the eco-guilt. Here’s how to celebrate Christmas sustainably, split into four festive categories to help you sleigh your green goals!
Quick Eco-Friendly Christmas Wins
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Choose fewer, better gifts
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Wrap with recyclable or compostable paper or fabric
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Plan festive meals to reduce waste
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Opt for reusable or natural decorations
Gifts That Don't Cost The Earth
Choose quality over quantity.
Opt for thoughtful gifts that last longer than Christmas morning. Handmade items, durable essentials, and experience gifts are not only meaningful but also kinder to the planet.
Give the gift of self-care.
Self-care gifts are a beautiful way to encourage loved ones to slow down and nourish themselves. Think organic skincare, soothing haircare, or even a relaxing digital detox experience. These are gifts that genuinely make people feel good - without costing the earth.
Ditch excess packaging.
Avoid gifts wrapped in layers of plastic or those infamous plastic "windows" you see in boxes. Instead, support brands that offer minimal, recyclable, or biodegradable packaging. Better still - buy from small businesses who intentionally avoid wasteful wrapping (they usually need the support the most this time of year!).
Here at New Dawn, all our skin and hair care products are organic, eco-friendly, and packaged sustainably, making them a perfect ethical gifting option.
Shop Organic Skin & Hair Care Gifts >
Wrapping: Beautiful Without the Waste
Let’s be honest - half the fun of Christmas is tearing open presents. But that doesn’t mean your bin needs to overflow.
Choose paper without plastic coating.
If it scrunches, it can be recycled! Shiny, glittery, laminated papers? Not so much.
Use paper ribbon or string.
Fabric ribbons and plastic bows look cute but often end up in landfill. Instead, try raffia, paper ribbon, twine, or simple string for a rustic, Scandinavian-chic look.
Decorate with natural foliage.
For a magical finishing touch, tuck in a sprig of pine, holly, rosemary, or eucalyptus. It’s festive, fragrant, beautiful, and compostable - truly a win-win-win-win.
Food: Feast Without the Fuss (or Waste!)
Christmas feasts are legendary… but so is the food waste that comes after them.
Cut down on food waste.
Plan realistically, store leftovers smartly, and get creative with next-day recipes. Bubble and squeak, anyone?
Eat seasonal.
Seasonal produce is fresher, tastier, and has a much lower carbon footprint. Think Brussels sprouts, parsnips, carrots, and winter greens.
Support local organic producers.
Whether it’s cheese, veg, bread, or meats, buying local helps cut transport emissions and boosts small sustainable businesses. Plus, it's often fresher and tastier.
Decorations & Trees: Keep It Green and Gorgeous
Christmas décor can be fabulously festive and Earth-friendly.
DIY & Reusable Decorations
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Make your own decorations: Salt dough ornaments, dried orange slices, collected pine cones or paper chains - fun to make and lovely to look at, and if you store them properly you can use them next year.
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Ditch the glitter: Most glitter isn’t recyclable and ends up as microplastic. Skip it or use biodegradable glitter if you really want a little shimmer.
- DIY crackers: Ditch the single-use plastic-filled ones. Make or buy DIY crackers and fill them with mini surprises, thoughtful notes or jokes.
Christmas Trees
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If you go for a plastic tree…
Make it count. A high-quality tree needs to last at least 10 years to be more eco-friendly than buying a new real tree each year. So invest in one that will stand the test of time. -
If you prefer a real tree…
Choose a UK locally grown tree to reduce transport impact. And when the season is over, dispose of it properly - look out for council recycling schemes, composting options, or drop-off points where trees are turned into mulch.
Final Thoughts
An eco-friendly Christmas isn’t about giving anything up - it’s about making choices that feel good and do good. With simple swaps in gifting, wrapping, food, and decorations, you can create a celebration that’s joyful, thoughtful, and planet-friendly.
Browse our eco-friendly natural self-care gifts.
Because the best Christmas gifts don’t just feel good - they do good too.
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The Social Impact of Organic Skin & Hair Care
