We’re dreaming of a green Christmas. A holiday season when our community comes together and does what it can to preserve our Earth’s natural resources. Contrary to popular belief, there are so many ways to celebrate the holidays while still being eco-friendly and not breaking the bank. Here are some tips for eco-friendly decorations, stocking stuffers, and gift wrapping!
Eco-Friendly Holiday Ideas
Real Christmas Trees
The eco-friendly option of a holiday staple, real Christmas trees are grown on farms that produce Oxygen and consume CO2 from the air. Unlike artificial trees that are factory-made, producing toxic greenhouse gases and fumes from plastics. Real Christmas trees also are 100% biodegradable.
Eco-Friendly Soy Candles
Candles warm your home and fill it with a holiday spirit like no other decoration. But – make sure you get soy or beeswax candles, as they are non-toxic and help purify the air instead of giving off chemicals indoors. Plus, they have longer burn times so that you can enjoy the scent longer.
Anything Thrift Store
We can’t say it enough – Reuse! Reuse! Shopping for thrift store holiday decorations supports the act of reducing waste in the environment, and you can find cute decorations to fill your home!
Eco-Friendly Stocking Stuffers
Stocking stuffers are our favorite part of the holidays! Nothing beats the look on your family’s faces when they wake up to stockings filled with little gifts on Christmas morning. You can fill your family’s stockings with fun small presents while sticking to your eco-friendly commitment. Here are some of our favorite eco-friendly stocking stuffer ideas:
- Reusable straws
- Natural shampoo bar
- Reusable makeup wipes/cotton rounds
- Bamboo toothbrush and biodegradable floss
- Beeswax lip balm
- Compost bag
Gift Wrapping
If you really think about it, when people give and receive gifts, it can seem wasteful. You wrap a gift in wrapping paper, watch someone unwrap it, then it goes into the garbage can. Still, millions of rolls of wrapping paper are used annually. That’s a lot of waste, not to mention the trees that were cut down to produce the wrapping paper. Here are some eco-friendly gift-wrapping ideas:
- Newspapers
- Reusable fabrics
- Reusable gift bags (non-holiday specific, so you can use them for any gift year-round)
Once your gift is wrapped, pull out your reusable bows and include an eco-friendly evergreen garnish as a decoration. Your gifts will be stylish and eco-friendly!
Let’s Eat!
Another way to be more eco-friendly during the holidays is to ditch disposable plates and cups. If you’re hosting a holiday party, use your regular dishes instead of paper plates that will just get thrown away. You can even get creative and use mason jars or other fun bowls and glasses as part of your table setting.
Be Thoughtful About Gift-Giving
Instead of buying stuff that will end up in the trash, try to give gifts that are either sustainable or that will last a long time. For example, you could give someone an energy-efficient light bulb or a reusable water bottle.
Learn More About Aware NYC
We are a WBENC woman-owned company that wants to make a difference by protecting our children, our communities, and eventually the world. Our sustainable clothing brand was created by friends, women, mothers, and sisters with the vital mission of making a positive impact on our earth and giving back. Learn more about our brand: https://awarenyc.com/about-us/
