It's the most wonderful time of the year, but Christmas is also one of the most wasteful seasons of all.
114,000 tonnes - equivalent to 650,000 reindeer - of plastic packaging ends up in landfills in the UK each year, along with 227,000 miles of wrapping paper, while seven in 10 of us admit to buying more food than we can possibly eat.
HELLO!'s Planet Positive Green Coach, Lucy Johnson, has perfected the art of having a beautiful Christmas without overindulgence and unnecessary waste. Her secret? To tackle the festive season in stages, starting with dusting off your family heirlooms for Christmas decorations…
1. Deck the halls with boughs of holly
One way I love to get into the Christmas spirit is to decorate my home with holly and ivy, hang silvery branches with baubles and make festive garlands with home-dried oranges and left-over ribbons.
But if time is not on your side, or DIY is your idea of a Christmas nightmare, then the most sustainable decorations are the ones you already own. The boxes of decades-old tinsel and plastic baubles you’ve had stored away for years are the pinnacle of zero waste.
If you need some new Christmas decorations, one of my favourite shops is Nkuku. Using natural and recycled materials - like their recycled glass baubles - their products are hand-made by artisans who use crafts like handloom weaving, metal sculpting and pottery.
2. Go for a cut or living Christmas tree
© GettyMany artificial Christmas trees are made from plastic and aren't recyclable, with an environmental impact ten times greater than a real tree.
This is why companies like Pines and Needles – known for decking out the royal residences – are ditching artificial firs in favour of natural trees. They offer a collection service for London postcodes after the festive season, which sees the trees they collect turned into animal bedding at London Zoo, or chipped and turned into biofuel.
3. Throwing away crackers is crackers
© Getty/Rossella De BertiWe’ve been pulling them since the 1840s, and Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without them. But it’s estimated that over 40 million crackers end up in the bin on Christmas Day adding to the festive waste mountain. Instead of buying cheap and cheerful throw-away crackers, my family and I find great joy in using beautiful reusable crackers we bring out each year, and have now been added to the ever-growing box of family Christmas heirlooms.
For Christmas crackers made to last a lifetime, I love Kate Sproston Design’s pretty Scandi-inspired linen crackers. Or, for a touch of luxury at the table, satin crackers double up as napkins. Simply 'pull the cracker' and unroll your napkin ready for your Christmas dinner.
4. Getting it all wrapped up
© Evgeniia SiiankovskaiaWho doesn’t love a Christmas present? But with gifts comes wrapping, and each Christmas miles of it ends up in the bin. A stylish alternative to wrapping paper is to create reusable wrapping. The Japanese art of Furoshiki means wrapping gifts in fabric.
There’s no need to tie yourself in knots on the correct way to tie Furoshiki, simply use any pretty fabric you have lying around to wrap around your presents. If you don’t have any left-over fabrics, Aspiga sells gift bags from their off-cuts, that you can use, and reuse as they get gifted from person to person.
6. And, finally, the Christmas feast
© GettyUnfortunately, supermarket foods are all too often wrapped in layers of plastic. So head for your local butchers, greengrocers or farmers market to source your Christmas turkey and trimmings.
Buying locally, seasonally and, if you can afford it, organically, not only does the planet a favour, it also does your tastebuds a favour too.
If you’re thinking of giving food as gifts this year, their Christmas hampers are the ultimate foodie treat. What is Christmas really about if it’s not a winter banquet to usher in the lightening days with those that you love most?
Introducing Lucy Johnson, HELLO!'s Planet Positive Green Coach
Lucy Johnson is a green coach and qualified psychotherapist, working with people and businesses to rebalance with nature.
Lucy, founder of sustainable lifestyle consultancy Green Salon, is passionate about living a life in balance with nature.
"I hope to inspire people just like you, who'd like to improve their own wellbeing by clearing pollutants from their homes, cooking delicious, nutritious food and finding brands that don’t cost the earth.
"People who want to explore a new world of forest-bathing and wild-swimming, take night-trains on holiday and glamp under desert stars.
"My new monthly column will cover the highs and, sometime lows, of living a greener life. I hope you’ll come along and join me on this journey."
