Don't get us wrong, the holidays are AMAZING. We love the warm and cozy vibes, time with the people we live, and of course all the incredible foods. But when we drill down and itemize some of those common holiday must haves, it becomes clear that there are opportunities for more sustainable options.
and the FUNNY thing about these more eco-friendly Holiday practices is most of them are more cost effective as well, which is a WIN WIN situation.
We have collected some of our favorite Sustainable Holiday Must Haves!
Holiday Decorations
instead of buying new plastic holiday decorations - go for a more sustainable version. You can use low cost, or even free items you find around, to make your own holiday ornaments and house hold decorations.
Homemade Christmas Ornaments
plastic free
compostable
zero waste
There are so many great things you can use to make your own holiday ornaments so you can be festive without all the waste.
- Dehydrated Citrus Slices: slice and bake sliced oranges, lemons and grapefruit. Bake on 200 degrees for 2-3 hours, flipping every 30 minutes. Once dehydrated, poke a hole in the top with a knife. String a piece of twine through and tie!
- Cinnamon Salt Dough Ornaments: here is our favorite Salt Dough Recipe by PlantedintheWoods. These are fun because you can make them in whatever shape you want. We love trees, snowflakes and gingerbread man. HOT TIP! Don't eat the dough, even though it looks like cookie dough. It's super gross.
Garland
There are so many fun garlands you can making using eco friendly items. I like to put a garland on my fireplace, side banister, and on window sills.
- Popcorn & Cranberry String
- Paper Banners
- Wreath Garland
Gift Wrapping
Gift wrapping is probably one of the most wasteful holiday must have, I mean you spend all this time wrapping it just for the second glory of the one you love ripping it up. Good news is it doesn't have to be. We've gathered a few of more sustainable options to consider when wrapping your gifts this holiday season that are not only good for the environment but gorgeous as well.
There are so many ways to wrap a gift more sustainably then buying that glitter paper from the store. Don't be afraid to get creative!
some of our favorite sustainable gift wraps are:
- Brown Kraft Paper - the OG eco friendly gift wrap. If you are thinking it's not bright enough you can write a personal note or have your kids draw on it.
- Newspaper: nothing says sustainability like reusing something. Use caution because it can stain your hands when wrapping.
- Tote Bag: this is a great alternative because it's eco friendly and re-useable, so it's almost like 2 gifts.
Don't forget the decorations!
Since the gift wrapping is simple, you want to go extra with the little detailed decorations.
Eco Friendly Gift Wrapping Decoration Ideas:
- pine combs
- dried herb springs (rosemary, sage)
- dehydrated citrus (similar to the ornaments in the previous section)
- cloth ribbon
- twine to tie everything together