Ah, it’s Christmas again! Here at Kiddit we love the festive season – plenty of time with the people we love, lots of yummy food and the fun of sharing gifts. Oh, and don’t forget the party games! However, we think that it’s possible to add to the joy of Christmas by taking care of the environment as well as your loved ones, so this week we’ve listed our ten top tips for an environmentally Christmas that’s as ethical as it is fun!
- Buy Locally – Supporting retailers in your area gives you a warm glow inside and keeps the local economy ticking over. In addition it’s great for the environment by limiting air miles, so buy your turkey, veggies and gifts locally where possible.
- Make Your Gifts – Nothing shows that you care quite like a homemade gift. If you have an artistic streak you could paint or draw for your loved ones, but if that idea terrifies you, there’s no need to let your artistic limitations put you off. Maybe you could bake a cake or make some jam – anything that you make yourself will be well received.
- Limit Food Waste – Instead of throwing away the remains of your Christmas dinner, think about reusing it. A quality cooked turkey will keep for quite a few days in the fridge, and your leftover veggies are delicious fried up with potatoes as ‘bubble and squeak’.
- Switch To E-Cards – Switching to e-cards for your extended list of family and friends is a great way to take a stand for the environment this Christmas. We still recommend real cards – albeit charity, recycled or homemade – for your closest loved ones, but the trees will thank you for sending e-cards to everyone else!
- Buy Organic And Grass Fed – Supporting smaller local businesses that supply organic and grass fed meats means that your Christmas dinner will be super tasty and the environmental impact massively reduced. Permaculture-raised livestock has a tiny carbon footprint compared to grain-fed meat.
- Try LED Christmas Lights – There’s nothing better than creating a delightful grotto effect for your kids with lots and lots of Christmas lights. Instead of using your old incandescent bulbs this year, consider switching to LEDs which use up to 95% less energy.
- Gift Wrapping – Choose the environmentally friendly option by wrapping your gifts from things lying around the house – brown paper bags, magazine or newspaper pages, recycled paper or cloth. Getting your kids involved with this process is fun and teaches them about the importance of recycling and reducing waste too.
- Out And About – Limit your carbon footprint by car sharing or using public transport when you head out to do your Christmas shopping. Make it an occasion by going shopping with friends and family.
- Christmas Decorations – In the build up to Christmas it’s a great idea to save any old tin foil or shiny packaging, so you can use it to make decorations. With a bit of imagination it’s possible to create some beautiful things to help your tree sparkle. Try using pine cones and ribbons as baubles, felt to make tree stockings, cardboard and paint to make stars, and even old toilet roll to make an angel for on top of the tree!
- Keep Your Tree – Instead of buying a new tree every year, you could consider keeping a living one in a pot in the garden. They’re very hardy and love being brought in for Christmas to share in the festive fun!
The team here at Kiddit hope that these top tips help you to have a wonderful holiday, whilst taking that little bit of extra care of our beautiful planet – if you’ve found this article helpful, you may also be interested in our tips for sourcing eco-friendly toys too!
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