Eco-Friendly Decorating Tips for a Sustainable Christmas
Data shows that over half of all British adults (53%) believe that having an eco-friendly Christmas is important. And with £1.2 million worth of Christmas decorations ending up in landfills, not only is using single-use plastics burning a hole in the ozone layer but also in your back pockets as you fork out money on decorations each year.
Vikki Makinson, Head of Marketing & Communications at Oceans, says: “Decorating your home for Christmas doesn’t have to include mass-marketed decorations that you’re likely to throw the coming year. Instead, you can add a unique and personable twist this Christmas with a bit of arts and crafts that your children will love. Break out the toilet rolls and paints for a DIY Christmas that can save both the environment and your wallet.”
Toilet paper Christmas crackers
Making decorations can be a great way to bring the Christmas spirit early, decorate your home sustainably, and have fun as a family.
Christmas crackers are a staple of many Brits’ Christmas meals – filled with gifts, jokes, and even paper crowns. But for a second of joy, buying crackers can add up. So, if you make them yourself, you can spend less and even make them more personalised to everyone around your table this year. All you need is an empty, sustainable toilet paper roll to get started.
By covering three toilet paper rolls with wrapping paper, tying them off with string, and including your gifts inside – you can make Christmas crackers everyone loves without having to splash out. You can also add a cracker snap in the middle so that when you pull your cracker, you get the signature snap.
This can be a great craft to get your young ones into the Christmas spirit – and even showcase their great humour with family-favourite jokes written inside.
Natural wreaths
Whether you’re getting into nature and foraging for some of your decorations or simply buying natural products at the shops, plants can be a great addition to any home for Christmas. Holly or other festive plants across the UK can help spruce up your decorations this year.
But remember to thoroughly wash and dry them when you get them home to avoid bringing unwanted bugs and pests into your house.
Natural wreaths add warmth to your front door while being kind to the environment. Ditch the plastic and opt for a wreath designed with holly and berries. You can even bring nature inside with festive flora table runners.
Energy-efficient lighting
Christmas is the time of year when coloured lights make all the difference – from decorating the Christmas tree to decking the halls. If you’re trying to lead a more sustainable Christmas this year, then your old lighting might be contributing to extra energy wastage.
By swapping your lights for LED ones, you can use up to 90% less energy. Not only can swapping your “big light” for LED strips help to create a cosier atmosphere, but many LED lights can also change colours – meaning that you can set whatever tone you want for Christmas, whether it is an icy white wonderland or a mixture of colours.
Making a sustainable Christmas doesn’t have to be complicated. In fact, it can be fun for the whole family as you play with light settings, go foraging in the forest for your new table centrepiece, or even make your creations from items you already have lying around the home.
