Dawn Matthews | Nov 26, 2024
Sustainable Christmas Decorations For The Home
10 Minute Read
The most wonderful time of the year calls for the most sustainable Christmas decorations, in our opinion! While it can be easy to get swept up in glitter and tinsel, we believe you can embrace the magic of the season while keeping the planet at the forefront of your mind. Choosing eco-friendly decorations mean that you can still create a festive home that is just as warm and inviting, while minimising your impact on the environment.
Why is sustainability so important at Christmas?
With so much excess happening during the run up to Christmas and new colour trends every year, it can be tempting to buy more so you can keep up. But the more that is bought by us all collectively, the more is manufactured and thrown away each year. And it isn’t just single-use products that end up in the bin that contribute to the excess of the holiday season. Extra energy use, more packaging, and higher carbon emissions simply aren’t good for the planet.
By making eco-friendly choices for your Christmas decorations, you can enjoy plenty of festive spirit without compromising on your commitment to the environment.
Sustainability and your Christmas tree
Buying a real Christmas tree can be a sustainable option, if it is done in the right way. If you really don’t want to give up a real tree, look for trees that are certified by the Forest Stewardship Council, and ideally, that are grown locally. This means it won’t have travelled as far, reducing the carbon footprint, and ideally, buy from an organic independent retailer or your local farm shop, since they are likely to have sourced their trees from responsible growers locally.
After Christmas, be certain to dispose of your tree carefully – it should be recycled, either to be shredded into wood chippings, or composted. There are plenty of schemes, many run by local councils, and a quick search online will tell you where your nearest is.
For a truly sustainable, reusable tree, Christmas tree rental services can deliver pot grown trees to your door, so they continue to grow year on year – and of course, there’s nothing to stop you growing yours in the garden in a pot, if you have space!
While they often use plastic and have a higher initial carbon footprint due to manufacturing and transportation, the longevity of artificial trees means they can be considered a sustainable choice. Buy carefully; you want a high quality tree that will wear well, and if possible, find one that is made from recycled or recyclable materials. Be sure of the size and style you want, so that your tree lasts decades, and consider it an investment in all your future Christmases that you’ll love bringing out each December.
Sustainable Christmas decorations
When you’re finding ornaments and decorations for your home at Christmas, there are plenty of alternatives to plastic. Decorations made from natural and renewable materials such as paper, cotton, terracotta, and clay are all great choices – and in many cases, should those items end up broken, they can be recycled or even composted.
Paper decorations
We think that paper decorations are one of the best parts of Christmas if you have children. There are so many paper crafts to make ahead of December, such as snowflakes and paper chains – and the beauty is that they are all very easy to make, and keep the children busy! Save paper from magazines, and boxes from packaging, and if you want to use glitter, make sure you find a biodegradable style. Then, when Christmas is over, you can add these items to your compost bin.
If you don’t have children in your life and don’t fancy making them yourself, then cheat – we won’t tell! Our mini paper trees, and hanging paper trees look perfectly rustic and are hand made from recycled materials.
Ceramic decorations
Clay, terracotta, and porcelain decorations, if you look after them carefully, can last way more than a lifetime – you’ll be able to hand them down to your children and grandchildren, which makes them a sustainable choice. You’ll find plenty with traditional decorations in red, green, and gold, but if you prefer a more muted, rustic look, then you’ll love our set of three terracotta Christmas trees.
Hard-wearing metal decorations
Investing in Christmas decorations made from metals means that you can bring them out year after year. Metals reflect the light of all your candles and Christmas lights, making your space feel even more twinkly and special. They’re much less likely to get broken than glass or plastic baubles, and they just need a quick polish each time you bring them out. Looking for inspiration? The metal decorations in our range of Christmas decorations are hand made from recycled materials.
⏺ Our hanging brass leaf is made from recycled materials
⏺ These hanging bells are made from recycled iron, and have a gorgeous antique gold finish
⏺ Our shiny brass effect hanging pine needles are made from recycled iron
⏺ You’ll reach for our brass mistletoe year after year – where will you hang it next year?
Sustainable table centrepieces
We’ve written about decorating your Christmas table before – it’s important for a magical Christmas day! A gorgeous Christmas table centrepiece sets the tone for festive gatherings. If you want a natural look, then collect evergreen branches, pinecones, and seasonal fruits, and dot candles in between. Artificial versions of these that you can store away and reuse next year are also great options, but for a completely different idea, we recommend heading to Pinterest.
Energy-efficient Christmas lighting
There’s nothing more Christmassy than little twinkly lights. Whether you prefer white lights, or a mix of colourful fairy lights, they have never been more efficient. LEDs are super-efficient, requiring little power to provide a bright light. LED fairy lights are very convenient, with USB rechargeable battery powered ones, solar powered ones, and plug-in styles – so you can make use of them everywhere.
LEDs are also perfect for your outdoor lighting, so if you like outdoor Christmas decorations in your garden, you can do so – just make sure you really love them and that you’ll use them year after year. Don’t forget, if you choose carefully and have colour changing LEDs, you’ll be able to use them through summer evenings too.
Of course, Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without candles everywhere too. Choose organic candles made from beeswax, like the ones in our range of rustic candles. Available in four perfectly muted shades and different shapes, they are ideal for rustic Christmas décor – tapered styles look stunning placed on Christmas tables, held by our hammered brass candlestick holders.
You don’t have to buy brand new…
There’s infinite ways to dress up what you already have so that it feels festive. Do you really need special decorative napkins for Christmas Day, or could you simply add a ribbon to one you already have, for an equally as festive and stylish look? The bonus for reusing what you already have is that you don’t have to find space to store it for next year, and it won’t date nearly as quickly.
If you can’t find quite what you’re looking for already in your home, it is well worth checking your local charity shops. There are beautiful vintage decorations that end up there every year, and even if you find something that isn’t quite perfect, you can always refinish the decorations you find – especially those stoneware and China ornaments.
But if you do, make conscious purchases
Being considerate about where you buy can make a big difference to the environment. Your local Christmas fair can be a fabulous festive outing, and you’ll be supporting local artisans – many of whom will consider the environment, work with sustainable materials, and won’t have travelled far either.
A great example of the type of decoration you can find at these events is advent calendars. While manufacturers are working to reduce raw materials used in them, refillable advent calendars are a much better choice. If you can’t get to a Christmas fair, look on websites like Etsy too. The best thing about this type of advent calendar? You don’t have to stick to chocolate and sweet treats – although they do take a little planning for.
Finally, let’s be realistic. There might be reasons that you need to buy a Christmas decoration that is plastic – for safety reasons, for example, or because there genuinely isn’t anything else like it. If you truly love the ornament, and you’ll definitely use it for many years to come, then go ahead and buy it.
Our final thoughts
This Christmas, let your decorations show your family and friends that sustainability can be stylish. Choosing timeless pieces that aren’t led by fleeting trends mean that you won’t be contributing to excess waste now, or in the years ahead. Look for hand-crafted pieces, natural and recycled decorations, and energy-efficient LED lighting, and every piece is better for the environment. Deck your halls sustainably, and focus your attention on what really matters – spending time with your loved ones. Merry Christmas everyone!
