With the nights getting longer and days getting colder, we all know that the holiday season is around the corner. This time of year comes with a lot of traditions, from warming food and cozy decorations to gift giving and celebrating together. One might easily loose themselves in the holiday spirit, embracing the shopping obsession. Unfortunately, this time of year is one of the most wasteful seasons. The Bank of England reports that the average spending per family rises by about 30% and the generated waste grows even more. With that in mind, here is some tips that will help you enjoy the holiday season in a sustainable way!
Gifts
Gifts are a wonderful thing to share with your closest ones. To make the tradition of gift giving better for the planet, there are a few aspects to think about. Firstly, quality over quantity. Choose one gift that is meaningful over plenty. If it is well thought through it will make the person happy regardless of the amount or price tag. Secondly, try to give experiences rather than material things. Sometimes a dinner or a museum pass is better than another pair of christmas socks. If your preferred way of surprising others is by giving things, try making the present yourself or getting it second hand or from a local source, paying attention to the material and way of production! This way you can enjoy the wonderful tradition of gift giving whilst limiting your negative impact on the planet!
Food
Every culture has its own traditions regarding Christmas dishes. In some, the tradition is to have a lot of food in the holiday season. This is fueled by stress shopping and the pressure of having the perfect holiday celebration as well as celebrating in multiple environments. A useful tip for planning these upcoming dinners is to really think of every product we buy needed for the meals we want. Also, it is worth considering if we really need 3 types of cake for the 4 people that are coming over. Another idea is to merge the celebrations to share a bigger variety of dishes in smaller serving sizes. Lastly, it can be very beneficial to the planet to veganise some of the traditional recipes and get the ingredients from local sources.
Decorations
The holiday season comes with a lot of decorations. Sugar canes, christmas sweaters and socks, ornaments on the tree, the tree itself and the list goes on. A big part of it is lights, which consume a lot of energy. So, if you are investing into a new light decoration, make sure it will be durable or fixable and of a high energy efficiency class. Even though it might be tempting to equip your house with a completely new set of decorations, the holiday spirit does not change that drastically every year. For a sustainable holiday season try reusing the decorations, exchanging them with your friends or selling and buying them second hand. You can also try making your own decorations from sustainable materials like oranges for a christmas chain or gingerbread cookies doubling as christmas tree ornaments. Get creative!
Hopefully these tips will help you to enjoy the holiday season whilst being sustainable and planet friendly!
Maja, Head of PR
Pangea
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