It’s the most wasteful time of the year….here are some things you can do to lessen your impact:

Gift buying is often the first thing we start prepping for Christmas and the first port of call for avoiding plastic. If you are buying a gift for a child, and a plastic toy has been requested — then I can highly recommend entering the circular economy and looking for a second-hand version on Ebay or Facebook Marketplace. I have purchased many Playmobil sets on Ebay in excellent condition. My daughter also requested LOL Dolls this year - and I found a used bundle on Ebay at a fraction of the price first hand. She really will not care.

Kids clothing is also similar - there are many beautiful reselling platforms (such as Bon Voyage, Dotte and Indie preloved retailers such as Stanley Stores and Bubbawears) where you can pickup beautiful seconds. Kids are in their clothes for five sweet minutes before outgrowing them so they are often in mint condition.
Decor is next on the list. Have you considered a potted tree that you place in the garden between Christmasses? Just make sure the potted tree is with a root ball (I didn’t one year and it died shortly after Christmas).

There are also some really beautiful paper decorations out there from stores such as Lifestory, Your Kind Lifestyle, and Map Stores. If your budget stretches, Homefolk Ceramics do handmade porcelain tree ornaments.
On the Christmas table, opt for natural decorations, foraged items and crackers without plastic or over-processed items inside. Beeswax or soy candles are definitely preferable to their paraben wax comrades.
Gift wrapping and card sending. This one’s easy for us; don’t buy your wrap foiled, and make sure your rolled wrap isn’t in plastic shrink and never use plastic tape! Greeting cards can be purchased naked readily now - look out for card boxes with plastic windows and avoid. Make sure your ribbon is ethical cotton or better still - paper raffia which can go straight on the compost, or in recycling. Cloth gift wrap is also an excellent, but often cost prohibitive option.
Christmas food! This one is tough - particularly as budgets are definitely tighter this year. I have actually found Morrisons to be the best big supermarket at offering plastic-free veg. But best is going local - a local farmshop or market and buying veg unpackaged. Meat and fish can be bought in paper packaging without the need for polystyrene outers.
If you are looking for sustainable recipes and ways to cook - my absolute favourite cook book is Anna Jones’ One Pot One Planet - this makes a great Christmas present BTW!
Waste management. A really important side of Christmas in the aftermath. From removing Sellotape from your wrapping paper before popping in the recycling, to making sure you use all the leftover veggies the next day. composting like crazy (follow @heartandsoilcommunity on Instagram), if you have the space, to carefully discarding/selling the items you no longer want or have replaced. The circular economy is your friend for unwanted gifts - there are so many platforms now for clothing depending on the category. Basically throw as little as possible in to landfill - there are better homes for nearly everything.

Aiming for a sustainable Christmas