Over this past year, environmental issues have become mainstream. Many documentaries have brought the plight of our planet into full view and we’ve really had to take stock about how we live our lives day to day. I can honestly say, not a day goes by when I don’t think about it and it has really made me reevaluate how we are approaching Christmas this year.
The more I thought about it, the more I realised that it was not just about being kinder to the planet, although my thoughts about it are mainly underpinned by this, but it was also about society’s need to consume, to want more, to buy buy buy. I won’t lie, I’ve always loved shopping, but just buying for the sake of buying wasn’t making me feel good anymore, in fact it was making me feel terrible. I knew I had to change my habits and also aim to teach my 5 year old that Christmas (and the rest of the year) isn’t just about receiving presents. We need to be more conscious about what we were buying, why we are buying it and what impact it is having, and also just to feel content with what we have already and not believe that something shiny and new would somehow make us feel good.
I did mean to write this post a lot earlier so that it might inspire a different approach to the festive season, but alas, work and life took over, but here it is anyway, and even if it’s too late to implement anything this year, hopefully it might be helpful for future…
BUY LESS BUY BETTER
If you’ve read this blog before, or if you are a 91 Magazine reader, then you’ll know I am a big advocate for shopping independently. Some folk may feel that buying in this way is more expensive and, yes it often is - but the best way to approach it is that you can buy one really lovely gift that has meaning and will last, rather than say, three cheaper items. You can also offset it by buying second-hand for other gifts (see next section)
If you are worried that the gift doesn’t look ‘substantial’ enough, then when the recipient opens the gift, take time to enthuse about it, perhaps tell them a little about the maker or if you’ve used the item yourself (a beauty product, for example) tell them how much you love using it and hope they will too. I find so much more joy in buying from independent shops and makers - they will often wrap it beautifully for you, or put in a handwritten note or sometimes they might even throw in a small extra gift! You definitely don’t get that when purchasing from a big corporate brand. Also, these days, most indie sellers and makers are much more conscious about the environment and will have considered the materials they’ve used in their production and also packaging will often be recyclable.
While many small brands struggle to offer big discounts to compete on days like Black Friday, many will offer them from time to time, whether it’s free delivery or a small amount off your order, so do sign up for emails from your favourite independents so you can take advantage of these as and when they are available.
SHOP SECOND HAND
I believe, now more than ever, it is totally acceptable to give someone a gift that is second-hand. Charity shops, vintage shops and eBay are your friend, and you can honestly find some amazing gems AND save yourself money! It is particularly great when you are buying for children as they more than likely won’t notice that it doesn’t have a label on it or it didn’t come in the original box. (which really doesn’t matter anyway) This year, I have picked up some lovely books for Ruby, both in charity shops and on eBay (a vintage The Snowman book which I’m particularly in love with, for example!). I’ve also got her a gorgeous vintage globe and a Donna Wilson for John Lewis dress both from eBay.
If you are unsure how other members of your family or friends will feel about receiving something second-hand, try and sound them out in advance. I knew, for example that it was fine to give my nephews and nieces second-hand presents as me and my sisters-in-law talk about environmental issues a lot together, and they both also shop second-hand. I found some really lovely things for them in our local charity shops - often brands that I would not be able to afford if they were brand new.
Buying second-hand is not only a great way to be kinder to the planet, you’ll often be helping a charity in the process and I can honestly say the buzz from finding something amazing in a charity or vintage shop totally outweighs the usual retail therapy high you get from buying new, mass-produced items!
EXPERIENCE OVER STUFF
As my daughter is still quite young (she’s 5) and still listens to me (!), I really want to teach her the value of experience over stuff - not just at Christmas - but all year round. Most children, when you ask them what they are most excited for at Christmas, they will probably shout “PRESENTS!”, and Ruby is no exception. But, every time we’ve had this conversation in the past few weeks, I’ve tried to then chat to her about how it’s not just about what is under the Christmas tree, but that it’s about spending time with family, having fun days out and fun days at home, too.
Of course, presents are lovely, but we’ve also been trying to teach her that a present doesn’t always have to be a ‘thing’, it can also be an experience or a kind gesture. In November, it was my husband’s birthday. He has a coat that he’s had for years, but the lining had ripped apart. Instead of asking for a replacement coat, he asked me to have it repaired for him. I really made a big deal of this to Ruby - she came with me to the menders and we talked about how much better it was for the planet to mend daddy’s coat than to just throw it away and buy a new one. Then, a few weeks ago, Ruby asked me if I would mend a hole in her onesie and she said, “that can be your Christmas present to me Mummy” - my heart almost burst into tiny pieces! To be fair, I’m not sure how thrilled she’d be if she opened a parcel with her old, mended onesie inside on Christmas day, but the thought was certainly there. :)
It was also lovely to observe her writing her letter to Santa this year. She decided to only list three things - guitar lessons, a Roald Dahl book and craft supplies. I was so thrilled that she came up with the idea of learning to play guitar (she got a mini guitar for her birthday in the summer) and hopefully it’s something she’ll go on to really enjoy. Maybe in years to come when she is strumming away on her guitar we can remind her that Santa brought her her first lessons back when she was 5! It’s unlikely we’d be reminiscing about how he brought her a LOL doll in five or ten years time!
As her main present from us, we got tickets to go and watch The Snowman at the theatre in January. (hence, the vintage book that I will wrap up with the tickets!) Last year, she got tickets to Disney on Ice from her grandparents and it’s the one thing she got that she still talks about now. Those special family days out mean so much to children - it’s those making of memories that mean more to them, even if they don’t realise it now.
My husband and I decided to not buy each other gifts this year but instead both put money into buying ourselves a little night away in the new year. It feels so nice to almost buy ourselves time together rather than gifts we might not even really want.
TIME TOGETHER
As well as these gifts of experience, I’ve also been trying to do different festive activities with Ruby throughout the month of December. The anticipation of Christmas is almost the most exciting part, and some of my fondest memories as a child are of decorating the tree, wrapping gifts together or days out ahead of the ‘big day’. Granted, it can become costly if you opt to do things like ‘meet Santa at Harrods’ or such like, but children, especially younger ones, don’t necessarily need these kinds of extravagant days out. It can simply be a winter walk, gathering natural objects to decorate your home with, or staying at home making cards or decorations. Ruby loves a day out in London, but not necessarily doing anything in particular. Last weekend we went to Coal Drops Yard in Kings Cross and she was mainly interested in looking at the canal, the colourful Christmas trees and the water fountains! We then had lunch together and browsed the Crafty Fox Market and I talked to her about how lovely it is to buy handmade gifts direct from the people who made them. It was such a lovely, festive day together.
TREE AND DECORATIONS
We took a bit more time this year thinking about the most sustainable option for our Christmas tree. When you are considering what to go for, I think it’s worth working out what is best for you and your family. For example, if perhaps you suffer from allergies, then a real tree in the house might not be your best option. If this is the case, then invest in a high quality fake one and make sure you make it last. Pack it away carefully each year and it should last for many years to come. You could also look out for a second-hand one, but do make sure it is good quality, or it probably won’t last.
If you prefer a real tree, then the most sustainable option is a potted tree. But, this might not work for everyone. The idea is to plant it back in the ground each year and then bring it in again every year. You might not have a garden, or if you aren’t particularly green-fingered then the requirement of keeping it alive might be challenging. If you do go for the potted option, a word of advice from a friend of mine who has done this: When you first buy it, choose a relatively small one. Even after just one year, my friend’s tree had grown significantly and they struggled with fitting it inside this year! Give the tree room to grow! We decided against a potted tree as I was unsure of my ability to keep it alive, so we looked into locally grown trees and found a farm about 5 minutes from us. We will then give it over to the recycling men in January.
I recently heard someone talking about how they were planning to buy a full set of new tree decorations this year and it made me wince. The thought of them potentially just chucking out existing (probably plastic) decorations and buying more made me feel really sad for our environment. Our decorations consist of: some inherited from family, a few that we’ve collected gradually over the years and handmade ones. Last year, Ruby and I made some dried orange slices and wool pom poms to hang on the tree and we are using them again this year. They are actually my favourite items on the tree! Making decorations can be one of those activities I mentioned earlier that you can easily do with kids in the run up to Christmas. If you are completely adverse to crafting, then do check out those charity and vintage shops for decorations, you might well find something really cool and retro!
Wrapping, packaging and cards
It is a startling statistic that consumers in the UK will use 227,000 miles of wrapping paper each year. This article is really interesting to find out more about the amount of waste we produce at Christmas. It’s tricky, as it’s hard to get away from the fact that part of the excitement of Christmas - especially for children - is the joy of unwrapping a gift. The problem is that a lot of the wrapping paper we buy is not actually recyclable. Anything shiny and/or glittery in particular is not going to be recycled with your paper waste. So, if anything, try and avoid this kind of paper. Brown paper is one of the best options and you can jazz it up for children by using stamps, paints or adding ribbons and pom poms and for adults a sprig or two of greenery or dried flowers looks wonderful.
I don’t tend to send many cards, just a few to family I don’t see often. I usually delve into my drawer of cards and find a few left over from last year before buying or making new ones. Ruby wanted to give some to her school friends, so I decided to make some. I got some plain brown recycled cards, splattered them with green and white paint and added a wooden Christmas shape. It only took me about 20 mins in total to do the paint splattering and then about 10 mins max to glue on the wooden embellishments, so it wasn’t hugely time consuming and it was super easy to do. Ideally I would’ve forgone the cards thing completely, but I think when you’re a kid, it’s part of the bonding process with your classmates, so we tried to do it in the least impactful way possible, I just hope her friends recycle them after! :)
Also, a note on packaging - there is SO much waste generated from gifts at Christmas. Toys are often over-packaged with loads of plastic casing and those toiletry gift sets (that no-one wants anyway!) are always laden with unnecessary packaging. So, going back to my earlier point about buying from independent or from charity shops: these options will reduce the overall amount of packaging you’ll consume. At the end of the day, the child wants the toy so whether it comes unboxed from a charity shop or eBay really doesn’t matter to them. If you are buying online, which I had to do for some items, you will probably notice that independent sellers will be more considerate about how they package their goods than bigger companies who shipped their goods from a warehouse. So buy indie, buy second-hand! :)
FOOD
SO much food is wasted at Christmas. I’m sure we will all admit to buying too much and cooking too much on the big day. This year we have decided to eat out on Christmas Day. This is for a few reasons - the obvious reduction of stress - no shopping, cooking or cleaning up to do. Then, since in the past few months I’ve made the change to become vegan, and my hubby isn’t eating meat either, we thought it would be easier overall for the family to eat out, that way everyone can choose what they want to eat, and no-one is being forced to eat something they don’t want (or cook something they don’t agree with). With it being my first year as a vegan, I’m also pretty sure my local pub will make a much better nut roast that I could attempt at home! Also, I imagine each person’s meal will be served on their own plate, rather than the table being laden with lots of different side dishes, so I reckon there will definitely be less wastage. I’m not too sure on whether it is better or worse for the environment for us to eat in a pub on Christmas Day, but for this year at least it feels like the right thing for us to do.
EVERYTHING we do has an impact, and while it can become overwhelming to get hung up about every little detail, I feel like just making a few small changes to how we approach this massively over-commericalised time of year can make a difference. It hasn’t dulled my enjoyment of the holiday season one bit, to be honest, it has actually made it much more enjoyable. I’ve have special moments with my daughter, I’ve relished the challenge of finding gifts that are kinder to the planet, and I’m definitely feeling WAY less stressed than usual as I don’t have to think about cooking a huge meal next week! I’d love to hear if you have any thoughts or other suggestions on how to be more conscious and mindful about Christmas, It will continue to be a work in progress. Have a wonderful Christmas all and see you in 2020!