Advent Calendars

Decorations

I'm pretty happy with our decoration situation:

- We have a pompom Christmas tree that we made about 4 years ago which gets stored away in the loft each year and then trundled out. We also have two trees made from old pallets - one for the conservatory and one for outside. All are fitted with LED lights, and we turn them off when we're out and at night. The outdoor one is fitted with a timer so it's only on for a few hours.  

- All our other decs are a mish-mash of things from previous years, including the Christmas lego from the aforementioned Advent Calendars...!

Gift wrapping

I'm that irritating person who snatches up the wrapping paper off the floor as soon as it's discarded and then sits there picking off the tape. Any reasonable sized bits then get squirrelled away for next year (my mother in law has even been known to take them away and iron them...).
I bought two new rolls of paper from a local independent stationers that are recycled kraft paper, but they did have a plastic sleeve. The rest was paper left over from previous years and reused bits and bobs.
Confession: there were still a few bits of metallic-y paper bought many moons ago.

Last year we bought some Christmas paper tape from Babipur and still had plenty left this year. I'm not sure ours still believe in Father Christmas, but if you're more careful than we are about making sure your FC pressies have different wrapping and tape, you might need to get a bit more inventive.

I used an old ball of green wool that has been kicking around for ages to bundle things together in place of ribbon.

I'm a firm convert to fabric wrapping this year having wrapped a few gifts this way - OMG, SO much quicker and easier! I'll be scouring the charity shops for head scarves and other suitable bits this year! 

Other presents

We've managed over the years to pare down our gift list quite significantly. Both of my parents are no longer with us, and we decided a few years ago between the various aunts and uncles to only buy for the kids.

We bought my brother's kids an annual Whirli subscription back in May, as birthday and Christmas presents for both of them. But I also sent them a Bake at Home kit from my friend's brilliant business (thinking they might be driving my sister in law mad in the run up to the big day and this might distract them for about 3 and half minutes) and a kilo of Christmas sweets from another local business. Because isn't that what you send to other people's kids when you won't be there to witness the fall-out..?!!

My husband and I tend not to really buy each other anything but he got me a few stocking bits (sweets and chocolate), and I saw a 'Storm Pooper' print on the Uranus loo roll site and couldn't resist getting it for him and the kids. It's printed on FSC paper with water based inks.
And because I didn't manage to get organised with my husband's usual photo Advent Calendar, I put together a photo book of our 2020 - I had a quick Ecosia search and found Pixum, who use FSC certified products and are carbon neutral - if anyone knows of any other eco-friendly picture book providers do let me know! 

Food

Confession: We're not vegan. Or even veggie.
We opted for a chicken rather than a turkey, just because none of us are actually that keen on turkey.
Confession: my husband somehow managed a 5kg chicken (free range but not organic) from our local butchers. For five of us. Our kids were smaller than this when they were born.
There were a LOT of leftovers... BUT they've all been frozen. AND I made slow cooker chicken stock from the bones, so feeling pretty smug there.
We also had pigs in blankets (from the local butcher but not sure of their provenance) and sausage meat stuffing (ditto).

We get a regular organic veg box from Riverford, which makes Christmas dinner veggies SO easy. All the usual Christmas stuff is there - sprouts, parsnips, red cabbage etc, all organic and plastic-free, delivered to our door without me even having to think about it.

Leftovers: We had Christmas pizza topped with leftovers (including brussel sprouts..) on Boxing Day, and Bubble and Squeak the day after, and everything else has been frozen.

I love to bake so made Christmas cakes, mince pies, Christmas pud etc.
Confession: I didn't get the dried fruit from the refill shop, so a reasonable number of plastic bags into the bin.

Confession: There is a teeny bit (a lot) of plastic wrapped chocolates that are probably choc-full of palm oil and made by companies that are officially gits in the house. They taste bloody lovely but I do feel quite guilty.
If someone could please make it their 2021 mission to create their own ethical chocolate company that does a tin or tub or delicious chocolates in time for next Christmas I would be very grateful. 

Crackers

I think this is one my favourite traditions that we've started - we bought a set of reusable crackers several years ago and they get dragged out of the loft each year. 
Everyone picks a name out of a hat to see whose cracker they have to prepare, and then they have to make a hat, find an appropriate joke, and have a £2 budget for a small (ideally plastic-free) present. We also stick a scratch card (not eco at all, but you've got to be in it to win it..) and a chocolate brussel sprout.

This year I decided to have a go at making a reusable fabric hat for my mother in law with some Christmas fabric that I've had for years. I was pretty pleased with it!)

Confession: the £2 limit on gifts does make it hard to find anything decent/not plastic tat. We may need to reassess this (although our youngest bought me a mini bar of Tony's Chocolonely from our local Refill Shop so did very well!)

INTRODUCING THE CRAP-FREE CHRISTMAS COURSE!

Join me and a merry band of similarly challenged Crap-free Christmas wannabees as we dive into into the nitty gritty, the practicalities and the emotional minefields of a festive season with less crap and more joy!

Make your own

Go reusable

We bought a set of reusable crackers from Keep This Cracker several years ago and they're still going strong. All you need each year is the snaps.
We have a Christmas tradition whereby everyone picks a name out of a hat, and then has to fill the cracker for that person - a homemade hat (newspaper/comics/wrapping paper); a personalised joke; and a plastic-free gift with a budget of £2. The kids really enjoy having actual money to spend and having to think of something the recipient will actually like, as well as searching for 'hilarious' jokes...

Buy fill your own

Oxfam have bought out 'fill your own' crackers this year - they are recyclable, and come complete with snaps, hats and jokes. All you need to provide is the gift which means people are much more likely to get something that won't end up in the bin within 12 hours of opening.
John Lewis and M&S also do their own versions, or why not look on somewhere like Etsy and support an independent business in what has been a really tough year for many small businesses. Just remember to look for cracker outers that are paper/cardboard without any glitter or metallic/shiny bits on them (this will render them unrecyclable).

Buy ready filled plastic-free

If all of that feels like just too much and that thinking about finding eco-friendly gifts that will actually fit inside a sodding cracker might well be the straw that breaks the camel's back this Christmas, don't worry!
There are an increasing range of plastic-free crackers available this year - most of the major supermarkets are doing their own versions. 
Alternatively:
-  these ones here have a packet of seeds in instead of a plastic toy
- the RSPB do these ones with a sheet of paper and some origami instructions
- Nancy and Betty do a range of gorgeous designs with different plastic-free gifts. The crackers are made here in the UK, and they plant a tree for every box bought. 

INTRODUCING THE CRAP-FREE CHRISTMAS COURSE!

Join me and a merry band of similarly challenged Crap-free Christmas wannabees as we dive into into the nitty gritty, the practicalities and the emotional minefields of a festive season with less crap and more joy!

1. Turn off your Christmas lights when you're not in/overnight

2. Go green with your gift wrapping

In the UK we use 108 million rolls of wrapping paper at Christmas - enough to wrap around the equator 9 times!
Can you challenge yourself to not buy any new wrapping paper this year?
- Make the effort to go up into the loft and use up those rolls that have been up there for the last 3 years..! 
- If you've been getting the 'odd'(!) online delivery or two, can you reuse any of the paper packaging from these?
- Use old comics, newspapers, or sheet music
- Raid the charity shops for pillowcases and sheet/duvets and then make your own fabric wrapping - check out 'furoshiki' for clever ways to wrap with fabric

3. Ditch the sellotape

Branded sellotape used to be made from cellophane and was therefore technically biodegradable, but nowadays even the genuine stuff is plastic. Having said that, Sellotape have released 'Sellotape Zero' this year which is supposed to be plastic-free and 'compostable'. I'm not sure if this means it's home compostable though, or how it will fare if it gets chucked into the paper recycling with your gift wrap.
An easier and more reliable solution is to use paper tape. You can get plain brown tape which works well if you're using kraft paper or packing paper as your wrapping of choice. Or there is a wide variety of patterned alternatives.

4. Use last years cards as gift tags 

My mother in law has been doing this forever, but it was a revelation to me when I met my husband! No idea why I'd been forking out good money for gift tags, when with a swift wielding of the scissors it's super easy to 'upcycle' some old cards!

And whilst we're here... Save this years cards for next years gift tags...
If you haven't got any of last years cards stashed away to use as gift tags this year, just remember to put this years cards away somewhere safe so you can feel smug next year.

5. Shop local for your last minute bits

I know, I know, Amazon is just so bloody convenient. Especially with the whole next day delivery thing, but if you can, resist the temptation and making Jeff Bezos even richer, and support your local independent shops. Whether that's for your sprouts, or the last minute gifts, it's been such a tough year for retail - make someone do a happy dance!

6. Do a meal plan for Christmas week

Food waste is a huge issue for the climate crisis and is unsurprisingly even more of an issue than normal over the festive season. So make a list, check it twice...! Doing a meal plan is dull and boring and some people claim it sucks all the joy out of eating, but it really will help to cut waste (and save money!). With lockdown restrictions changing on a confusingly regular basis, it's kind of hard to know who will be around over the Christmas period, and what meals will be needed, but just do your best! If you've got time(!), maybe you could prep some meals to stash in the freezer in case your family suddenly decide they want to 'bubble' with you...
Think about what meals you'll be eating, what lovely Christmas traditions of special foods you want to keep, and then make a plan around them. Factor in leftovers, as well as those days when you simply can't be arsed to cook and will want to order a takeaway or simply eat chocolates (I'm reliably informed that the orange and strawberry creams both count as one of your 5 a day over the Christmas period).

7. Love your freezer

If your meal plan was a little over ambitious in terms of just how much people could squeeze in, or you never actually got round to making one, and now you're starting a fridge full of food that all needs eating within 24 hrs, then this is the time to get friendly with your freezer.
Most things can be frozen - if you're not sure, Kate at The Full Freezer has a great "Can I freeze it?" section on her website, and Love Food Hate Waste also has a fab "A-Z of food storage".
Things like cream and cheese can be frozen if you know they're not going to be eaten before they go off.

8. Go plastic-free with your crackers

If you've not already bought them, then you still have an opportunity to go plastic-free with your crackers.
If you're the crafty type, or you're desperate for something to keep the kids entertained in the run up to the Big Day, you can make your own from loo rolls and wrapping paper. You can even get eco-friendly snaps. 
OR you can get some reusable crackers (we have some of these) that you use each year.
OR you can buy 'fill your own crackers' like these ones here from Oxfam.
OR you can find plastic-free crackers at many of the big retailers this year which is great news.
Check out this post here for lots more links as well as ideas for what to put in them.

9. Recycle well

When it comes to recycling your Christmas, the most important thing to do is to check with your local authority what they will accept and what they won't - just head over to your local council's website and you should find the info you need. If it's not clear, drop them an e-mail or a message on social media.
- Some local authorities won't accept any wrapping paper, as much of it is of too poor quality to be able to recycle. Brown kraft paper is ok, even if it has paint or decorations on it, as long as there's no glitter!
- Make sure you remove any tape (paper tape is ok) or ribbons/bows etc.
- Wrapping paper with glitter on it, or paper that is metallic/plastic-y can't be recycled and has to go in your landfill bin.
- The same applies to cards - if they have glitter on, they can't be recycled. Some supermarkets have collection points in the New Year which raise funds for the Woodland Trust, but again, no glitter!
- Foil from Christmas chocs has to be collected up into a ball about the size of a tennis ball for it to have a chance of being detected on the recycling line.
- When it comes to your tree, if you have a real one without roots, again check with your local authority - many will collect them on specific days to mulch them. 

10. Give yourself a pat on the back

Making sustainable(ish) changes can be difficult, and at Christmas it's even harder, because we've got the wider family to consider, as well as so many societal pressures about what constitutes a good Christmas, and wanting the kids to have a magical time. It can feel frustrating, and progress can be slow, but there will be progress I promise. 
Have a think back to last Christmas, and then look at the changes you've made this year. You might not have arrived at the 'perfect eco Christmas' (spoiler alert, I don't think such a thing exists!) but you're making changes, and it's always going to be a slower 'journey' because Christmas only happens once a year (thank goodness!).
Instead of berating yourself, and feeling guilty about the influx of presents that are still flooding in from loving and well meaning relatives that you possibly wouldn't have chosen yourself, look at all the things you have been able to change and give yourself a little pat on the back, and maybe treat yourself to one of the posh biscuits you've been saving. 

INTRODUCING THE CRAP-FREE CHRISTMAS COURSE!

Join me and a merry band of similarly challenged Crap-free Christmas wannabees as we dive into into the nitty gritty, the practicalities and the emotional minefields of a festive season with less crap and more joy!