Christmas, reimagined: small swaps for a more sustainable festive season
- Greening Tetbury
- 3 days ago
- 5 min read
With December just days away, November's newsletter centres around manageable ways to minimise the environmental impact of Christmas while maintaining the joy and magic that make this time of year so special. Jump straight to:
Eco-Friendly Gift Wrap
For those moments when a physical gift is the perfect choice, the wrapping itself can become part of the experience and an opportunity to reduce waste without sacrificing beauty. Here are some ideas to ensure your presents look extra special and totally unique under the tree this year.
Avoid plastic wraps and foil papers, instead use
brown paper adorned with sprigs of holly, ivy or rosemary from the garden;
newspaper or old comic strips for a personal touch;
fabric or scarves, or textile gift bags that can be reused year after year;
paper tape and strips of cloth instead of sellotape.
Why not gather some friends and learn the Japanese art of Furoshiki together? With just a square of cloth and a few folds, you can create stunning, reusable wraps that become part of the gift itself. Vintage scarves, tea towels, or fabric remnants work beautifully, and the recipient can use them again and again.
Gather, fold and store gift wrap you receive from others to reuse next year — hopefully your thoughtful and beautifully wrapped gifts will inspire others next Christmas.
Christmas Card Alternatives
There's something undeniably special about finding a handwritten card in the post, but the reality is hard to ignore: millions of Christmas cards are printed, transported across the country (or the world) and ultimately discarded each year, creating a significant environmental footprint that's entirely avoidable. Consider these alternatives to reach out to loved ones without the waste:
only send physical cards to those who will truly treasure them. Don't feel obliged to send them to everyone on your list;
avoid cards that contain plastic, glitter or foil, as these are largely unrecyclable;
get crafty and make your own from materials found around the house or gathered from nature, or by repurposing last year's cards;
create a festive window display to spread festive cheer among your neighbours and passersby;
or send a heartfelt email, voice note or video message as a truly personal greeting for those far away
Sustainable Christmas Decorations
Give your home an eco-friendly winter lift and experience the beauty of bringing the outdoors in with these crafty and sustainable Christmas ideas.
If you have pine cones, holly branches, berries or ivy in the garden — or can responsibly gather them from the wild — you can use them to add eco-friendly winter touches to your home that will increase your appreciation of nature and provide endless hours of creative pre-Christmas fun.
So if you want a change from your heirloom decorations:
swap glitter and tinsel for natural foliage;
paint pine cones with chalk paint;
score, peel off and dry orange slices;
make cinnamon stick bundles;
make paper garlands and baubles from scrap paper, old maps or old books;
use LED lights indoors and solar-powered lights in the garden
Greener Trees
Sending trees to a landfill releases potent greenhouse gases like methane, while artificial trees are often not used long enough to offset the environmental cost of their manufacture, which involves energy-intensive processes and the use of valuable resources.
With that in mind, here are our top tips for minimising your carbon footprint when choosing the perfect branches from which to hang your cherished, collected and crafted ornaments.
If you have an artificial tree, use it until it falls apart or at least 10 times to offset its carbon footprint (according to the Carbon Trust).
If you're buying a real tree, make sure it's from an FSC-certified local supplier and recycle it after Christmas through a council scheme. Or better still, donate a sum of your choice to have it collected and chipped for reuse, supporting a local charity like Longfield Hospice while knowing that your tree is being disposed of responsibly.
Buy a rooted tree that you can grow on in your garden long after Christmas 2025 has passed.
Rent a potted tree, keep it well watered and return it after Christmas to be cared for until next year. At Winstones Ice Cream's Rental Christmas Trees in Stroud, you can even name your tree and bring the same spruce home year after year.
If space is limited, consider using fallen branches painted with chalk paint or arranged in a beautiful vase.
A woven tree tapestry or wall hanging made with foraged sticks and rope can also make for a very effective nod to this Christmas tradition.
DIY Christmas Crackers
Apart from being highly wasteful, aren't we all bored of the miniature nail clippers and plastic paperclips in Christmas crackers? Why not make your own this year, perhaps even designating everyone a member of the family to bestow with a personalised cracker on Christmas day.
Collect kitchen paper or toilet roll tubes (these can be reused next year too)
Cut out fabric cracker covers, or reuse wrapping paper from last year
Fill each cracker with handmade gifts like hair slides decorated with foliage, a personalised keyring or a chocolate
Make reusable felt hats or crowns
Write homemade corny mottos, jokes, quiz questions or even family memories to share
Unique Christmas Jumpers
Instead of buying yet another Christmas jumper for the office party, why not jolly up something you already own? The best part: you can unpin/unpick everything at the end of the season without ruining your garment.
Eco-Friendly Christmas Gifts
To avoid adding to the amount of unwanted stuff in the world, here are some thoughtful gifting ideas that people will actually cherish.
Avoid (plastic) items that give a moment’s thrill and are then discarded
Gift subscriptions that align with their interests
Support local charities such as The Long Table on behalf of your giftee
Presents that support wildlife, like hedgehog houses or bird feeders will bring joy throughout the year
Give gifts from, or donate to, green charities like Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust or the Earth Trust
Choose eco-friendly beauty products, potted plants or experience days
Gift books that will enrich people's lives
Spend time with friends for a walk, or treat them to a drink or a meal instead of a gift
Bake biscuits or make mulled wine and decant them into hand-decorated jars or bottles
Buy from local, eco-friendly businesses
Choose items that will be used, made from eco-friendly materials
Organise a Secret Santa to reduce waste and keep costs down
Pay it forward by donating a thoughtful gift to a charity, to be shared with someone less fortunate at Christmas
Eat and Drink, Responsibly
It's easy to get carried away when planning for Christmas, Twixtmas and New Year celebrations, but there are a few things you can do to minimise the impact of the season and still enjoy all of your favourites.
Plan meals carefully to avoid food waste and save costs
Consider teaming up with family or friends to share purchases like biscuits, veg or large cuts of meat
Buy locally produced meat, poultry and seasonal vegetables. For an added Christmas activity, why not pick your own at Farmer Fred's Close Farm Organics on the Bath Road (Post code: GL8 8PH)?
Freeze leftovers or use them up in omelettes, curries and wraps
Avoid drinks in plastic bottles — glass or cans are the way to go
Buy local or make your own mince pies, puddings, cakes and shortbread
Buy chutneys from local producers, or better still make your own from the year's harvest
If you do have food left over, check out sites like Love Food Hate Waste for zero-waste inspiration, including recipes, storage ideas and shopping guides
If there's an area of Christmas we haven't covered and you'd like advice on how to be more eco-conscious and minimise the impact of your celebrations, or if you have any suggestions of your own, please reach out to us directly at greeningtetbury@gmail.com — we would love to hear from you.
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