The Christmas Eve is tomorrow and we are all very excited about that. We say that Christmas is the most beautiful holiday of them all, for Christians it symbolizes the born of Jesus, for other people it is simply a warm greeting with their whole family. However it is also a holiday when we produce the most waste. We are over catering our food, so we throw away a huge amount of leftovers.

Why it is such a problem and how to prevent that?

We also buy our Christmas presents on last call, so we don't think about what we are buying and if it's actually useful. We just buy whatever we see because we need to buy something.

We pack those presents in nice golden plastic paper which our loved ones throw away immediately. Therefore, we create so much waste, from papers, presents, trees, food. That's why I chose to write this post today, to give you some tips on how to live more ecologically. Because I don't believe I'm the only one who is not happy with what ends in my garbage.


Trees: Artificial or real one?

This is kind of a controversial question since some people prefer real Christmas tree just for the sake of a natural look. They are often talking about how the natural one is way ecological since it's easier to biodegrade. This point is certainly true, but I don't think it's still the better option. Lots of the trees are ending in trash cans, not even in zoos where they can be eaten by bears or other animals. They were literally cut because of our tradition to put a tree in front of our television. I just find this whole idea that very exploiting and not that "green". Also it's important to mention the pesticides. Fertilizers and pesticides with burning the tree after its festive purpose is only contributing to carbon emissions.

Synthetic trees are however reusable, you can use them for 20 years and they look the same. I think that's pretty ecological, considering the fact you probably have one of these at home already. But it's only fair to mention that plastic is incredibly hard to decompose and sometimes it takes hundreds of years.

There's however another option. You can buy a tree in a pot and if you're living in a house with garden, you can just have it outside for the most of the year. It's a real tree, and you can take care of it. In my opinion this is by far the best option. The trees are replaced to bigger pot annually. If they seem unhappy just put them outside so they would be cold.

Savings

The 2010 study found out that artificial tree used for more than 4 years is more sustainable than buying every year new one. Real tree contributes in realease of around 3 kg of CO2 into the atmosphere per year, found out in study by sustainable development consulting firm. It is approximately the same as driving the car for 21 kilometers. This doesn't sound like a lot. But every year? Just for couple days?

The choice is on you.

Cost

The real tree costs around 50-100$ in contrary to artificial one which costs approximately 100-200$ and can save consumers 70% over a 10-year period. (AOL.com)


Food: Buy everything and then throw half away?

I hope that most of the general public are not contributing to this trend and it's popular only in my family and close neighborhood, but I need to put it here. I always saw people buying so much food for holiday. They are always putting so much stuff into their cart that it feels like an apocalypse will occur tomorrow.

I just can't wrap my mind around the fact that even 5 member family can eat that much food in such a short period of time like two weeks. If you also happen to be a person following this trend, I have some tips for you.

1. Make a list with ingredients you need for Christmas dinner.
2. Make a list of food you are constantly buying just for breakfast, lunch or dinner.
3. Don't buy way too many sweets.
4. Don't buy stuff on sale that you don't need.
5. Don't go hungry to the grocery store.
6. If you end up with leftovers, don't throw them away. Invite friends, family or just create new meal out of them. Look up for an app Yummy, Jamie Oliver or Gordon Ramsay's recipes to create something slightly different.

Savings

Obviously if you don't buy that many food you'll save. I believe you can save up to 25$ by not buying whatever sweets you see or items on sale. Using leftovers is also better, not only for money saving but also for finding potentially new favourite recipe.


Christmas presents: Are we obliged to buy expensive items?

No we're not. This is not how one can show love or respect. Obviously it's nice to give something but it doesn't need to be expensive or useless in order to make someone happy. You even create soap or candle or something personalized and your loved ones would be amazed by your creativity and personal take on presents.

Some people are not good with diys, nor they just have time for them. There are still lovely ideas to buy something new and interesting. One of the things that come to my mind are reusable glass straws and tote bags from tee spring or red bubble where many artists sell their own art. (Link to my shop: ).

Savings

DIYing your gift is an easy way to save money, since it doesn't cost much. The soap kits are around 20$ and can produce around 10 average pieces of soap. With buying things that can be used you're saving money of your loved one since you gift them with something they would buy. Also you don't spend money on decorations and other things that can look tacky, won't fit into the style and are overpriced.


Packing: The most wasteful idea?

The idea of packing a gift is simple. Wrapping a plastic paper around your hand picked gift and giving it to your loved one. They are used to hide what's inside the package. But what is their lifespan? Well, basically none.

The person opening the gift can't open it without tearing the paper. It's just not possible. The paper just ends on landfills. That is easily preventable by wrapping the presents to a newspaper or with a ribbon. It's nice and cheap and feels very vintage if done correctly. You can also write personal messages on the newspaper and add a whole new element to the gift.

Savings

You'll save 4$ on wrapping paper and 1,50$ on glue or tape. In case your buying washi tape, up to 10$.

So I hope you like this rather quick summary of aspects I would definitely save my carbon footprint and money on. Living ecologically in our current era is more important than ever. We need to choose right paths for us and for our future generations here and right now.

Thank you for reading and happy holidays!
Radka