Guide to reducing waste at Christmas
Every year during the holiday season, we find ourselves surrounded by a kind of consumer madness, and we sometimes get caught up in it without even wanting to. So here are some tips that I decided to share with you, which will make you a little more ecological person in this period of abundance.
1. Give useful and thoughtful gifts
You may have already experienced it: you receive a gift and you wonder if it is really for you because NEVER in your life will you use this thing. If you offer a gift, emphasize its quality, make sure that it is really wanted by the person to whom you will offer it. You can also think of an activity to do with the person, maybe even show tickets. I like to invite my nephews and nieces to a cultural event (circus, museum, exhibition, etc.) instead of offering them toys for example, it creates beautiful memories together and it is often more economical.
2. Bring your reusable containers.
Are you having a party? Bring a container to take leftovers. Whether it’s a bit of cake, cookies, cheese or chips, often the host won’t want to keep all that food. It’s always good to be there with your own little dish to make sure nothing gets thrown away.
3. Dig through your wardrobe
Before you start your quest for the new red woven sweater of the year, take a look at what you have in your closet. You can probably accessorize an item of clothing you already have by simply adding a touch of Christmas to it. Here are a few examples: a sparkly necklace, a gold hair clip or scrunchie, red/gold/forest green nail polish, a red tie/puff/ascot (the idea is to be able to reuse it, forget the snowmen and reindeer) (red nose). Clothes that are Christmassy are often red, forest green, black or gold. You can also favor knits, corduroy, velvet, sequins and flannel.
4. Manage your alcohol consumption
After so many years of having Christmas parties, I imagine you're starting to know what kind of drinks you'll have.
If you're the type to go for wine, ask yourself if you intend to have 1-2 glasses, or more. You can then buy a size that will allow you to avoid a bottle that will go stale in a few days and end up in the sink drain. In addition, many winemakers even offer wine in cans, a perfect solution for consumption without waste.
If you opt for beer, please make sure that your bottles will be returned to the deposit (if deposited of course). In Montreal, it's quite simple, very often you just have to put your deposited bottles in plain sight on the side of the street to give them to someone in need. Otherwise, be the person at the party who will bring these bottles to a deposit center (grocery store or convenience store) to give them a second life. Recycling them is much less ecological than reusing them.
If you're the cocktail type, plan on buying containers that seal and don't go stale quickly, e.g. a 2L of soda if you plan on serving drinks to the whole family, but maybe more cans if you think you'll be the only person drinking. A little trick with 2Ls to keep them fizzy even when they're half full: crush the bottle to get all the air out and close the cap while the bottle is still crushed. This will remove the air in it and therefore remove the space for the gas to escape from the liquid.
4. Share your travels
Who says Christmas party often says a lot of people. Take the time to look around you if there are people who live in your area and see with them if there is a possibility of carpooling. This means fewer cars on the roads, fewer designated drivers, and above all more fun on the way and sharing memories on the way back. More love, in other words!
5. Think about decorating in an eco-friendly way
Very often, year after year, we add decorations to our inventory. Think about buying or making sustainable or biodegradable decorations. Personally, I often opt for reused decorations, I go around flea markets to find rare gems, which I know I will keep from year to year. While preparing your atmosphere, also think about giving your decorations that you no longer like to an organization or a donation center near you!
6. Reusable packaging
It's becoming more and more well-known: it's super easy, quick and charming to wrap your Christmas presents in pieces of fabric. Click here for a 3-minute tutorial on how to wrap your gifts in reusable fabrics. I like to find vintage scarves or simply use fabric scraps for my wrapping. Search online for the term "furoshiki" and you'll find plenty of inspiration for wrapping different shapes of gifts.
If fabric is really not your thing, the second best option would be to use compostable and biodegradable wrapping paper, such as kraft paper. To personalize my paper wrapping, I like to draw directly on it depending on the person I am giving the gift to. Tractors for my nephew Adam, unicorns for my niece Mathilde, sweet words for my lover.
Imagine starting a tradition where each person has their own recurring wrapping (you know like a Christmas stocking) every year, there's no reason to kill the magic just because we're eco-friendly!
7. A successful hostess gift
Would you like to offer your host a little something as a token of appreciation?
This is the perfect time to introduce one of your favorite products! Think of something that can be used, it's much more respectful than an object that could turn out to be unwanted and will gather dust or worse, the trash.
Depending on your connection with the person, you can go from the most general to the most personal. For example: a hand soap , a natural all-purpose cleaner , a candy to discover, herbal tea , a good cheese, a bag of coffee to discover, bath or shower products . Take the time to find out about the person's potential allergies or preferences; this will guide your choice and your gift will definitely be a hit!
Basically, the idea is to stay in intention, to act in full awareness and not just in emotion this year. Take the time to sit down, set aside time to plan intelligently and you will see, it is not more effort and it will make you a person who aligns your values with your actions.
Maybe this year you'll be the only person at Christmas who's a little more eco-friendly, but don't worry, your behavior will certainly influence your loved ones for years to come!
Wishing you a wonderful holiday season. May it be sweet and filled with love!
Andréanne
