Holidays are about celebrating family and friends with food and decorations. While tinsel and lights are aesthetically pleasing, they can impact the environment more than you think. How can you sustainably decorate your home for the holidays? Here are seven sustainable holiday decoration ideas to try this year and keep your environmental footprint to a minimum.
Find Natural Components
Limiting your environmental impact during the holidays starts with finding natural components. Prioritize decorations that come from the earth and can easily decompose after the season. Numerous natural ornaments are available, and you have customization options—they could even be in your backyard.
Image: Planet Custodian
Wood scraps, branches and twigs, and evergreens are some of the best sustainable holiday decoration ideas to try. If you have pine trees in the yard, find their cones for decorations. You can hang this natural element on your tree, put it in wreaths, or feature it as a centerpiece. Other natural decorations could be handy when stimulating the senses. For instance, cinnamon sticks and dried flowers are easy on the eyes and nose.
Rent Your Christmas Tree
Picking out a Christmas tree is a holiday tradition for numerous families. What do you do when the season is over? Instead of throwing it away and repeating this cycle every year, consider renting your tree and returning it during the new year. The trees return to a local forest instead of a landfill, thus promoting sustainability.
Renting Christmas trees has become a trend due to deforestation and excessive logging. Now, you can decorate your home with a real tree and feel better about your environmental impact. With a living Christmas tree, you should prioritize care tactics like watering and keeping it in cool areas.
Also Read: Places You Can Rent Christmas Tree in the United Kingdom for Sustainable Holidays
Repurpose Items
Recycling is a classic sustainability tactic used by eco-conscious consumers. How can you apply it to your holiday decorations? Look around your home for reusable and recyclable items for your Christmas designs. While some ideas may be unorthodox, they can go a long way in reducing your resource consumption.
Start by grabbing old cardboard tubes and starting an arts and crafts session. With used materials, you can invigorate your imagination to create reindeer, angels and Christmas trees. If you have paint or glitter, the sky is the limit. Other options include wreaths from washed plastic cups, paper cup string lights and tree ornaments from bottle caps.
Use Sustainable Lighting
Christmas lights are among the most popular ways to decorate for the holidays. When you drive by a house with these colorful elements, you feel more holiday spirit. Design experts say white lights are the more traditional option, as their simple design draws attention to your home. However, it’s best if you incorporate sustainable lighting in your decorations.
LED lights are an accessible and environmentally friendly option because they use less energy. Plus, they’re cool to the touch and are easy to adjust in your yard. Solar-powered decorations take holiday sustainability to the next level by not drawing power from your electricity outlets. With these fixtures, you lower your bills and increase seasonal cheer.
Shop Local
When you shop local, you increase your community impact. The people who run these shops are your friends and neighbors, so supporting their business ventures is essential. Local stores often craft their holiday decorations, thus reducing or eliminating the fuel needed to transport them. Plus, the ornaments feel more intimate coming from local stores.
Another way to shop locally is to visit thrift stores. These secondhand shops offer discounted holiday decorations, which is excellent if you’re on a budget. Thrift stores help you reduce waste by preventing usable items from heading to landfills. You never know what you’ll find in these stores, so search for the hidden gems!
Also Read: 10+ DIY Eco-Friendly Christmas Trees You Can Make This Year
Make Your Decorations
Once the Christmas tree is up, families and friends decorate this holiday centerpiece with ornaments and figurines. Plastic-based decorations generally aren’t biodegradable, so take control of the process by creating eco-friendly ornaments yourself. With homemade ornaments, you can ensure the decorations are more sustainable.
Image: Planet Custodian
Turn the decoration process into a weekend project with your loved ones. When prioritizing sustainability, look for recycled paper or small pieces of fabric for your design. For example, you could use yarn to make stars, mini Christmas trees and other holiday symbols. Get creative and personalize your home with an assortment of decorative supplies.
Also Read: How to Reduce Your Waste During the Holiday Season
Reuse Your Decorations
When the holiday season ends, it’s time to put away the decorations until next time. While some elements are unique for the year, your family should consider reusing other items next year. Keep the ornaments and string lights in a safe place where they can last year-round. Climate-controlled storage spaces are a popular option.
Reusing decorations adds nostalgia and sentimental value to the holiday season. Do you have ornaments that were special during your childhood? Bring them back for your Christmas tree! With reusable decorations, you can reminisce on past holidays and refrain from consuming new resources. Ultimately, it’s a win for everyone.
Sustainable Decoration for a Happy Holiday Season
When guests arrive during the holiday season, you want them to feel like they’re in the Christmas spirit. How can you do so without negatively impacting the environment? Get creative with recycled materials, secondhand decorations and natural components. With sustainable holiday decoration ideas, you can maintain eco-consciousness and set a good example for others.