a sustainable christmas decorating guide
in christmas
The most festive time of the year is just one month ahead of us and we’re all starting to get ready for it…but what if we celebrated more sustainably this year? To me, celebrating a sustainable Christmas means choosing decorations, gifts and gift wrapping that are less harmful to the environment while being just as merry and bright!
Of all the preparation activities on the list, decorating is often first as it gets us into proper Christmas mood…so let’s tackle that first, starting with a burning question:
to tree or not to tree…
…that is the question. Actually, that’s one of the biggest dilemmas when it comes to sustainable Christmas decorating!
What is better? Real tree, faux tree or no tree at all?
choosing the most sustainable tree
Not too surprisingly, all three alternatives – real tree, faux tree and no tree – have pros and cons…
real tree
pro
- It’s one more plant at home and comes with all the benefits of bringing plants indoors.
- Can be planted after the holiday season, and if not planted it can be discarded sustainably.
- Pine trees crops exist specifically to satisfy the demand of Christmas trees. Every tree takes 8 to 12 years to grow and in that time it serves the air we breathe by absorbing CO2 and releasing oxygen.
con
- It normally lasts just one season.
- It’s often not planted back nor properly recycled after Christmas.
faux tree
pro
- It can be used for many seasons.
con
- It’s often produced with cheap materials that won’t last long and may emit bad VOCs in the air.
- It’s often produced in areas of the world where manufacturing practices are not at all eco-friendly nor ethical.
- It often comes from afar.
no tree
pro
- The tree dilemma is cut at the root here but…
con
- …isn’t decorating without a tree a bit sad? I say not necessarily and I’ll tell you why in a second, but let’s first draw some conclusions.
As we’ve seen, the choice between real or faux tree is actually not making that much of a difference in itself, and both choices can be made more sustainable with a few mindful tricks:
how to make a real tree more sustainable
Choose a tree coming from nearby (which cuts on transportation costs) and make sure you either get it planted after the holidays or you dispose of it properly (a.k.a. compost it or give it to companies that shred it and reuse it). Even better is going for a potted tree. A potted tree can be brought indoors for Christmas and “stored” outdoors all year long, where it will continue to clear the air.
how to make a faux tree more sustainable
Invest in a good quality faux tree. It’s been estimated that a faux tree should be able to serve you for a minimum of 10-20 seasons to become more sustainable than a real one (the estimate changes according to the sources*).
And now onto the third option:
decorating for Christmas…without a tree
Personally, I won’t put up a tree this year. But I’m definitely not giving up the festive atmosphere!
My plan is to bring home a branch from one of my walks outside, display it in a beautiful vase and hang ornaments on it.
This is just one of the many ways to decorate for Christmas without a tree and – besides the sustainability aspect of it – it’s also a good tip for small spaces. Scale and proportion are two essentials in interior design and this should also hold true at Christmas time! Instead, I often see small spaces getting honestly quite clunky with their way-too-big-for-that-space trees. “If you can’t change it, work with it”, they say. So what about finding ways to make our home festive despite its small size instead of having to fit a tree no matter what?
which greenery is best for a sustainable christmas?
What we said for faux trees is also true for wreaths, garlands and picks. Here, the choice is much wider and there are many real greens that we can use instead of faux ones:
- Mistletoe
- Olive
- Eucalyptus
- Rosemary
- Berry branches
sustainable christmas ornaments
Looking for alternatives to plastic baubles? There are plenty, including:
- Paper
- Wood
- Food (apples, cut orange peels, acorns…)
- Leather
Also, I love sparkles at Christmas time, but I absolutely hate glitters (that I find flying around the home until late January the soonest!) So this year, I’m giving up glitters completely. But since I’d never give up on the sparkle, here are some glitter-free materials that will still achieve that festive shine:
- Metal
- Mirror
- Crystals
- Gold/silver paper
- Gold/silver leather (or inserts)
When it comes to DIY Christmas ornaments, the Internet is full of tutorials. Origami and papercuts are some of my favourites as they can turn the simplest piece of paper into something very special! And if stored neatly in a box they can easily last longer than one season!
other festive decorations
At Christmas time, every table, shelf and surface is a potential candidate to add some festive vibes. So here is some inspiration to create a festive vignette with art, holiday signs, little trees and other accessories.
Stay tuned because I’ll soon share what my sustainable Christmas décor will look like this year! And in the coming weeks we’ll keep talking about sustainable Christmas, looking at gifts, gift wrapping and more!
* Sources: Carbon trust estimates 10 years, whereas Ellipsos has landed on a 20 years estimate.
