DIY ECO DECORATION IDEAS FOR CHRISTMAS

2020 has been a year about home, slowing down, making do and mending. Many of us have become more conscious of consumerism, and are looking for ways to make the end of year festivities more sustainable. Every little thing you do towards that goal can make Christmas that much more special, and every time we make the effort to make things more eco we put the idea in others’ heads too! Here are some ways you can decorate your home and wrap your pressies this Christmas in a more sustainable way.

WRAPPING

Compostable

Wrap Christmas presents in brown kraft paper, which is not only recyclable and compostable, but can also be personalised to your fancy for a beautiful wrapping effect. You can doodle on it with watercolour paints or eco pens, plus decorate it with pretty little extras (keep reading for more on that). Some normal wrapping paper is recyclable, but not if it contains foil or glitter, so kraft paper is a safer and lovely option.

Repurpose

Even better, avoid buying new where possible and turn the daily papers or your monthly magazines into super unique wrapping. You can also reuse last year’s wrapping paper to avoid the horrible amount of waste Christmas can generate!

Reuse

Just because we’ve got used to one-and-done packaging doesn’t mean it’s the only way to do things. I love the Japanese art of Furoshiki, which consists of a square piece of cloth used for many purposes — including wrapping presents. The pretty fabric is used just like wrapping paper, but skillfully tied in a knot (but you can make it simpler, too!) so there are no difficult-to-remove tape scraps etc. You could find a dedicated Furoshiki cloth, or get inspired by the practice and use a scarf or piece of fabric you already own. Either keep it in the family so that you can get it back or make it part of the present! I’ve also found Christmas designed eco cloth pieces in various designs that work great. Start your own collection by visiting charity shops or carboots (usually in the summer) where you can pick them up very cheaply and easily (as long as they haven’t suddenly come back into fashion!).

Seal it with a kiss

Use twine or brown paper tape (or a combo of both) for something that can go straight into a compost bin or be recycled to stick everything into place.

Nametag

For family and best friends, I once made beautiful fancy gift tags that I collected back and used year after year until they fell apart. That will be another crafting project again sometime in the future because it was fun, easy and family instantly gravitated towards the right gift when it came time to unwrap under the tree as they recognised the design of their name tags. These days I’ve gone back to an absolute tradition — straight out of playgroup! — collecting those Christmas cards (and not to mention other celebratory cards from throughout the year such as birthday and Easter etc) and if the back of the card image is blank (i.e. the person only wrote on the second sheet of paper in the folded up card) then you can usually turn the average-sized card into 4-6 gift tags depending on how much you want to write. I use one end of a hole punch to punch a neat hole and then thread through some twine or string or wool. It’s a really fun one to do with kids and gives another life to the beautiful designs of Christmas cards that cannot usually be recycled due to the fancy finish on them. Remember to dispose of them correctly at the end. Side note: if those tags are for your kids or family, you can save them and reuse them.

Decorate with:

For particular gifts you really want to make special, decorate with sprigs of rosemary/pine fronds, dried fruits such as orange slices or dried flowers. Save ribbons and any nick nacks that popped up throughout the year and check charity shops for odds and ends.

TABLE DECORATING

Fabric napkins

Fabric napkins are traditional and look much nicer on your festive table (and weekday table!!) than the paper kind — plus you get that plush restaurant feel without leaving your home. Choose some lovely ones in festive patterns or plain block colour to wash and reuse.

No more disposable Christmas Crackers

You can buy cloth crackers on Etsy that consist of two halves stuck together via velcro so you still get a pull on them, albeit without the bang. Use reusable ones like these and fill with sweets and handwritten jokes, perfume samples, tumblestone crystal, Pukka tea bags or hot choc sachets — or do away with the crackers altogether and provide a game like Hats On — you still get to wear a hat and it’s the ultimate dinner table game of “guess who!”

Orange pomander

Pomander balls are simply oranges pierced with cloves. As the fruit dries, it releases a lovely fragrance. Pomanders make beautiful centerpieces, gifts for friends, tree ornaments, and air fresheners.  Add a candle down the center and you have a candle holder too — if your family are religious, check out Christingles, which include a ribbon as a symbol of Christ.

Painted leaves or acorns

Paint dried oak or maple leaves or acorns using paint pens to upgrade your table decoration. These are also lovely to add to gift wrap or string on the Christmas tree. Collect those beautiful bronzed autumn leaves that are on the ground right now and if they’re damp put them between two pieces of kitchen towel or napkins and under some books to help them dry neat and flat, or curly looks pretty as well though harder to decorate. Make sure acorns are completely dry before decorating them.

HOUSE DECORATING

Source your tree right

As long as it’s locally sourced, a real Christmas tree has a much lower carbon footprint than a reusable plastic one. I get mine from Magic of Foresters, so it’s organic, brings fewer pesticides into your home, and gives back to the environment. Look for responsible ways to dispose of it afterwards — these will vary depending on your council and services available in your area.

Invest in a reusable wreath base

You can find a circular wire frame or reuse the base of last year’s wreath and refresh it with moss. Moist moss is great for wreaths made of live greens and flowers. For dried or hardy greens such as ivy I have a twisted reed wreath which I just tie with oranges, pine tree offcuts, ribbons, etc.

Eco garlands

String up cinnamon sticks, orange and apple slices and pine/fir tree offcuts with LED lights onto branches and hang indoors for a rustic, Scandi vibe. Like a seasonal mobile — get colourful with ribbons and favourite toys or Christmas tree baubles or keep it minimalist.

Knitted angels

This year for Christmas, Exeter Cathedral asked locals to knit woollen Angels of Hope to decorate 4 huge trees — in the end, they reached their incredible target of 1,500 angels. My mother-in-law Ro had so much fun making these little decorations that she started knitting them as gifts for me which I’ve passed on to family friends, newborns and kids and also decorated my tree with them — and donated to a children's charity in return. These make beautiful gifts and decorations as well as a fun project — here’s how to make them.

Gingerbread decs

Make this gluten-free gingerbread cookie recipe — punch a hole in them and string them to the tree for an easy, beautiful, eco dec!

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