Christmas is a magical time of the year for families with kids, but it can also be incredibly wasteful. Why not try out these fun ideas to help make your celebrations both ethical AND enjoyable?
1. Make an advent calendar which ticks off special experiences
Rather than buying an advent calendar, make your own! Decide how many days you want your countdown to be (it doesn’t have to be 25), then cut out squares from old Christmas cards, scraps of coloured paper, or fabric. Write a number on the front of each square, and an activity on the back, such as baking Christmas cookies, watching your favourite festive movie, or reading a special holiday story. This is your chance to focus on the memories you want to make with your kids, so have fun with it! When you’re done, pin your Christmas countdown up in the kitchen, or hand out a card each morning.
2. Replace wrapping paper with fabric
If you’re tired of throwing out mounds of paper on Boxing Day, take inspiration from the Japanese tradition of furoshiki (beautiful cloths used to wrap presents). You can either use pre-made items like festive tea towels, or buy fabric, cut it into squares, and hem it to prevent fraying. Use good-quality twine or ribbons to tie up each parcel, and ask the recipients to either re-use the wrapping themselves or pass it back for you to re-use. If you can get other family members on board, you’ll reduce your waste even further.
3. Get creative when it comes to cards
Save yourself time and money while you save the planet by looking for alternatives to buying boxes of throwaway cards. You could:
* Show work colleagues and casual acquaintances that you’re thinking of them with a personalized online greeting.
* Write a thoughtful Christmas email to friends, reminiscing about good times in the past and letting them know how much they mean to you in the present.
* Send grandparents and other relatives a current family photograph or child’s drawing with a Christmas message written on the back. When the festive season passes, pictures like this will still have a place on the fridge or mantelpiece.
Bonus tip: If you’re looking for a sustainable way to keep Christmas leftovers fresh, check out our range of re-usable wraps at www.beewrappy.com.au
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