Introduction

Hi I'm Ally and I personally love Christmas. It's a time where I can spend time with my family, eat good food and have fun relaxing time. However, Christmas often seems very commercial and demanding on the environment. So as the festive season approaches, it's the perfect time to embrace sustainability by making a few thoughtful adjustments. I’ve created this friendly guide on how to have a sustainable Christmas in the local area for Rugby, covering everything from the run-up to Christmas Day and beyond.

Any website links in this article are for inspiration purposes rather than recommendations, and not necessarily a recommendation of Rugby Eco Hub.

Run up to Christmas

Introduction

The lead-up to Christmas is often a whirlwind of being busy preparing for the big day. Planning in advance is a great way to be sustainable this Christmas.

• Budget – Avoid Over Consumption
  Christmas can be a season of excess, but it doesn't have to be. Set a budget and stick to it, focusing on thoughtful, meaningful gifts rather than quantity. This not only saves money but also reduces waste.
  
  
• Quality Over Quantity
  Choose quality items that will last longer and be appreciated more than heaps of lesser, short-lived gifts.
  
  

Christmas Decorations

Decorating your home is one way to get into the spirit of Christmas, but most decorations are plastic breakable short-lived items. Here are some tips to do it sustainably:

• Christmas Tree – Rent, Real, or Reuse
  Consider renting a tree, buying a real one (and recycling it afterward), or reusing an artificial tree. Each option has its eco-benefits depending on your situation, if you already have an artificial tree stick with it, if you need a new tree, hire a real one. Some local places are below of some options:

• Christmas Lights
  Use energy-efficient LED lights and limit their use to save energy – think about turning off on the day, setting timers & solar panelled lights.

• Homemade Decorations
  Get creative with DIY decorations! Use natural materials like pinecones, dried citrus slices, or even make ornaments from recycled materials. It’s a great way to add a personal touch and make memories with the younger generation.
  At the Eco Wonderland we’ll have some activities to make your own eco decorations, but if you want some further inspiration for at home here are some ideas:
  • Zero Waste Christmas Decorations - A little Rose Dust
  • Twig Crafts for Rustic Christmas Decorations for you to Make
  • 25 Best Sustainable Christmas Decorations | DIY & Store-Bought

• Advent Calendars
  Try having a more sustainable advent calendar, there are now many different types out there. You can buy a reusable advent calendar or make your own, from fabric, envelopes etc… Or if you don’t have time aim to buy more environmentally friendly advent calendars from ethical retailers.
  One of the best alternative advent calendars I've received, were envelopes with a seed package in each envelope – a useful gift for a keen gardener.
  Some examples include:
  • 51 Best DIY Christmas Advent Calendars - Make Your Own Advent Calendar
  • Wooden Advent Calendars | Reusable Advent Calendars From The Works
  • 10 Fill Your Own Advent Calendars — Reusable Advent Calendar 2024

Gifts

The Christmas tree diagram gives you an idea of what you can do to be more sustainable this Christmas – with buying less one of the most impactful gifting idea, to buying ethically if you do need to buy new gifts.

Target Audience

• Choose gifts tailored to the recipient, like bio-plastic toys for kids or sustainable useful gifts for adults (e.g. travel cups, seed packages, organic local treats).

  Some inspiration:

  Audience	Gift ideas
  Spouse	Recycled cashmere jumper Date night activity Subscription of a hobby
  Teenagers	Solar powered phone charger Eco-friendly backpack Reusable water bottle
  Children	Plantable storybooks Eco friendly art supplies Second-hand bio-plastic toy
  Babies	Organic cotton blankets Wooden or cloth baby toy Second-hand children's books
  Parents	National Trust subscription and planned days out with the family Smart garden systems Glass refill jars
  The person who has everything	Donation to a sustainable charity Experiences like eco-tours Personalised eco-friendly items
  Tech Nerd	Solar-powered gadgets Rechargeable batteries Repair kit to fix gadgets
  Fashion Influencer	Plan tripped to all the charity shops & you’ll pay for X amount Vintage clothing Ethical fashion subscription box
  The Gardner	Compost bin Organic vegetable & fruit seeds Plant a tree with them
  The Foodie & Drinker	Wine tasting experience Local beer Vegan cook book
  Eco Warrior	Subscription to the Rugby Eco Hub Library of Things Reusable beeswax wraps Zero-waste starter kits

  Some links to other websites to help you with ideas for sustainable gifts:

  • Here's our green Christmas gift guide | WWF
  • 21 eco-friendly Christmas tips | Friends of the Earth
  • 25 Super Unique & Sustainable DIY Christmas Gifts - Sustainably Kind Living
  • 21 Sustainable Christmas Ideas For A Low Carbon Christmas
  • Eco Friendly Christmas Gifts For Your Family In 2023 | Ecofeminist Mama
  • 25 Best Eco-Friendly Gifts Ideas for 2024
  • 75 Ethical & Sustainable Christmas Gift Ideas in the UK
  • 40+ UK Eco-Friendly Christmas Gift Ideas Under £50 - 2024 - Moral Fibres

• Buy Less
  Focus on giving fewer, more meaningful gifts. Does everyone you’re buying for actually want/need a present this year? Maybe time to suggest to the family to do a Secret Santa or buy presents for just kids this year. Or maybe collaborate on gifts, pool resources to afford more expensive, high-quality gifts in the family or joint parents for teacher gifts.

• Experience Days
  Give the gift of a memorable experience instead of a physical item, more memorable, something to look forward too, get to spend time with others. There are a large amount of activities out there.

• Memberships & Tickets
  Treat them to a membership such as National Trust or football club tickets. I would love someone to pay for a organic veg box subscription for me!

• Make Your Own
  Handmade gifts are unique and show effort and love, although require time so not for everyone. Consumables are a great make your own gift.

• Second-Hand, Charity Gifting
  Choose pre-loved items or shop from charity stores. These can include things like vintage clothes, furniture, books and refurbished technology. I tend to use Vinted and World of Books for second hand items or the local charity shop.

A list of some of Rugby’s second-hand and charity shops include:

• Sustainable Material
  Opt for gifts made from eco-friendly materials. Avoid plastics and look for wood and paper are made from recycled or Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified materials and look for things like Organic-certified food and clothing. 

• Wrapping
  Try and be creative in your wrapping, avoiding the typical heavily printed and glitter non-recyclable paper. Use recyclable wrapping paper or get creative with reusable fabric wraps – at Rugby Eco Wonderland we will be showing you how to wrap with fabric. The fabric can be used year on year saving you money on wrapping paper, you could even use an old worn shirt as fabric.

Greeting Cards

• Material
  Choose cards made from recycled paper, look for cards made from recycled or FSC-certified paper, avoid glitter.
• Back & Forth Cards
  Create a tradition of sending the same card back and forth to family or friends each year. A lovely keep safe for years to come.

Events

• Second-Hand Clothes
  Find festive outfits on platforms like Vinted to reduce fashion waste.

• Events in Local Area
  Support local events and community gatherings. Some great places to find out what is going on around Rugby include:
  • Welcome to Rugby First - Rugby First
  • Eventbrite - Discover the Best Local Events & Things to Do
  • Christmas events Events in Rugby, EN
  • Search on Facebook

Christmas Day

Christmas Dinner

The feast is a central part of Christmas. Here's how to make it deliciously sustainable:

• Vegetarian/Vegan Food
  You don’t have to become a vegetarian or vegan, but just eating less meat is one of the biggest ways you can cut your emissions. The livestock industry generates nearly 15% of all man-made greenhouse gas emissions and requires space and huge amounts of water and feed (source: WWF - TOP TIPS FOR A SUSTAINABLE CHRISTMAS (wwfcee.org)).
  So, incorporating more plant-based dishes and buying less meat and diary across the Christmas period can really help lower your emissions.
  Ideas for non-meat food include nut roast, vegetable wellingtons, a non-traditional vegetable lasagne. Some links below can give you further inspiration:

Another hint if you still want to have meat for Christmas and save money. If you and other party members are not a fan of turkey, then swap it for another meat alternative. Me and my family having been having organic chicken for Christmas for years which we all enjoy more and it produces less food waste compared to a turkey.

• Shop Local
  Buy ingredients from local suppliers to support the community and reduce your carbon footprint. The table below is a list of shops you can buy some local produce to cut your carbon footprint.

• Seasonal Food
  Plan your menu around seasonal produce. The UK seasonal food in December includes:
  • Fruit: Apples, Cranberries, Pears
  • Vegetables: Beetroot, Brussels Sprouts, Carrots, Celeriac, Celery, Chestnuts, Chicory, Jerusalem Artichokes, Kale, Leeks, Mushrooms, Onions, Parsnips, Potatoes, Pumpkin, Red Cabbage, Swede, Swiss Chard, Turnips, Watercress, Winter Squash

• Leftovers
  Get creative with leftovers to reduce food waste. Some links to some ideas for Christmas leftovers:
  • Christmas leftover recipes - BBC Food
  • Organic recipes
  • 74 Christmas leftover recipes - delicious. magazine
  • 16 clever Christmas leftovers recipes
  • 26 Christmas Leftovers Recipes | olivemagazine
    
    
• Crackers
  Choose eco-friendly crackers or make your own. Some examples include:

• Reusable Cutlery, Bring Your Own Plates
  If hosting for a large party on Christmas day, use reusable cutlery and plates, or ask guests to bring their own.
  
  

Christmas Day Activities

• Christmas Walk
  Enjoy a walk to appreciate nature and get some fresh air. It’s amazing how happy and friendly everyone is you greet on a Christmas day walk.

• Games
  Play board games or create new traditions to bond with family and friends.

• Make New Traditions
  Think of new, sustainable traditions to start this year. Perhaps you write down a Christmas memory from the day or a Christmas joke ready to place into next year’s home-made Christmas crackers.

Post Christmas Day

The Christmas Unwanted List

• Food Waste
  Compost your food waste if possible. Here's Rugby Borough Council's guide to composting: https://www.rugby.gov.uk/pl/w/composting.
  
  
• Unwanted Gifts
  Re-gift, donate, or recycle any unwanted gifts instead of throwing them away. Look for places that are accepting gifts.
  
  
• Waste Uses
  Find creative ways to reuse or recycle Christmas waste, like turning wrapping paper into new crafts or composting food scraps. Find out that you are correctly disposing of items.
  
  
• Old Christmas card
  Don’t throw away your Christmas cards, instead use a pair od straight blade or squiggly blade scissors to cut up Christmas cards to use as next year’s Christmas present tags – I’ve been doing this for a few years and probably saved myself £20.
  
  

Merry Christmas

Thank you for taking the time to read!

I hope you enjoy the festive season and take away a few ideas from this blog to help be kind to our planet. Merry Sustainable Christmas!

From Ally 😊