Celebrating an environmentally friendly Christmas

RACHEL FIORET

In the hustle and bustle of Christmas, it’s easy to get wrapped up in the materialist approach to the holidays. This can be dangerous because of harmful effects on the environment, and easily forgetting the true meaning of the celebration.

As you plan your Christmas holidays this year, consider different ways that you can make your celebrations more eco-friendly. Whether it be making decorations with natural materials or gifting people homemade presents, there are lots of ways you can celebrate sustainably.

Here are some suggestions for how to create a magical and sustainable December!

Using natural items like plants or fallen branches to decorate your house in December is a wonderful way to incorporate the environment into your festivities.

This can be done by using things like pinecones and leaves from a nearby forest, or by purchasing plants from a local nursery. You can design your own outdoor flower pot, wreath, or fireplace arrangement for a beautiful rustic look!

To make a flower pot, take a vase or pot of any size and assemble the materials however you like. Similarly, if you want to make a wreath you can use your creativity to arrange the materials around a circular foam ring. These rings can be easily purchased at Walmart. If you have a fireplace or ledge in your home, you can also place leaves and branches across this and top it off with some Christmas tree ornaments for an original look.

Each Christmas, my mom goes into the forest near our backyard to collect fallen birch branches and pine stems to pull together a seasonal arrangement. What I love about this is that at the end of the season, she can put it all back into the woods to decompose.

When natural decorations aren't an option, what’s more fun than checking out thrift stores for unique Christmas pieces? Each year, a wide selection of holiday decor is donated around the city for others to use in their homes. This prevents many good quality items from becoming waste and can help you restyle your home at a reduced cost.

My favourite part of thrifting is the element of surprise. Who knows what you might find during your shopping trip!

If you’re not on the market for new decorations, consider donating some items that you don’t use. Thrift stores worth visiting and donating to in Guelph include Value Village and Goodwill.

The holidays are probably the most exciting time of year to visit the mall because of all the holiday specials and the wide variety of items all conveniently located under one roof. It can be the best spot to shop if you have a large family or lots of friends to buy for.

However, something that has always mattered to me and my family is focusing more on our experiences together and the quality of the gifts that we exchange rather than the quantity.

When you’re thinking about the perfect gift for someone, consider giving them an experience, such as a pass to an art gallery or a certificate to a restaurant. If you enjoy being creative, investigate gift ideas that you can make yourself! Last year, I made cute hot chocolate mugs packed with chocolate powder, marshmallows, and candy canes for some of my family members. This kind of gift can be adjusted for many different tastes.

Homemade gifts are often much more valued by the person you give them to, and they are also more likely to be of better quality because of the time and effort put into them. I think this is a special part of the holidays, because the people you give a homemade gift to will know that you put additional thought into it.

My aunt loves to knit and one year she crafted some wool bunny ears for my cat to wear. This unique idea has become one of my most memorable presents.

Continuing with the theme of making things this Christmas, if you’re interested in testing out a new recipe, the holiday season is the best time to do so!

During a typical year, my mom and I meet up with our family friends for a cookie exchange and games night. Although this was put on hold because of the pandemic, they continued the tradition by sharing recipes and meeting through a Zoom call last year. Making a new recipe or an all-time favourite is a great way to test your creativity and spend time with the people you love.

I think that the most valuable part of the holidays as a university student is the time we have during the winter break to relax and enjoy ourselves. During these few weeks, we have additional time to celebrate the season and be with the people who matter most to us.

Spending quality time with your favourite people can be sustainable because you can just have fun playing games, enjoying food together, and spending time outdoors.

December is my favourite month to get outside during the winter because it’s not too cold yet and there are often some Christmas displays set up throughout the city. For example, Riverside Park in Guelph hosts the Sparkles in the Park light displays from Dec. 16 to Dec. 31.

For additional outdoor ideas, you can enjoy the fresh snow blanketing the trees and gardens in the University of Guelph’s Arboretum, go skating at Market Square in downtown Guelph, or walk through your neighborhood at night to admire your neighbours’ festive lights.

Hopefully you can use at least one of these tips for a wholesome and sustainable Christmas!