Green Christmas Decoration Ideas
Christmas is an exciting season that’s usually everyone’s favorite part of the year with beautiful decorations, amazing food, and thoughtful presents. Sadly, however, it’s also one of the most wasteful months out of all twelve. Every year, almost 300,000 tons of card packaging and almost 300 million tons of waste are disposed of each year – a huge detriment to the environment.
To minimize the amount of waste that we produce during the Christmas period, we can start off by using more eco-friendly Christmas decorations. In fact, there are so many wonderful green Christmas decorations that you can actually create! Read on to get inspired in creating some eco-friendly Christmas decorations.
Use Energy Efficient LED Lights
Lights are a huge part of Christmas as it adds that festive cheer. While we do want to make Christmas eco-friendlier, it doesn’t mean that you have to spend Christmas in the dark. Instead, you can use energy efficient LED lights in your home to make it a tad greener.
This simple change may not seem like much, but it certainly makes a huge difference. Since LED lights use 80% less power than that of traditional Christmas lights, it definitely makes a significant impact on the environment. And by saving power on seasonal lights, you can feel better about the list of other winter machines you’re running like humidifiers and electric fireplaces.
Decorate with Nature
Sometimes, all we have to do is take a look around us and appreciate all that nature has to offer. Most of the pricey plastic Christmas ornaments that you purchase can actually be created on your own, all you have to do is head to the nearest park. These decorations are not just simple to make, they’re also made of natural materials and hence break down a lot faster than plastic – a win-win for both you and the environment!
Take a stroll through the park and pick up some pinecones that have fallen from trees and take them home to decorate. You can use metallic spray paints to color them gold, bronze or silver. After they’ve dried, you can hang them from your tree or decorate them around your house.
Create Some Edible Christmas Decorations
Have fun creating some edible Christmas decorations at home, you can even sneak some into your belly when nobody’s looking. One of the most popular edible Christmas decorations to hang from the tree are gingerbread men. They’re not just simple to make, they’re also adorable and you can decorate them however you wish. You can even enlist the help of your children to make them as a family weekend activity.
All you have to do is create a small hole in the gingerbread man once they’ve been removed from the oven. While normal gingerbread men can only stay fresh for about three days, you can make these gingerbread men longer lasting by painting an acrylic varnish over them – you just have to make sure nobody eats them as the varnish will render them inedible! Thereafter, just hang them on the tree to add an extra special festive touch.
Hand Make Your Own Christmas Decorations
Whether you choose to make them on your own or purchase them from the nearest local store, handmade Christmas decorations bring about a special festive element that you can’t purchase anywhere else. Not to mention, they’re also much eco-friendlier than purchasing plastic decorations.
Some examples of handmade Christmas decorations that you can make include an eco-friendly snowman made from bottle tops, jar lids, felt, and cotton batting from an old pillow or colorful stars made from straws and beads that are pasted onto chenille stems. You can even make simple snowflakes by gluing together popsicle sticks and adding a woodcraft round and ball to the center – the possibilities are endless! Not only are these great décor, but also perfect Christmas gifts!
Think about Your Christmas tree
One of the most important parts of Christmas is definitely the Christmas tree. After all, it doesn’t feel like Christmas without the presence of a beautifully decorated tree in your home. Depending on the type of tree that you already have in your house, there are ways to making it a little greener.
If you’re already using an artificial tree, continue to use it as long as possible to maximize its lifespan. However, when it comes to replacing it, make sure that you look into more environmentally-sound options. If you have to get an artificial tree, consider a pre-loved one.
If you want to purchase a real tree, get trees that have been grown in sustainable environments and have the FSC-certification logo. If you’re looking for trees that are organic and pesticide-free, you can get one that has already been approved by the Soil Association. Once the Christmas season is over, make sure you recycle the tree at your nearest recycling center.
If you’re feeling adventurous, there’s always the option of growing your own tree so that you can use it again next year. You can read up online on some expert tips to getting the right tree and taking care of them in your home. If not, you can always rent a tree over the Christmas season and they’ll even deliver and collect it after the season is over. The best part is the tree can continue growing after the season is over!
Conclusion
Since the Christmas period is a season of giving, it’s also important to be able to give back to the environment. Hopefully, these green Christmas decoration ideas will help you in making your home eco-friendlier during the most wonderful time of the year.
The Christmas season is also one of the coldest months of the year and dry air tends to be a common issue that families face, if you have a baby in the house, make sure you defend against the viruses and bacteria and ease cold and flu symptoms with a baby humidifier. This list will help you in getting started to make sure that your home is not just well-decorated for Christmas but also has the right amount of humidity for your family’s optimal comfort.
Author: Gavin Wilson
