Meaningful holidays
Christmas tree decorations
Summer break is here听and Christmas is just around the corner!
I usually get lost in the Christmas craze and get sucked into all the consuming that happens around this time. We all deserve and听need some merriment听but I do notice that after the holidays, there is just a significant amount of waste that is听produced. It's not just the pile of Christmas gifts, it's also a large amount of uneaten food.听
I started a list of eco-friendly gift ideas which you can read here, but here are a few of the other steps I'll be trying to do this year. I'm hoping to be a more conscious consumer and in that way also allow myself a more meaningful and enjoyable Christmas shared with friends and family.听
- Rent a Christmas tree. There are a few Adelaide Christmas tree farms which you can visit. Although it entails chopping a tree down, a new tree is planted in its place. This is a friendlier alternative to a plastic tree. Having said that, most synthetic Christmas trees stay in the family for years which is again, better than purchasing a plastic tree and only using it one of two times.
- Wooden and not a plastic tree, or use a potted plant. Last year, I bought a 200mm dwarf conifer as a Christmas tree and this year I got an even bigger tree. Some suggestions for a potted Christmas tree that would suit an Australian Christmas include Lillypillies and a potted Olive tree.
- Gifts. Instead of putting gifts you don't really want or can't use into the bin, consider donating them. Same with some unwanted items in a Christmas hamper given to you. If they are pantry products and you don't want them, you could consider donating them to .
What other things can I start doing that would lessen waste this Christmas? Maybe considering what Christmas wrapping I'm using and the decorations I hang on the tree?
Christmas can't be bought from a store. Maybe Christmas means a little bit more.Dr. Seuss
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