How to Go Green This Christmas

2004 Granny Hancock's Ball Ornament by JD Hancock (CC BY 2.0)

Celebrating the holiday season with friends and family is something we all have in common. Wouldn’t it be great if we decided to go green this Christmas, too? Maybe you want to go green, but aren’t sure where to start. You’ve come to the right place! Let’s talk about some fun ways to go green this holiday season.

First, remember the four Rs of the Go Green Christmas: Reduce. Repurpose. Reuse. Recycle. Everything around you is an opportunity to go green!

Photo by: RVWithTito
Photo by: RVWithTito

Go Green Christmas Tree:

Lots of people think that go green starts with a plastic tree you can use every year. In fact, because those plastic trees degrade over time and still end up in a landfill eventually, the real way to go green for your Christmas tree is to literally go green – get a living tree that can be replanted after Christmas is over! Check out this list of how to choose a living tree and go green for Christmas the old fashioned way!

Go Green Christmas Decorations:

Making Christmas decorations is not only a great way to go green; it’s also a great way to spend time with family and friends. If you already have a room full of crafting supplies on hand, you can use your skills to knit scarves, create Christmas arts and crafts, or even make beautiful holiday ornaments you can give as gifts! You can even make adorable little reindeer decorations out of paper towel roll tubes!

Photo by:  kiertoidea - recycled
Photo by:
kiertoidea – recycled

Go green with your Christmas lights, too! LED lights save energy and money.  The “go green” way is also the spend less green way – giving you plenty of cold, hard cash to buy more Christmas presents for the loved ones on your list!

Go Green Christmas Presents:

You don’t have to DIY everything in order to go green with your Christmas presents. A go green Christmas can include purchased presents, provided you are a label sleuth. Find out where your gifts are made, and more importantly, how they’re made. Only purchase goods made with go green methods; locally-made items, items made from organic fibers and sustainable media, and items that help us follow the 4 Rs are all good bets. You can always take the go green craze literally and buy your loved ones living flowers or plants for their garden!

Photo by: imcountingufoz
Photo by: imcountingufoz

Don’t stop the go green push with presents alone, though! Go green with your greeting cards by making them from recycled paper. As a bonus, the recipient will appreciate the time and care you put into their card. The go green approach beats a store bought card every time.  There are lots of other ways to go green with your Christmas cards, too, so pick the method that’s right for you. You can also go green with your Christmas wrapping paper by using recycled paper to wrap your gifts and by saving this year’s wrapping paper, bows, and other decorations for next year.

Capable in the kitchen? Go green by making edible presents! Delicious cupcakes topped with Christmas tree icing, delicious chocolate-dipped spoons or snowman Christmas cookies! The best part is that your edible gifts don’t need to be wrapped, because they’re already dressed up for Christmas!

These are a few of many ways you can go green this Christmas. How are you making your celebration eco-friendly? Tell me in the Comments section!