The Environmental Dos and Don'ts for Christmas.

Emma Brooksbank
2 hours ago
8 min read

With the end of 2025 approaching, festivities are bringing families together to share a warm meal and exchange gifts. However, these celebrations also carry environmental impacts that often go unacknowledged. Being aware of the environmental costs of our choices is essential to making better ones. This can result in a Christmas holiday that emits as little as 4kg of CO₂e per adult or as much as 1500kg of CO₂e ! This insight covers the key environmental dos and don’ts for end-of-year festivities, including decorations, gifts, and food to aim for a low-carbon and waste-free Christmas.

Decorations

Christmas is known for bringing light into our dark days (literally) through Christmas trees, colourful LED lights, and lots of different decorations. Without us realising, these decorations can exacerbate deforestation, end up in landfills, and pollute our environment. Let’s begin with the most popular but also most contested decoration of Christmas: the tree.

The Christmas tree: which choice is the better one? Real or fake? The short answer: Real.

Simply put, the only way to make a fake Christmas tree environmentally friendlier than a real one is to keep it for many, many years (which often doesn’t happen) and to ensure it doesn’t end up in a landfill (which is extremely difficult to do). A fake Christmas tree will have a heavy carbon footprint from the material it is made from, the production process which is energy intensive, and the distribution which often happens along long distances.

If bought in a local, small-scale farm, a real tree can be environmentally friendly and can even contribute to capturing carbon. It can, therefore, be a contributor to the fight against climate change.

If you are still unconvinced, let’s compare the carbon footprint of both: a two-meter-tall Christmas tree has on average a carbon footprint of about 3.5 kg of CO₂ (if disposed of correctly). On the other hand, a two-metre-tall fake tree has an estimated carbon footprint of 40kg of CO₂. This means an artificial tree would need to be kept for over 12 years to become the “eco-friendlier” option – without considering the end-of-life of the fake tree.

However, a Christmas tree - real or fake - wouldn’t feel complete without its twinkling lights, which brings us to the second decoration topic: Lighting.

The Lights: On our trees, windows, doors, and even in the garden, lights have become an essential part of Christmas decorations for many households. On average, we keep decorations for 38 days and our Christmas lights on for around six hours a day – totalling 228 hours of “unnecessary” electricity use. The first thing to consider is the type of lights used: if you haven’t done so yet, we recommend you change all your lights to LED which are more energy efficient (up to 90% less energy than traditional incandescent ones). Ensure your lights are on as little as possible by using timers and smart plugs (Lights do not need to be on in the middle of the night). If you would like to decorate your exterior space, there are great solar-powered light options out there. Make sure you keep them for as long as possible, or dispose of old Christmas lights properly to reduce waste: go to proper facilities that will repurpose those lights.

To learn more about reducing lighting use, we invite you to visit our members-only resource, which can be easily adapted for Christmas lighting: Energy Saving at Home or in the Office.

Last but certainly not least, let’s address the remaining pieces of decorations that brighten our Christmas: pillows, blankets, candles, napkins, tablecloths, plastic snowmen, Christmas socks, fake snow, and many, many more – you get the picture. What can we possibly do to reduce our consumption and in turn minimise our waste from the festivities?

We’re not suggesting you skip decorating for Christmas – quite the opposite. Christmas decorations are part of our history dating back to 16th century Germany – they are, therefore, a part of our culture. However, decorations have undoubtedly gotten out of hand with a combination of commercialisation, overconsumption, and the desire for extravagant public and private displays.

We should remember that a well-enjoyed Christmas is not about how red and green our pillows are or how brightly our lights shine. Instead, what makes Christmas so magical is the company of close ones and the memories we create together. Christmas decorations were originally meant to bring light and warmth to our homes during the darker days – something we can easily do in sustainable ways.

For instance, prioritise durable, non-trendy, and plastic-free decorations such as high-quality glass Christmas tree ornaments (that you might be able to find second-hand, and with care, could be passed down through generations!), reusable winter-themed napkins, cotton Christmas stockings (I personally still use the ones handed down from my grand-parents), and repurposed mason jars decorated with paint and candles.

And if you want something new each year, consider exchanging decorations with your friends and family. You can also collect pinecones or use orange and lemon dried slices on a string to decorate your walls or chimney. You can use wood and dried herbs such as rosemary, cinnamon, or star anise in various ways. All of these can create memories with your friends, children, and family.

Simply put, we need to live and decorate more simply and more intentionally.

Gifts and Wrapping

We all know this – Christmas is costly. December is full of marketing strategies which aim to capitalise on Christmas and Boxing Day. On average, adults in the UK budget around £362 for Christmas gifts with an additional £317 for festive food and drinks. That’s a total of £679 gone for Christmas. And this is without considering party supplies, decorations, trees, clothes, and much more.

But let’s focus on the biggest cost: gifts. And the cost goes beyond our wallet; it also costs us resources and a liveable future. Just like a fake tree and decorations, gifts contribute to carbon emissions, landfill use, and pollution. It is, therefore, critical that we change our habits around gift exchanges to become more mindful and intentional. This means we must ask ourselves these following questions when buying or wishing for a certain gift:

Where and how was it made?
How did it come to me?
How much energy will it use?
How long will it last?
How can it be disposed of at the end of its life?
Will I/they use/want this gift?

Another suggestion would be to prioritise experiences over items such as a massage, a spa day, digital magazine subscriptions, museum memberships, or a meal out. Otherwise, select locally produced items made by artisans. You can also buy items second-hand or thrifted, and my personal favourite – make something by hand. The best gifts are often the most personal ones.

Lastly, carefully consider how you wrap your gift. There are approximately one billion Christmas cards thrown away every year and 114.000 tonnes of plastic packaging thrown away in the UK alone. In other words, the UK uses 227.000 miles of wrapping paper each year. To reduce waste from paper, packaging and wrapping, consider wrapping your gifts in fabric that can be reused every year – you can even turn this into a fun activity by upcycling old fabric items into wrapping “paper” with your friends and family.

Food and Beverages

My personal favourite from these festivities are the food and drinks that accompany it. Unfortunately, they are a major contributor to household’s waste and CO₂ emissions. On average, 13,350 tonnes of glass and 3 million tonnes of waste is collected in the UK over the festive period. The culprits? Over-purchasing and leftovers.

It is essential to carefully monitor what has been wasted in your home in the previous years to ensure it does not get repeated. But to make your life easier, here’s a list of some food items that are more prone to waste during Christmas, such as:

Turkeys: 263.000 are thrown away in the UK each Christmas.
Mince pies: 7.5 million.
Potatoes: 11 million.
And Christmas puddings: 5 million.

Instead of throwing food away, donate it to your local food banks and charities. You can also freeze the leftovers to be eaten later. However, the best solution is to buy more consciously and locally.

List of the environmental dos and don’ts for Christmas:

The dos of Christmas decorations:

Buy a real tree from your local, small-scale farm.
Dispose of your Christmas tree by making chips from it, composting it, or replanting it.
If you have a fake Christmas tree, make sure you keep for well over 12 years.
Switch to all LED lights.
Drop off your old Christmas lights to the proper facilities.
If your string lights still work but you have a few broken bulbs or would like an upgrade, there are places that give it a second life.
Be creative: reuse your Christmas lights in a different way!
Exchange Christmas decorations between friends and family if you want something new.
Prioritise durable and non-trendy pieces of decorations that can be passed down through generations.
Rummage through your grand-parents attic – there are bound to be hidden Christmas gems in there!
Make your own decorations using unused items in your house – like jars, paint, wood, herbs, etc.
Gift or donate your unused Christmas decorations.
Thrift your Christmas decorations.

The don’ts of Christmas decorations:

Don’t buy a fake tree, especially if you will not keep it for over 12 years.
Don’t throw away your Christmas lights without considering where they will end up.
Don’t leave Christmas lights on all night.
Don’t use incandescent lights.
Don’t buy new, trendy decorations every year.
Don’t throw away your unused decorations.
Don’t buy decorations made of plastic, glitter, heavy paint, heavy packaging, etc.
Don’t buy decorations that can’t be easily reused, recycled, or upcycled.

The dos of gifts and wrapping:

Carefully consider what you want for Christmas and what it takes for it to get to you.
Choose durable, useful, and long-lasting items rather than trendy products.
Thrift your gifts or buy second-hand.
Dematerialise your gifts: get your friends and family experiences or homemade items such as baked goods and crafts.
Keep the gift receipt and encourage your friends and family to exchange the gifts for something they would like better or use more.
Get your gifts from local shops and artisans.
Wrap your gifts in reusable materials: repurposed clothing items, blankets, bags, etc.
Decorate with natural elements such as dried oranges, pinecones, and herbs.
Tie your wrapping with biodegradable string such as cotton, jute, hemp, and flax twines.
Reuse gift bags, ribbon, and boxes you already have.

The don’ts of gifts and wrapping:

Don’t get your friends and family something they already have or don’t need.
Avoid cheap plastic items that will break easily or have a short lifespan.
Avoid gifts that have been wrapped in multiple layers of plastic and packaging.
Avoid brands that do not have an environmental and decarbonisation strategy.
Don’t use plastic wrapping that will only be used once.
If you must, don’t use wrapping paper that contain metallic, glittery, laminated, or heavily dyed products.
Don’t wrap large items: a simple bow will suffice.
Avoid single-use name cards, repurpose old cards or use recyclable cards.
Don’t throw away wrapping decorations such as ribbons, bows, etc, instead reuse them.

The dos of food and beverages:

Consider what was thrown away last year to buy food more intentionally.
Plan portion sizes to avoid overbuying and food waste.
Ask your friends and family to come with containers to bring food back home at the end of the night.
Freeze the leftovers to be eaten later.
Prioritise locally grown and low-carbon food items: fruits, vegetables, local meat, homemade sauces, etc
Support small farmers, local markets, and ethical producers.
Minimise packaging waste by buying loose produce (instead of pre-packaged) and bring reusable bags and containers when shopping.
Incorporate more vegetable-based dishes to reduce the environmental footprint of the meal: offer both vegetarian and vegan options.
Serve your drinks in glass rather than plastic cups.
Support local breweries, wineries, and distilleries.
Offer homemade drinks instead of pre-made and bottled.

The don’ts of food and beverages:

Avoid impulse purchases of items that may go unused.
Skip individually wrapped snacks, plastic trays, and multi-layer packaging.
Avoid disposable tableware unless it’s reusable or compostable.
Don’t throw away food that can still be safely reused, frozen, or repurposed.
Don’t discard vegetable peels or bones – you can use them to make delicious stocks or broths.
Avoid single-use plastic bottles and disposable cups.
Skip plastic straws.
Buy drinks intentionally: don’t overprepare alcoholic drinks that may be wasted and avoid buying novelty drinks or flavours that no one will drink.
Don’t assume food is unsafe just because it’s past its best-before date – use the “use by” date for reference instead if you’re concerned about food safety.