Sustainable Holiday Decoration Ideas!

Happy Holidays!

Happy Holidays! This time of year means a lot of things to many people, but usually, while we are enjoying family time and gifts – we forget about the impact we are making on the environment. The holidays can take a significant toll on our planet, but it doesn’t have to! By living more mindfully and choosing sustainable decorations, we can lessen our impact on the environment.

This post goes over some sustainable holiday decoration ideas that will make you feel better about enjoying the holidays with less impact on the environment.

Wrapping Paper

If you’re planning on giving gifts this holiday season – you can do so in an eco-friendly way. Wrapping paper is typically not recyclable due to plastic, glitter, or otherwise.

“A good test to see if it is recyclable is the scrunch test. If you ball up a piece of wrapping paper and it stays balled up, it can be recycled, but if it stretches back out, it most likely can’t be.” – I’m Dreaming of A Green Christmas Podcast Episode.

Last year was one of the first years I tried using the paper I had saved. After using the gift paper I had from the previous year, I used sustainable wrapping paper such as blank pieces of paper I received in the mail, kraft paper, or newspaper. All of the gifts looked great and had no adverse effects on the recipient’s joy!

This year, I found used kraft paper at a second-hand store for 50 cents, and I grabbed Matr Boomie Wrapping Paper from my local fair trade store. It is Handcrafted, 100% tree-free recycled cotton paper gift wrap that Funds Community Development.

You can look for this wrapping paper near you or buy their bags online!

You can also add an extra bit of love with these plantable gift tags!

Ornaments

Ornaments are one of the items that many people reuse year to year. But if you feel like you want to shake things up – don’t turn to buy plastic ornaments! Here are a few sustainable options:

• Turn old sheet music into a simple circular ornament – as they did here! You can usually find old sheet music in a basement, estate sale, or at a vintage/resale store.
• These super cute and trendy mini yarn hats can be used for ornaments or garland and customized to any size you need!
• Want a wonderful smell in your house + a fun spin on garland = this straightforward Dried Orange Garland only takes a few oranges and can be used to decorate your home. Just be sure to compost them afterward!
• Another way to have a fun holiday tree that feels fresh is to do an ornament swap with people in your neighborhood! This way, it shakes up the look of your tree without anyone having to buy (or store) extra ornaments!

Holiday Cards

Okay, so holiday cards don’t always fall into decorations – but I thought they were worth mentioning here because your card could become someone else’s decoration!

• Choose a card that doubles as a dishcloth!
• Cards that you can plant as wildflowers like this one with trees or this one with flowers!

Or if you want to send an eco-friendly card that might end up on someone’s mantle – try some of these options:

• Paper Culture – 100% recycled paper or bamboo.
• Greenfield Paper Company – Made with 100% Junk Mail
• Postcards from local businesses – usually they will give these out. It’s an excellent way to promote a local business while still saying happy holidays!

What do you think? Which one of these sustainable holiday decoration ideas will you try this year? Whatever you decide, choose to do it with love and intention.

Happy holidays to all! XO Lena