How to Create a Sustainable Christmas

Home made wrapping paper:

Who hasn’t felt guilty at the sight of all that discarded wrapping paper on Christmas morning? Get creative this year with homemade. For small gifts, think beautiful fabric off-cuts and ribbons, wrapping a gift within a gift! Alternatively, spend an afternoon with the kids decorating simple brown paper with your own designs, finish with a freshly foraged sprig of holly for extra prettiness.

Natural decorations:

For beautiful and sustainable decorations look no further than your own back garden, take inspiration from the Japanese art of ikebana and appreciate the beauty of modest arrangements; an artfully placed branch adorned with fairy lights is simple yet so effective.

For the more ambitious a home made wreath is the ultimate Christmassy activity, after a family walk to forage for foliage, think about taking heads from your favourite garden flowers, (dried hydrangeas look fab, as do poppy seed heads.) Create a base by layering up willow and then get creative using gardeners twine for fixing. Don’t overthink it, wreathes can look absolutely stunning with only a few simple sprigs, and don’t forget a few dried oranges for the full sensory experience!

Home made gifts:

A time of year when thoughtfulness far outweighs the extravagant, consider making Christmas gifts. Beautifully packaged chocolate truffles or shortbread always delight, and for the more organised among us home made sloe gin is a fantastic idea! Add your own handmade tags for a personalised finish.

For those extra special gifts from the kids scrapbooks are a lovely idea. Spend time reflecting on the past year, adding photographs, special moments and drawings into a homemade scrapbook will make a truly delightful keepsake.

There is something magical about the warm glow of candle light, especially during the festive season. Give the gift of glistening tranquillity with home made candles. Buy some soy wax pellets (the most eco friendly option) and some wicks, both available in craft shops or online, heat to the required temperature, add a few drops of your favourite essential oils then pour into whichever container you fancy, repurposed glass jars or vintage tea cups look especially effective.