Sustainable Christmas

The first of December kicks off the festive season with the beginning of advent. Traditional advent calendars usually contain plastic trays and cardboard packaging which are simply thrown away after use. Why not opt for a reusable advent calendar? This means you can choose your own treats to go behind each door, great for any allergy sufferers, and they become a great family tradition, which could even be passed down through the generations.

Decorating your home and putting up the tree is always a magical time of year, being conscious and making eco-friendly decisions doesn’t have to be difficult or hinder your celebrations. Here are our tips for sustainable Christmas decorations.

You can now rent Christmas trees which is much better for the environment as they are sent back and reused each year, opposed to being sent to landfill once Christmas is over. Some companies even give you the option to rent the same tree each year so that you feel like it’s your family tree. Plus, they provide a great habitat for nature for the 11 months of the year that they aren’t pride of place in people's homes.

For the tree decorations, reuse the same ones over and over, and if you are purchasing new, try to think about the materials used; glass and wood can be recycled, whereas plastic and tinsel take a very long time to break down.

You can even make your own wreaths to hang on the front door with pride, using twigs, greenery, acorns, and holly. There are plenty of wreath making classes online, for a perfect festive activity with friends, and you create something beautiful too!

This goes for food and for presents, the less air and land miles, the better. You can find some amazing local, handmade gifts that are unique, or food that has been produced in surrounding areas. Spending your money within the local community boosts the economy and is far more environmentally friendly.

When buying local food, you can make the most of using your fridge freezer to keep produce fresh. Why not purchase your turkey from a local butcher in advance and freeze it, or use Bosch VitaFresh technology to store fruits and vegetables, like your Christmas sprouts, to keep them fresh for longer. Buying locally can give you such a sense of giving back, it’s wonderful to know that you are helping provide a job to the person you are buying from.

Making your own sustainable Christmas gifts is a lovely option and is definitely worth the effort. Why not try something simple like gifting homemade cookies in a glass jar? With the CreationLine stand mixer, baking is made super simple as the machine weighs the ingredients as you add them to the bowl - saving you time and washing up!

Gift wrap and cards are the greatest source of waste at Christmas time. Did you know that many wrapping papers are not recyclable? Sellotape, foil, and glitter are not accepted in the recycling bin. An easy way to test if your paper can be recycled is to scrunch it in your hand, if it stays scrunched when you open your hand it can be, if not then it cannot be sent for recycling.

The most sustainable item is the one you already have. Saving ribbons, string, and gift bags you are given throughout the year means you can re-use them for your gifting. If this isn’t possible, ensure you buy recycled or recyclable papers, or some people even use old scarves and fabrics, which can of course be re-used again and again. You can even forage for items such as pine cones, holly, and sprigs of greenery to decorate your wrapped gifts.

As you can see, it only takes a few small changes and being mindful when purchasing to lessen your carbon footprint and have a wonderful, sustainable Christmas.

Gift giving is such a huge part of Christmas, and doing your shopping can really help you to get into the festive spirit.

We’ve collated a list of some of our favourite Bosch home appliances which are ideal Christmas gift ideas to help you make your shopping easy.