Top Tips for an Eco Christmas
by Poppy Stirland
One. Get Rid of Wrapping Paper
In the family’s drawing room is a striking, 12 foot Christmas tree, brimming with hand-blown baubles made locally in Cirencester.
One might expect that underneath lies the usual frippery; a pile of presents lavishly wrapped in festive paper with all the bells and whistles. Instead, presents are wrapped in newspaper, old magazines, paper bags, cardboard boxes or even pieces of fabric, which adds a touch of curiosity and ingenuity to the scene.
Omitting wrapping paper does’t have to look dull. Each year at Christmas, I dig out the book that I filled with pressed flowers, leaves and ferns earlier on in the year to use as decoration for my presents. I use gardeners twine and cut a few bits of fir from the back of the Christmas tree for a festive finishing touch (Shh!). For wrapping paper I use newspaper or brown paper and instead of sellotape I used paper tape.
The amount of wrapping paper used at Christmas is enough in length to reach the moon. Most of this paper can’t be recycled as it contains plastic, glitter or laminates. It is estimated that around 50,000 trees are cut down each year to make enough wrapping paper, and sadly the end result is landfill.
Your presents will still look beautiful and afterall, it’s what’s on the inside that counts.
Two. Gift Thoughtfully
Buying presents is so much fun, especially when you know it is something someone is going to love! Throughout the year I keep a list on my phone of things people have mentioned, be it wanting to read a book, noticing something they like when we walk past a shop window or hearing them in conversation.
It is so easy to feel overwhelmed by the amount of things everyone is selling, or to turn to last minute shopping and end up with a present for the sake of it.
This year, I am only going to buy presents from antique or vintage shops. There are some fantastic antique shops locally to seek out hidden treasures, and I also follow some lovely accounts on Instagram such as Natalia Violet Antiques, Gather & Garner, Relic Interiors and Clop and Truffle Vintage for children books. Of course, your children might not want a a soap dish from the 1950’s or a chinoiserie vase, but isn’t it lovely to gift something with a story?
The Shop at Thyme has a gorgeous selection of gifts, thoughtfully sourced from local makers or artisan communities. Objects that are mindfully crafted and spark conversation due to their originality.
As much as £42 million worth of Christmas gifts are unwanted (and sent to landfill) each year. Being mindful to avoid the world of mass consumption, we handpick every partner brand and product and make limited orders, celebrating the opportunity to spotlight independent designers and their passion.
Three. Reusable Crackers
How many Christmas cracker presents have you actually kept in your lifetime? Be honest!
When I was little, my Granny bought fillable Christmas crackers and filled each one with a little gift she had carefully chosen herself. Once she had made me a pendent from her jewellery making class, I still have it now.
This year, we are encouraging you to make your own Christmas crackers, either using a fillable cracker (no more unwanted plastic presents!) or even better, creating a napkin cracker using a reusable cracker barrel and wrapping it up in a napkin, tied with ribbons. See my reel on how to make them here.
Four. Dressing for the occasion
A red or green velvety dress really gets me feeling festive. I lust over dresses that are endlessly sent to me in marketing emails during this period. However, this year, instead of buying a dress, I am going to rent one.
Recently, Milly and I went to the Hurr Collective X Stories Behind Things pop-up on the King Road (where you can also find Bertioli products) and were browsing through the dresses. A dress from The Vampires Wife had my name on it. What’s brilliant about renting is that I can still wear this fabulous dress, whilst being kinder on my purse and the planet. By renting instead of buying it new and wearing it once, you are saving the equivalent CO2e of: 26 TREES 3876 MILES IN A CAR!
Visit Hurr Collective to find your perfect party frock!
Five. Laying the table, let nature be your guide
I love creative tablescapes and always feel incredibly excited about a fabulous festive table design. This year, instead of buying flowers, use potted plants that will keep, or better, make a wonderful centrepiece using holly and other flora from the garden.
A simple, crisp white tablecloth or one from our patterns of nature, paired with foliage from the garden and of course napkin crackers, for a table setting that looks wonderfully festive and is kinder of the planet.
Our Bertioli table linens are a favourite, sustainably sourced 100% linen, from France. The production is certified by OEKO-TEX® to ensure there are no harmful substances and all our fabrics are digitally printed, leaving minimal run-off of dyes. Capturing the intricate patterns of plants and flowers found in the surroundings of Thyme, Bertioli homeware is suited to any occasion and really brings the room to life.
Cobnut table linen
I hope these tips will come in handy as you navigate your festive preparations. And in case you are searching for that perfect gift, we have curated a list of inspirations for experience-gifts here, for something a little more unusual and a lot more memorable.
