Once again it is Christmas! The time of year to rejoice in the birth of the saviour, as well as the time for joy and merriment with family and friends.
Christmas is also a time when our collective obligation to care for God’s creation can be easily forgotten; the hustle and bustle of Christmas shopping leads to overconsumption and single use plastic, we buy more food than we need and waste the excess, and we spend hundreds of pounds on gifts that end up incinerated or in landfill.
As followers of Christ, we are called to honour his birth by extending mindful care to the home he shared with us. We also remember those who are displaced, hungry, and cold due to the catastrophic events of climate change, disproportionately in the Global South.
But together we can make a difference! Here is a short guide on how you can care for creation and for the planet this Christmas:
Gifts
- Buy Sustainably– When doing your Christmas shopping, check that the gifts you buy are made out of sustainably sourced materials. Avoid buying products that contain palm oil and look out for accreditation labels like FSC and Rainforest Alliance. Our Cathedral Olivewood products are perfect examples – here
- Make Homemade Gifts– Why not do some crafting this year and make your loved ones scrap books out of recycled paper or gift them jars of homemade jam or chutney?
- Give the Gift of Time- After Christmas hundreds of thousands of unwanted gifts end up in landfill. A great way to avoid this and upgrade the star factor of your gifts is to give the gift of your time! Make your loved one a voucher for a special homemade meal, a home-spa experience, or even babysitting!
Decorations
- Go Green! – Consider making wreaths and decorations for the house out of natural materials such as pine cones, ivy, and spruce – Book on to our Wreath Making Workshop Here!
- Candles– Switch your candles to soy, beeswax or even electric.
- Reuse and Recycle– Reuse decorations from previous years or if you need to buy more, look out for decorations made from recycled materials.
Tree
- Natural is Best- Every Christmas there is a debate as to whether a natural or a fake tree is more sustainable. If you already have a plastic tree, it is best to keep using it. But if you are intending to buy, it is far better to get a natural tree which is biodegradable and not made out of fossil fuels.
- Why not Rent?- The most sustainable option for your Christmas tree is to rent a natural tree! This way it can be returned to the earth and used again the following December by another.
- Lights- When decorating your tree, make sure the fairy lights are LED lights. They use 95% less energy than traditional bulbs and run at a fraction of the cost!
Food
- Buy Locally- A traditional Christmas roast is an easy dish to buy local produce for, as all of the ingredients are grown in the UK. Check the labels on your vegetables to check that they are grown in Britain or go a step further and buy from a local farm shop or green grocers.
- Meat-Free- It’s always a possibility to go meat-free this Christmas! There are plenty of tasty meat-substitute options for your turkey and even pigs in blankets, or why not try a nut roast or flaky vegetarian pie? If you do decide on the traditional turkey or chicken, source it from a local farm and make sure that it is organic and free-range.
All of these things will do wonders for the sustainability of your Christmas! And it doesn’t have to stop at material things. Use the festive period to be missional: write tips about how others can care for God’s creation in your Christmas cards or join A Rocha’s Wild Christian programme.
Wishing you and your loved ones a very green Christmas!
INEQE Your Voice Matters