There's no real intro to this post, the matter of fact is: we all know how wasteful Christmas can be, so how can we change that? Can it ever be a waste-free season? Probably not. Can we still lower our waste and its' impact? Absolutely.

Shop locally & shop small, by that I mean give special attention to small brands when you can. Instead of buying from Amazon - which, in all honesty, nobody should be doing - try to get your gifts from local shops, or small businesses online. I know not everyone can afford to buy from small brands, prices are usually higher due to better quality and less quantity, but even one or two items can make a difference when it comes to having a lower impact on the planet, not to mention someone's life and business.  

Use recyclable and/or recycled wrapping options. ReThink Gift Wraps sells beautiful reusable gift wrap, all made out of cotton, hand-stamped with hand-carved stamps, what more could you need? If you'd like to reuse what you already own use newspaper, kraft paper or butcher paper, making sure they're biodegradable, use some biodegradable twine and decorate with something beautiful such as pinecones, dried flowers and greenery, all compostable. Here's some inspo from last year's post on DIY Gifts I'll be Making this Year, and some more from and my previous post on Sustainable Christmas Wrapping. 

Re-gift, and by that, I don't mean you should give someone else a gift you've previously received and hated. Give them something you loved but no longer use, for instance, last year I gifted my mother-in-law my old collection of Agatha Christie books, she loves them and I no longer read them so why keep them around when there's someone else who would appreciate it so much more?

Make it yourself, I know first-hand how expensive gift-giving can be, especially because both my brothers, mum, boyfriend and best friend all have their birthdays within a month before Christmas, but it really doesn't have to be this way. Make your own gifts which will make it even better, bake them some delicious cookies or a nice cake, why not try my Christmas Chocolate Cookies, my Gingerbread Cookies or even my Spice Scented Holiday Cake. If you'd rather give them the chance of baking them themselves simply place all the ingredients in a jar and wrap a tag with the recipe around it. Although the DIY post I mentioned earlier could also be of great help.

Buy experiences, maybe a ticket to a play they're dying to see, or a concert they can't wait to go to, a wine tour to taste all their favourite wines, lessons for something they really want to learn, the options are endless... For instance, I've previously gifted my mum tickets to watch Mamma Mia or see her favourite artist live, and this year I'd like to gift her the chance of going to a traditional Fado place to hear it live while munching on very tasty and traditional snacks, something she's been dreaming of for years.

Make your own decorations. Decorating for Christmas is one of my favourite things to do, and getting new decorations every year is also something I love doing, but nothing beats making your own. Take a look at last year's post on Zero Plastic Christmas Decorations for some inspiration.

So there we go, these are just some ideas and some tips on how to make this Christmas as green and waste-free as possible, feel free to share your own ideas and inspire everyone to do the same in the comments down below, I'd love to know your tip & tricks.

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