How to Have a Green Christmas: 8 Ideas for Sustainable Giving

Would you agree that Christmas is one of the most wasteful times of the year? I love giving gifts (not so much receiving though…I love to keep my life simple & minimal…) and I’m sure many of you do too but how can we have a green Christmas so we are not harming our beautiful planet at this festive period? Can we practise sustainable giving while we are on a zero-waste journey? Here are 8 ideas to get you started and I’d love to hear from you what other ideas you had in mind!

1. Give the gift of experience (instead of physical products)

Instead of giving a thing to someone, perhaps we can gift them a lovely experience. Maybe concert or theatre tickets. Yoga class or membership!

2. Give handmade gifts

Offer your time & skills this Christmas! Maybe you are an amazing cook and loves plant-based healthy sweets making. Or you are a wonderful artist and can create a lovely painting. Or you know how to use a sewing machine and you can make a lovely bag or something out of what you already have at home. Get creative and have fun!

3. Shop local

Can we choose to shop local so we are supporting local small businesses and contributing to the growth of our local economy? There is so much unnecessary packaging that goes with transporting goods for greater distances. If shopping from an overseas retailer, greater amount of fuels are required and more carbon dioxide gets released in our environment. You are reducing your carbon footprint by shopping locally. I try to support local small businesses wherever possible. As you know, I have very strict criteria of products I support and use daily (e.g. organic ingredients, plastic-free, made of sustainable materials, fair trade, palm oil free etc) so it’s not always possible to work with businesses based in NSW but all businesses I work with are based in Australia. I LOVE buying local, it just feels really nice to work with someone I personally know and feel that my choice is helping them & their family.

4. Give zero-waste starter kit

Why not give practical gifts that help us reduce plastic waste? Our ocean needs more of us who care and want to live in harmony with her.  

5. Choose earth-friendly gifts

Why not choose something made of organic ingredients, sustainable or recycled materials? Can we find products not made of plastic? (including packaging!) 

6. Choose eco-friendly toys without batteries

I know there are a lot of mums reading this and you are probably looking for some gifts for your little ones, nieces or nephews. Why not look for something that doesn’t require a battery? Maybe bamboo or wooden toys? Maybe books? See if you can find something made of recycled materials. If not, I’d look for FSC certification wherever possible.

7. Choose eco-friendly cards

We don’t want to see trees disappearing from our beautiful planet. Can we choose cards made of recycled materials so they are not made of fresh trees? 

8. Choose eco-friendly wrapping

Let’s not wrap our prezzies in plastic. Avoid shiny metallic paper too as it can’t be recycled. Choose paper made of recycled material wherever possible. If you have kept any wrapping paper or a gift bag when you were given a gift, reuse it. Or even try using Furoshiki, the art of Japanese fabric wrapping. You can use a scarf, bandana, handkerchief or tea towel to wrap your gift and you don’t even need any sticky tape! (you will be making knots instead)

There you have it! Hope this will help you reduce waste this festive season. And if you're tired of present shopping for others and ready to give yourself a gift of sustainable self-care, you're in the right place! Use the following gift codes to join me inside my online. membership before 26th December 2023. You not only save money, but will receive free access to my online mini course - the Self-care Toolbox for Mindful Mums.

💝 Gift Vouchers for You 💝

XMASGIFT23 ---$20 value gift code for the VIP option of the Mindful Mama Membership

XMASGIFT ---$10 value gift code for the monthly option of the Mindful Mama Membership

*Both codes expire on Tuesday 26th December 2023 and applicable to the first payment of the online membership. 

For the full details of the Mindful Mama Membership <<CLICK HERE>>

About the author

Chika is a Yoga Australia registered teacher and a founder of Wa Yoga.
She's been practising yoga since 2008 and teaching since 2014. 
She empowers busy mothers of young kids
through online resources and help them create a healthy, balanced lifestyle. 
She's a creator of Calm & Relaxed Mama course and Mindful Mama Membership.
She's a mother of a school-aged daughter
and has helped hundreds of mums, kids and young families
transform their lives through yoga & mindfulness. 

How to stay connected with Chika

If you'd like to connect with Chika,
join her and over 100 mothers inside her FREE Facebook group called <<Mindful Mum CommUNITY>>