Sustainable Holiday Decorations: Eco-Friendly Ideas for Thanksgiving and Christmas

As the holiday season approaches, the spirit of celebration fills the air. However, this festive time often leads to a significant increase in waste. In fact, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that Americans generate about 25% more waste during the holiday season compared to the rest of the year. This translates to an additional 1 million tons of waste per week from Thanksgiving to New Year’s (1). A large portion of this waste comes from promotional materials, packaging and seasonal decorations (2).

Here are some other scary stats about holiday waste:

• 2.65 billion Christmas cards sold each year in the U.S. could fill a football field 10 stories high (3).
• 5.8 billion points of returned inventory ends up in the landfill each year from unwanted gifts or items that cannot be resold
• The average person in the US spends approximately $269 on decorations each year (4).

Traditional holiday decorations, from plastic ornaments to single-use decor, contribute to the environmental burden. It’s time to rethink how we celebrate and decorate for the holidays like Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas and New Years. So, here are some incredible sustainable alternatives you can make this year to reduce your carbon footprint. 

Nature-Inspired Decor

One of the simplest and most beautiful ways to decorate for the holidays is by using natural elements:

• Dried Flowers and Foliage: As fall creeps in, create stunning centerpieces or wreaths using dried flowers, leaves, and herbs from your garden or community. Not only are they beautiful, but they can also be composted after the season.
• Pinecones and Branches: Gather pine cones, branches, and other natural items from your yard or local park to create rustic decorations around the house. Paint or decorate them with natural materials for a festive touch, then compost at end of life, if applicable, or keep for next year!
• Seasonal Fruits and Vegetables: Use pumpkins, gourds, and seasonal fruits like apples and oranges as decorative pieces. They can be eaten after the holidays or used in some fall-favorite baked goods like pumpkin pies, breads, and more. 

DIY Decorations

Crafting your own decorations is a fun way to get creative and reduce waste:

• Upcycled Materials: Use old fabric, paper, or even glass jars to create unique ornaments, garlands, or table centerpieces. For example, use your scrap materials to create fun pennant garlands for each of the holidays, and reuse them year after year! Check out this fun tutorial here.
• Recycled Paper Crafts: Make paper snowflakes, stars, or other festive shapes from old newspaper, magazines, cards, or gift wrap. Hang them in windows or from the ceiling for a whimsical touch.

Sustainable Lighting

Lighting plays a crucial role in holiday decor! With sunset coming sooner, and it getting dark earlier in the day, holiday lights hung up outside your homes are a great way to lean into the holiday season and provide some cheer for passersby. 

However, their energy impact is quite significant. A past calculation found that they consume enough energy to power 400,000 homes for a year (5). Here are some great alternatives to consider for lighting this season:

• LED Lights: If you’re using string lights inside or outside the home, opt for LED versions. The simple switch not only uses 80% less energy than traditional holiday lights, but they also generate less heat and last up to 25x longer than traditional lights (5).
• Candles: Inside the home, use beeswax or soy candles for a warm, inviting glow. You can even make your own using leftover wax and natural wicks. If you don’t like to have an open flame, a candle warmer is a great alternative to still get the incredible candle scents! 
• Solar-Powered Lights: For outdoor decorations this winter, consider solar-powered lights that charge during the day and illuminate your home at night! Make sure to clear off the solar charging panels to ensure your lights work as intended.

Eco-Friendly Table Settings

Tis’ the season to gather with friends and family, but let’s ditch the plastic and single-use dinnerware! Make your holiday table shine with sustainable decorations:

• Reusable Dinnerware: Plastic tableware is one of the most significant contributors to waste pollution each year. Ditch the disposable plates and cups for your holiday meals and instead use your favorite dinnerware, or rent sets for holiday gatherings. Or, maybe invest in a set that can be used for all holidays year after year! 
• Cloth Napkins: With holiday gatherings come large, hearty meals, but with a full house comes spills. Replace paper napkins with cloth alternatives. They add a touch of elegance and can be reused year after year. Opt for darker colors or patterns so they can be cleaned easier, and hide tough stains.
• Natural Centerpieces: Create a beautiful centerpiece using a mix of seasonal flowers, fruits, and nuts. This not only looks stunning but can be enjoyed as part of the meal.

Sustainable Holiday Wrapping and Cards

The US is estimated to produce 4.6 million pounds of wrapping paper each year, and half of that, approximately 2.3 million pounds, ends up in landfills (5). Greeting cards are also quite wasteful with over 2.65 billion sold each holiday season. Unfortunately, much of the gift wrap and greeting cards produced during the holiday seasons are not recyclable due to having glitter, metallic embossing, or other design feature. Here are some alternative swaps for gift wrapping and greeting cards this holiday season:

• Fabric Wrap: Uses scrap fabric, old scarves, or even cut up old sheets to wrap gifts, a practice known as furoshiki. It’s both beautiful and reusable! For an extra touch, slide in a stem of dried flowers, or foliage in lieu of ribbons.
• Recycled Paper: If you prefer paper for wrapping your gifts, choose recycled wrapping paper that is free of embellishment (glitter, metallic, etc.) or make your own using newspaper, old maps, or brown paper bags! Make sure to recycle these after unwrapping.
• Alternative Wrapping Methods: Some other great ways of wrapping your gifts are using mason jars or reusable tote bags, both of which will also become a bonus item for the recipient! Take a read of our blog: 10 Sustainable Ideas for Wrapping Holiday Gifts for some more ideas!
• Make Your Own: A unique approach to sustainable gift wrapping or greeting cards is to make your own! Buy a roll of kraft paper or use brown paper bags and decorate with natural paints, markers and stamps for a special touch, or create your own cards from supplies you already have. 
• Reuse Greeting Cards: since many greeting cards that may have metallic, glitter, or other embellishment may not be recyclable, consider reusing these as gift tags on your gifts this season.

By adopting these sustainable holiday practices in how we decorate and gift, we can generate less waste and contribute to a more positive holiday season. The buying habit in the US has gotten substantially larger year after year, and the holiday tradition is becoming more wasteful than it is accepted. So, this season, consider not only stepping down the waste in the decor side of the holiday season, but also considering lower-waste gifting alternatives. 

Greening your holiday is the best way you can show your appreciation for the planet this holiday season, and we hope you’ll take up some of these alternatives, and encourage your friends and family to do the same, too!

Let us know how you’ll be decorating and gifting this season! 

Happy holidays from all of us at Tare Market.

Sources:

1. https://archive.epa.gov/students/web/html/holiday.html
2. https://www.keteres.com/resource/unwrapping-the-surprising-spike-in-holiday-waste
3. https://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2022/11/28/holiday-waste-tips-sustainability
4. https://www.rockethomes.com/blog/housing-market/how-much-do-americans-spend-on-holiday-decorations
5. https://brightly.eco/holiday-waste-generation-and-prevention/
6. https://www.thesimplicityhabit.com/statistics-on-wasteful-holiday-spending/
7. https://www.epa.gov/perspectives/green-your-holiday-season