Top Tips for Sustainable Decorations this Christmas
It’s the most wonderful time of the year!
It’s the most wonderful time of the year! A time when families will be looking forward to spending quality time together. However, Christmas can prove to be a somewhat stressful time for parents and the hustle and bustle of the holidays means that many will opt for the most convenient option - which is unfortunately not always the best one for the environment.
And this Christmas, with many families feeling the financial pinch more than ever before, there’s further opportunity to be more mindful in our choices.
Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful, our leading environmental charity is calling on households across the land to be more mindful when it comes to their plastic consumption and make an effort to stomp out plastics this year.
Check out these great alternative ideas to make it easy to switch it up this year and make environmentally-friendly, easy and affordable swaps this Christmas.
Decorating your home for Christmas can cost little to nothing and still look wonderful when we choose to be more mindful. Better yet - you might even have supplies in the house already.
• Why not get the gang together and try your hand at baking your Christmas decorations? You’ll have made delicious treats whilst also making memories with the kids that will last a lifetime. Gingerbread – a festive favourite – can last up to three weeks when baked so is the perfect recipe for tree ornaments. Simply leave a hole at the top before baking and thread a ribbon or twine through when cooled.
• Drying out citrus fruit such as oranges creates really pretty adornments for your tree, but also for wreaths or garlands. Simply slice, place on a baking tray and bake on a low temperature for a few hours, flipping occasionally. Adding cloves will make your house smell like a winter wonderland as they bake!
• Salt dough is a modelling material made of a simple combination of flour, salt, and water – ingredients most families might already have in their cupboards. You can use cookie cutters to create stars, hearts and other shapes, or let kids play with the dough to design their own creations. Once baked, you can have even more fun by painting them before you place around your home.
• If cooking or baking isn’t your thing, a paper chain couldn’t be easier. Simply collect old magazines or Christmas cards and loop together with glue. The hardest part is deciding how long you want them. Better yet, collecting pinecones can be a great way to set off your Christmas décor.