1. wrap presents in newspaper

Everyone loves to give and receive gifts during the Christmas season. There are many ways to make gift-wrapping more sustainable. We would like to share some of them with you.

To avoid using new wrapping paper, you can wrap your gifts in recycled paper. Examples include newspapers and magazines. To decorate the presents in a festive way, you can collect pine cones and fir branches in the forest that you find on the ground. Dried orange slices are also perfect for decorating.

Reusable fabrics are also ideal for use as packaging. In Japan, this is even an old tradition and is called 'Furoshiki'. Depending on the shape of the gift, there are different wrapping techniques with the furoshiki cloth.

2. Buy local and seasonal food

Of course, the Christmas season also includes eating out with family and friends. When shopping for food, it is best to make sure that the products are local and in season.

On the one hand, this supports local farmers and the preservation of jobs in the region. In addition, local and seasonal products protect the environment, as long transportation routes and thus energy consumption and CO2 emissions are avoided.

 

The following foods are in season in December:

Apple, walnut, pear, cauliflower, broccoli, chestnut, pumpkin, beetroot, Brussels sprouts, oranges and sweet potatoes.

 

We have a few more recipe ideas for you using these seasonal ingredients:

Apple and nut crumble

Stuffed butternut squash (replace hazelnuts with walnuts)

Beetroot and sweet potato salad

 

3. Rent a Christmas tree

For most people, the Christmas tree is the most important part of the Christmas decorations. Unfortunately, this beloved decoration is not always sustainable. In Switzerland, 1.2 million Christmas trees are sold every year and half of them are imported. A lot of CO2 is consumed due to the long transportation routes. In addition, the trees have to be disposed of after use.

But there is a promising alternative. You can rent a live Christmas tree for the festive season. There are already several providers of this service, including Baumfreunde. You can select and reserve the tree you want online according to variety, size and appearance. You can then either collect the tree or have it delivered to your home. Baumfreunde also gives you the option of reserving the same tree again for next Christmas.

 

4. Decorate sustainably

It's always fun to decorate your home for Christmas and prepare it for the festive season. To decorate sustainably, you can use decorations you already own, buy sustainably produced ones, or even make them yourself! There are many easy ways to make your own decorations. And you'll save money too. We have some simple decoration ideas for you:

 

• Garland with dried oranges - all you need are dried oranges, which you can make yourself, and string. You can also hang dried cranberries, pine cones and fir branches on the garland to make it even more decorative.
  
• You can easily make your own annual Advent wreath from old jars, moss and fir branches that you find on the ground in the forest and stick candles. Extra tip: Micasa offers ecological stick candles.

  Micasa stick candles

  Stick candles Inspiration

5. Illuminate with LED lamps

Christmas time is lights time. However, you have to be careful not to consume too much energy. It is best to opt for LED lights when buying fairy lights and other Christmas lighting.

Compared to a conventional lamp, LED lamps can save up to 90% of energy. This technology is much more environmentally friendly and even saves you money thanks to the energy savings and long service life!

With LED lights, just make sure that you don't buy battery-operated models, as batteries require much more energy to produce than they later provide. Disposing of them is also problematic. 

6. Avoid food waste

A lot is eaten during the Christmas period and unfortunately this also results in an enormous amount of food waste. A large proportion of food waste in Switzerland is generated in the catering, wholesale and retail sectors.

The Too Good To Go app tries to combat food waste in precisely this area. The app works by allowing various stores and restaurants in Switzerland to sell their leftover food at low prices. If you use the app during the Christmas period, you too can help to ensure that less food is wasted.

A lot of food waste can also occur at home at this time of year. Especially if you have guests over, it can be difficult to estimate the quantities correctly. Fortunately, there are quantity calculators that you can use to calculate the optimal amount of food for your Christmas dinner.

Calculator

7. Giving sustainable gifts

It can be difficult to find the right Christmas present, especially if you also want to make sure that the gift is sustainable. We have some ideas for you:

• For the coffee or tea lover who is always on the go, a reusable mug is the ideal gift. Stojo offers collapsible and sustainably produced reusable mugs.
• Sustainable accessories made from vegan apple leather. Whether it's a wallet, cell phone case or key ring, the unique products from Sohotree are a hit with family and friends. Click here for the products
• A living houseplant is a beautiful and sustainable gift. It breaks down CO2, purifies the air and produces oxygen at the same time. It also brings life and nature into a room.
• Why not give the gift of time together? The best gift is the gift of time together. For example, you can give someone the gift of a fondue dinner together or a husky experience in the mountains.
• Another non-objective gift that can bring great joy is a donation as a gift. This is particularly suitable if you know of an organization or cause that is close to the person's heart. At WWF, for example, you can help an endangered animal species through a symbolic adoption. You will receive an adoption box with a soft toy and information about the adopted species, making this the perfect gift for a child in your life.