Its All About Christmas

Christmas is traditionally the time for celebration and gift giving. Unfortunately it also means waste, waste, waste.

So how can you make sure that your bin is not overflowing with packaging and wrapping when the festivities are over?

1. Buy gifts that are needed.

Stop before you buy that cute looking snowman with the glitter base and festive musical song. It might be fun but only for one day of the year before it’s put away in the loft and forgotten about. Plus it’s probably made from plastic and shipped from overseas.

2. Food can be a great gift.

But again make sure that it is sustainable and package free. Hampers may look impressive but think about how much they’ll appreciate a handmade gift of homemade jams, chutneys or sweets. Get creative and use natural packaging like moss and reusable bowls or baskets that can be used to house plants.

3. Green gifts.

Holly bears the crown from Trees for Cities

Speaking of plants, why not give a gift that is not just for Christmas. Fruit trees, herbs and vegetables are thoughtful and most importantly green. You can also make someone else’s Christmas by donating a tree.

4. Charity starts at home.

If you really cannot think of a present for the person who has everything then why not be generous and give to charity. You can help make someone else’s life better. Have a look at Present Aid, NSPCC, Cancer Research or Trees for Cities for inspiration.

5. Eat only what you need.

Buy an organic Farmaround food bag

It’s very easy to get carried away with the Christmas food shop but remember that the shops are only closed for one day. Start planning now and ask friends and family if they are coming over. Buy enough food for a couple of days and shop locally for organic food and drink, farmers markets are great for Christmas food. Steer clear of unnecessary packing and think about what meals can be made with left over’s. Think soups and hearty stews or vegetables that can be mashed and all frozen for another day.

6. Compost and recycle

Send food waste to the bottom of the garden, and give some worms a Christmas treat. And make sure that any packaging you do get is reused or placed in your recycling bin. Find out what else can be recycled by checking out RecycleNow.

7. Recycle gifts.

Children get the most presents and end up with huge amounts of toys and games. Charity shops have great ranges of unwanted toys and most children will not know the difference. Or perhaps you’re still hanging on to some from your childhood? Pass them down to someone who will play with them and love them all over again.

8. Wrapping & Cards.

Buy a box of Santa Christmas greetings cards

Buy recycled paper and cards or get creative with old wrapping (we saw you carefully removing the sticky tape last year!) or try wrapping in homemade paper or using cloth (tea towels are great wrapped with string or ribbon). Get the kids painting disused cardboard boxes for a cute and personal touch. Get knitting and make stockings, hats or scarves that can be wrapped around several presents

9. Make them last!

If you do buy a present make sure it will last and be reused again and again. Think heirlooms and choose organic, Fairtrade, FSC or sustainable items that do not exploit others. Help make everyone’s Christmas a happy one.

So unless you have a old favourite fake tree in the loft and plan on reusing for as long as possible make sure that this Christmas you buy a real living tree.

* The best choice is a tree with roots, if you keep it in a pot and water then you can pop it outside after Christmas and use the next year

* You can find out where you can buy a Forestry Commision Christmas tree by checking out their website, they also have handy tips on which variety of tree to choose

* If you don’t like the idea of a Christmas tree and prefer to gift a community with a tree why not choose the Christmas Berry tree from Trees for Cities

Once you’ve decided on your tree then comes the choice of decoration; traditional, modern or what the kids want! We’ve got a few ideas on how to make decorations that are kinder to the planet than plastic baubles.

Eco friendly home ideas for decorations:

* String popcorn and drape over your tree

* Go foraging in your local woods and hunt out holly, mistletoe, pine cones or pretty skeleton leaves

* Reuse old Christmas cards, cut out motifs and hang with string or ribbon

* Solar powered fairy lights (safer too)

* Salt dough decorations (recipe below)

* Cookie decorations (recipe below)

* Gingerbread decorations (recipe below)

Salt dough:

You will need:

* 1 1/2 Cups Flour

* 1/2 Cup Salt

* Cold Water

* Food Dye

* Optional: Lemon juice (dough dries harder), Oil (for more elastic dough).

Mix flour and salt in a bowl and add cold water a little at a time to form a rough dough. Do not make it runny or sticky. Mix in food dye if you want to make a coloured dough. Kneed the dough until it is smooth. Leave in an airtight container for at least an hour or until you are ready to use it. Then you can let your imagination run wild!

When you have finished your sculpture you can bake them in the oven at 200 degrees or gas mark 6. Or let it dry naturally. Baking times will depend on the size and thickness of your sculpture. You can paint your sculpture with poster paint when it has cooled.

Cookie decorations: 100

180°C/350°F/gas mark 4sugar (light, soft and brown)

* 100g butter, softened

* 1 egg, lightly beaten

* 250g plain flour

* 30g cornflour

* ½tsp ground mixed spice

* 1tsp ground cinnamon

* 1 large star-shaped cookie cutter

* Fruit-flavoured hard-boiled sweets

* 1 round cookie cutter, slightly bigger than the sweets

* 1 large baking tray, lined with greaseproof paper

* Ribbon to hang

Mix the sugar and butter in a bowl until smooth and creamy. Add the beaten egg a little at a time. Sift the flour, cornflour, mixed spice and cinnamon into the bowl and mix it until it forms a dough. Dust flour over a surface and roll out the dough to ½cm thick. Cut out the stars, then place on a baking tray and make a small hole at the top for the ribbon. Cut out the round shape in the centre of the cookie and place in the oven for 5 minutes. Take out and place the hard boiled sweet in the centre and return to the oven for 5 further minutes. By now the cookie should be browned and the sweet melted in the middle. Leave to cool and then thread with ribbon.

Gingerbread decorations:

* 350g plain flour

* Up to 1 teaspoon ground ginger

* 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

* 100g butter or margarine

* 175g soft light brown sugar

* 1 egg

* 4 tablespoons golden syrup or organic honey

Makes about 20 biscuits.

Put the flour, ginger and soda into a bowl and rub in the butter. Add sugar and stir in the syrup and egg to make a firm dough.

Roll out to about 5mm thick and cut out your gingerbread men. If you don’t have a gingerbread man cutter then use whatever you have – stars and hearts are just as tasty.

Bake at 190 C /Gas 5 for 10 to 15 mins until golden brown. Leave to firm up for a couple of minutes before placing on a wire rack to cook. Once cooled, decorate with icing.

Swap the ginger for cinnamon or a few drops of vanilla essence if you don’t like ginger.

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