We love Christmas! It's a glimmer of magic and sparkle in dark winter days, an opportunity to be together with our tribes and to share love and kindness with others.
However, at this time of year we inevitably create more waste and use more resources. With the climate crisis, more of us are taking notice and taking charge of the little things we can do to offset our winter indulgence!
Here’s our simple guide to a greener Christmas:
Trees
Real trees – we LOVE trees and have planted over 3500 trees since starting TOTW (we plant one for every guest that books!). Try to get a living, potted tree, which can be enjoyed year on year. Or, look for sustainably sourced trees, The British Christmas Tree Growers Association.
Plastic trees – if you already have one, make use of it for at least 10 years, to make up for the carbon footprint of producing it 😊. If you fancy a thrifty Christmas, you can probably pick up a second-hand plastic tree very cheap and save it going to landfill for a little longer.
Gifts
Consider the gift of time together, in nature, making meaningful memories with the people you love. Gift vouchers are an easy way to give your friends & something to look forward to in dark winter months. Or why not make a promise to each other and start planning your summer holiday! A relaxing little camping or glamping getaway to reconnect, or maybe an epic adventure to remember, like our Find Your Wild Holidays!
Buy local and you will be helping to make a small business owners' family Christmas a little more magical! Check out your local outdoor Christmas markets or see our Welsh Christmas gift guide.
Gift something useful. Don’t be shy of asking your friends and family if there is something they need!
Handmade gifts can be so meaningful and a great family activity to do together! You don’t need to be an amazing artist or crafter either – I made these easy coconut oil scrubs for my family one year, and they went down a treat.
Pre-loved gifts. Why not start a new secret Santa tradition in your family and set the challenge of finding pre-loved charity shop gifts?! You’ll be reusing something, and supporting your local charity shops.
Decorations & Cards
Use what you have. Keep hold of your Christmas decorations to get as much use of them as you can.
Make your own. Make a day of it! Get out in nature, gather fallen pinecones, trim evergreen trees / hedges to create beautiful, natural (& pretty stylish) wreaths and decorations.
Recycle old cards. I always save any Christmas cards and cut them up to use as gift labels the following year!
Donate to your favourite charity instead of buying Christmas cards.
Buy from independent, local artists. Help make a local family’s Christmas by shopping small.
Food
Ahh Christmas for many (or maybe just me?!) is often the best excuse for a little over-indulgence in food & drink… but as a country, the UK really does waste so much food during the festive period.
“Over four million Christmas dinners are thrown away every year – that’s equivalent to 263,000 turkeys, 7.5 million mince pies, 740,000 portions of Christmas pudding and 11.3 million roast potatoes.” – Zero Waste Week
Plan your meals to avoid food waste, compost your veg peelings.
Think of others - Donate any excess produce with a long shelf life to your local food bank.
Use your leftovers. I love a good boxing day leftover sandwich! The BBC has some tasty looking recipes here.
Reduce meat consumption! We know that meat uses fast amounts of resources & energy to produce. Going back to the idea of planning your meals - how much meat do you really need at Christmas? Or you could even go meat-free!
Shop locally sourced ingredients – we love to use our local butchers, Dewi James, for our summer food services– that doesn’t change at Christmas time!
Have a wonderful Christmas and New Year, and we look forward to seeing you next year for your camping & glamping holidays in Pembrokeshire!
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Top of the Woods Provides the Best Eco Luxury Glamping & Camping Holidays in Pembrokeshire and Cardigan Bay in Wales, UK. Sustainable Staycations. Beaches. Nature. Woodlands. Dog Friendly.