Photo by Food Photographer | Jennifer Pallian on Unsplash
The holiday season is a time for family, friends, and giving – but it can also be a time of increased waste and consumption. According to Stanford, Americans throw away 25% more trash during the Thanksgiving to New Year’s holiday period than any other time of year. The extra waste amounts to 25 million tons of garbage or about 1 million extra tons per week.
Although those numbers are pretty frightening, there are many ways to reduce your impact on the environment this holiday season and still have a stylish and sustainable home. With a few simple changes, you can reduce your environmental impact and create an elegant and festive setting for all of your holiday gatherings this year.
This article will guide you through some of the best ways to prepare your home for a sustainable holiday season. From creating your own decorations to making eco-conscious purchases, these tips will help you celebrate in style while ensuring you are kind to the planet over the holidays.
So, why not start preparing for a sustainable holiday season now? Your friends and family will be impressed, and you’ll be doing your part to help protect the environment.
What does decorating sustainably for the holidays mean?
‘Tis the season…for low waste living! What better time to start thinking about how our actions impact the environment than during the holidays? Challenge yourself and your loved ones to a more sustainable holiday season by decorating with recycled or repurposed items and materials.
Enforcing sustainable practices and reducing your carbon footprint doesn’t mean forgoing all the fun and festive traditions of the holidays. It simply means being more conscious about how we celebrate. Here are our best tips for creating a stylish and sustainable home for the holidays.
Utilize what you have
Every year, when the holidays roll around, we are bombarded with advertisements for mass-produced decorations made from cheap materials and designed to have a short shelf life. While buying new décor every year can be tempting as trends and styles are consistently changing, this often results in a lot of waste.
These decorations generally end up in landfills after just a few seasons, which contributes to our increasing waste problem. In addition to mass amounts of waste, the resources needed to create these decorations are finite, and the process of mass production pumps harmful toxins and greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.
So, opting for more sustainable holiday decorations can help reduce our environmental impact and make the holidays a little greener this year. Some more environmentally friendly options include using what you already have or shopping secondhand as needed.
Repurpose and reuse:
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Instead of going out and replacing your ornaments every year, try saving them and reusing them for multiple holidays. Also, if you are going with a new style or color palette for your tree this year, you can easily paint them to match your new décor.
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While real Christmas trees are undoubtedly festive and smell amazing, they can also be quite expensive and difficult to care for. Fake trees, however, are more durable and low maintenance. They also offer the added benefit of being reusable, meaning you don’t have to buy a new one every year.
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Reduce the waste generated by these fun and festive events by using reusable linens and dinnerware. Cloth napkins, tablecloths, reusable plates, bowls, or cutlery will reduce the amount of paper or plastic waste produced. While doing the dishes after a large gathering seems like a looming task, the trade-off is reducing your waste.
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You can use last year’s holiday cards as gift tags, ornaments, or even place cards. Additionally, if you saved any gift bags, wrapping paper, or ribbons from last season, they can be repurposed and used again.
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An old tablecloth can be turned into a charming tree skirt by simply sewing on some trim, or you can transform it into a trendy table runner.
So, before you go out and buy new decorations, take a look around your house and see what you can reuse from last year. By doing so, you’ll be able to enjoy a more sustainable holiday season.
Make your own
One of the best things about the holidays is decorating your home and making it feel festive. If you’re looking for ways to spice up your holiday décor this year, why not try making your own decorations? It’s a great way to add a personal touch to your decorating, and you’ll be surprised at how easy it is to get creative with a few simple supplies.
For starters, you can repurpose old jewelry into unique ornaments or use fabric scraps to make new ribbons for garlands, wreaths, and presents. You can even make your own candles with a few simple instructions, plus their super fun to create and will make your home smell to die for.
Not only is DIYing fun and satisfying, but it’s also a great way to save money. So, this holiday season, take some time to get crafty and make your own decorations. It’s a great way to add personality to your home while spreading holiday cheer.
Create your own centerpieces
When it comes to hosting a festive family gathering, your table centerpiece is a critical element in setting the tone for the event. While you could go out and buy a bunch of cheap décor for this purpose, it’s much more fun (and cost-effective) to get creative and make your own.
Here are a few ideas to get you started on making your own table centerpiece:
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Instead of buying new and expensive vases, try repurposing old mason jars or glass bottles. Then, fill them with nature-inspired elements like pinecones, evergreen branches, berries, and tealights to create beautiful arrangements.
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Use ornaments from past seasons layered on top of the garland.
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Create something unique by incorporating eco-friendly LED-powered fairy lights into your centerpieces.
Make your own Christmas wreath
Wreaths are a festive addition to any home during the holidays. They can be hung on doors and windows or used as table centerpieces. While store-bought wreaths can be convenient, they can also be expensive and wasteful. Luckily, it’s easy to make your own wreath with just a few supplies, and most of them you might already have.
Here’s what you’ll need:
● Floral wire (in various gauges)
● Floral tape
● Craft glue
● Needle-nose pliers
● Scissors
● Hanging hardware
● Ribbon (wired or non-wired)
● Decorations of your choice (old ornaments, buttons, felt, pinecones, etc.)
Start by creating your frame. Then, attach the decorations to the frame with the green floral wire. You can use anything from ribbons and bows to pinecones, berries, and festive florals.
Once all the decorations are in place, simply fluff and arrange them until you’re happy with the result. Your DIY wreath will add a personal touch to your holiday decorating and save you money at the same time.
Secondhand Shopping
While it’s always a good idea to repurpose and incorporate items from previous years for this season, not everyone has the resources to do so. If you’re just starting out, or perhaps you didn’t save your items from last year and want to become more eco-conscious moving forward, there are likely some things you will need to buy. And whether you’re on a budget or not, buying new decorations can quickly become expensive.
A great way to stock up on all of your holiday needs is to shop secondhand. You can find everything from lights and garlands to tree skirts and stockings at your local thrift shop or consignment store.
Or, if you know you will be hosting festive gatherings this year, you may want to upgrade some of your outdated furniture items. In that case, secondhand shopping is an excellent opportunity to find one-of-a-kind pieces at unbeatable deals this time of the year.
Maybe you need a new dining set for dinner parties or a more accommodating living room setup with more seating? If so, try browsing online marketplaces and consignment shops to find high-quality furniture at a fraction of the retail price.
Make your holiday dreams come true with Kaiyo
If you’re looking to upgrade your home for the holidays, Kaiyo is the perfect place to start. Our extensive inventory of high-end furniture brands gives us everything you need to create your dream home this holiday season.
From couches and chairs to dining tables and bedroom sets, we have everything you need to make your holiday gatherings unforgettable. And, because we only sell gently used furniture and décor items, you can feel good knowing that your purchase is helping to reduce waste this year.
So, this holiday season, make Kaiyo your one-stop shop for all your home furnishing needs. We’ll help you create a festive and sustainable home that will have everyone talking.
