Be Mindful in Planning Your Menu

Again, Christmas is a time of excess in every sense, particularly when it comes to food. Making mindful, sustainable choices for planned meals and dinner parties can have a huge impact, at Christmas and throughout the new year.

December is a time to "be pragmatic and permissive with the change we create," says Bradbury. "Christmas is not the time to speak about restriction, but making small changes to our traditions will shape our impact."

Cutting down on meat-heavy dishes, avoiding over-catering (i.e. you may be having 15 guests over for dinner, but that doesn't mean you need 15 servings of each dish!), and re-using or donating surplus food are three easy ways to be more sustainable in your food choices this Christmas. When shopping, ensure you're buying locally sourced products and high-quality, welfare-conscious meats, and strive to get creative with leftovers [4], too.

There are also a number of resources in the UK to help you source and donate ingredients that might otherwise go to waste. OLIO [5] and Too Good to Go [6] allow you to snag and swap ingredients with neighbours, while FareShare [7] and The Trussell Trust [8] collect and distribute donated food to those who need it most.

Use Local Ingredients Wherever Possible

Speaking of locally sourced ingredients, challenge yourself to make quintessentially English dishes and delicacies with ingredients that are, well, quintessentially English.

Recently, students from the Cambridge Global Food Security strategic research initiative [9] found that many of the fruits and spices used in these Christmas treats could be grown and sourced in the UK. Why not search for such ingredients in a friend's garden or at your local green grocer, rather than stocked and packed on the shelves at Tesco and Waitrose? Plus, mince pies from a nearby bakery are always going to top those lining a shop's shelves, anyway.

Bradbury recommends browsing recipes by famed English chefs like Nigel Slater and Yotam Ottolenghi [10], that utilise sustainable, local, and often entirely vegetarian ingredients as well.

Make Your Own Gifts (Even Better If They're Edible!)

In an effort to reduce waste in every sense, Bradbury recommends trying to make gifts for friends instead of purchasing them. "Homemade gifts for the more creative among us are far more thoughtful, meaningful and unique, not to mention less costly," she says.

If you're not great with arts and crafts or haberdashery, don't fret — homemade cookies are also a lovely, consumable gift for a friend, and one that won't end up in a landfill down-the-line (this chocolate chip cookie recipe [11] is an easy go-to). Better yet, wrap them up in a beeswax cloth [12] — you'll use less plastic in the gifting process and give your friend an opportunity to reduce their plastic use down the line as well.

Gift Secondhand Books

If baked goods and crafts aren't your areas of expertise, there are still plenty of ways to gift responsibly.

"For children, opt for a book over a toy," Bradbury recommends. "In the formative ages, a book can be a very powerful thing and there are so many available now that impart knowledge about our environment (i.e. A Wild Child's Guide to Endangered Animals [13])."

Personally, I feel gifts are an excellent gift for friends and relatives of all ages, really. If you can't find a particular title at your local charity shop, or if you're sending gifts to friends in other towns, World of Books [14] is an excellent online resource for ordering and sending secondhand books across the UK (here are 20 Winter reads [15] POPSUGAR loves, if you need a recommendation).

Digital magazine subscriptions are another great gift for the reader in your life. "Digital magazine subscriptions, like Woman Kind and the Positive News Magazine, can keep us inspired and introduced to new and positive ideas all year around," adds Bradbury.

Shop Secondhand For Holiday Looks

Did you know the fast fashion [16] industry is responsible for more carbon emissions than international flights and maritime shipping combined? And the festive season is undeniably one of its busiest, most popular seasons. Between Black Friday deals and fully booked social calendars, there doesn't seem to be a limit to the number of sparkly dresses and cosy jumpers we purchase each year.

But here's the kicker: you can get all of this (and more) without a trip to the high street. Websites like Poshmark [17] allow you to shop online for secondhand apparel, and local charity shops are brimming with ugly Christmas jumpers.

You could even arrange a secondhand gift swap or Secret Santa amongst friends, encouraging those around you to mimic these habits.

Gift Plants

Another excellent, sustainable gift? Plants! Stop by your local florist or plant-seller and purchase seeds for a friend to build an herb garden, a tiny succulent to decorate your colleague's desk, or a bouquet of festive flowers. The more plants, the merrier.

Wrap Sustainably

Now, let's say you've snagged your friends' gifts from secondhand shops, you've planned a menu with locally sourced ingredients, and your Christmas party ensemble consists entirely of thrifted items — but you've no idea what to do about the inevitably wasteful wrapping paper and Christmas decor. Worry not. There are plenty of ways to wrap and decorate gifts sustainably as well.

"Try to avoid the foil and the glitter," recommends Bradbury. "Swap it out for your traditional kraft paper, or use fabric wraps that can be used repeatedly."

For instance, try turning a brown paper shopping bag inside out and using that as gift wrap, as this tutorial [18] illustrates (you could even paint festive little candy canes and Christmas baubles on the paper, if you're so inclined). Shops like HEMA [19] sell kraft wrapping paper and bags as well, which are both recyclable and biodegradable (and therefore far more eco-friendly).

Gift "Experiences" Instead Of Things

If you want to avoid gifting and wrapping "things" altogether, opt for gifted experiences instead. Or, in Bradbury's words, "Give less 'stuff' and more experiences."

Tickets to a West End show or a nearby festival, afternoon tea at a swanky hotel, and spa treatments (especially those at a natural day spa) are all fabulous gifts that involve little-to-no waste. And instead of picking up knick-knacks for acquaintances, make a donation in their name to an organisation they care about. For the David Attenborough disciple, donate to groups like the Leicestshire and Rutland Wildlife Trust [20]; for Harry Potter [21] fans, make a contribution to J.K. Rowling's Lumos [22] group or Save the Children's Literacy Programs [23].

"Most of us have what we need, and a small amount of spend can have a huge impact on someone who needs support," says Bradbury.

Try Reusable Christmas Crackers

"Christmas crackers, party poppers, and gimmicky stocking fillers are traps for waste," Bradbury explains — but don't worry, you can still have at the party-popping-gimmicks in a sustainable fashion.

"Have a go at making your own crackers, or spending a little more on those made from recycled materials that don't contain plastic toys or miniature items that will end up in landfill," she says. It's easy to find crackers that are plastic-free [24], but it's even better to invest in reusable, fabric Christmas crackers [25] that can grace your table year after year.

Forage For Christmas Decor

In the theme of festive tablescapes and Christmas decor, strive to be eco-conscious and sustainable as you deck the halls this year. "Forage" for Christmas decor by snagging sprigs of evergreen from your tree and pine cones from nearby parks. Play beeswax-based candles throughout your home and dining table (as opposed to their paraffin counterparts). Purchase recycled baubles and LED lights, and strive to use the same sets each year. Avoid paper plates and plastic cutlery wherever possible.

They're all small, simple choices, but they can make a world of difference. Not to mention, sprigs of greenery and warm, glowing candles are far cosier and more charming than glittering, plastic reindeer.

Recylce Your Christmas Tree

There are few sights more depressing than discarded Christmas trees on the curb post-Boxing Day — don't let your tree be among them.

Most city councils can recycle your tree, using the chippings for local parks and woodland spaces. By entering your postcode into sites like Recycle Now [26], you can find out exactly how to dispose of your tree and give it another life in a nearby park. The site will also tell you where and how to recycle goods like leftover Christmas lights, baubles (if you need to dispose of those as well), wrapping paper, and more.

Recycle Christmas Cards

Cards are another tricky item at Christmas. They're kind and thoughtful, but we end up with bin bags filled with them at the end of the season. And many — unfortunately — are not recyclable.

Instead of printing glossy collages, send digital cards; or, if you're a sucker for handwritten notes, jot your well wishes down on cards made from recycled or even plantable materials, available in spots like Paperchase [27] and Etsy [28]. If and when possible, be sure to recycle the paper cards you receive as well.

Cheers to a wonderful Christmas season for you, yours, and our planet.