The Permazone Guide to Christmas

With Christmas less than a month away, most of us are in planning mode: decorating the house, buying presents, devising a menu. But if you practise or recently discovered permaculture, or even if you’re just remotely interested in sustainability, you may feel overwhelmed by the consumerism and wastefulness that comes with this time of year. Fear not: the holidays are actually a wonderful time to put permaculture principles into action. Here is our comprehensive guide to a permaculture-friendly Christmas.

Tree

Ah, the Christmas tree. Perhaps the most prominent symbol of end-of-year festivities, it can easily become a source of moral dilemma for conscious consumers. Should I buy a tree that has been chopped down so I can have it in my house for two weeks and then throw it away, or should I use a tree I can reuse, but that’s made of plastic? The answer is, neither.

There are many other Christmas tree options on the market:

• Buy a live tree. Buying a real tree, even cut, is always better than buying a petroleum-based plastic tree: in the time it takes for the tree to grow, it captures carbon and takes part in its ecosystem. But there’s an even better option: in many places, you can purchase a pot-grown tree that is delivered to you fresh and alive. If you have a garden, this is the most ecologically and financially sustainable option, as you can transfer your tree into the earth after Christmas, and reuse it year after year. And if you don’t have access to land, why not donate it to a local park?
• Rent a tree. There may be a tree rental scheme near you. In this case, you pay a fraction of the price of a real Christmas tree to use it for the holidays, after which you give it back. In Portugal, rental trees made available by the fire department are cut for prevention, and turned into biomass after Christmas. In the UK, Costswold Fir rents out potted trees, that continue to grow after Christmas, and can be used again year after year.
• Look for tree alternatives. If you can do without a traditional tree and want a sustainable alternative, the world is your oyster. The internet is full of ideas for eco-friendly “trees”, made from recycled cardboard, pallets, twigs or even green glass bottles. Make it a project, and have fun with it!

Decorations

We all love garlands and baubles, but in order to keep waste to a minimum, you may want to remember a few basic principles:

• Reuse. No need to change your decorations every year to follow colour trends. Choose decorations you love and reuse them year after year.
• Everything is a resource. If you have a garden or access to a forest nearby, look for twigs, pine cones, flower or fruit you can dry to give a rustic, country look to your home this Christmas. And return them to the garden or compost them after Christmas!
• DIY is the name of the game. Why not make your own decorations with leftover paper, cardboard, glass jars and bottles? If you’re crafty, you’ll have a blast exercising your skills and creativity to make garlands, figurines, origami and other beautiful art. And if you’re not, welcome to the world of online tutorials.

Presents

Pleasing your loved ones and the planet simultaneously is not always easy. But there are ways you can avoid falling down the rabbit hole into the Christmas consumer craze.

• Consider homemade gifts. In many cases, people would rather receive something you made with love than something impersonal you bought online. If you are already growing food, you could make festive jams or cookies to give. If you enjoy arts and crafts, why not offer homemade Christmas ornaments or sew beautiful homeware? Take some time to think about what you are good at, and use it to make people happy — your time and love are your most valuable resources.
• Use sustainable gift wrap. Gift wrap is the most disposable item in the Christmas panoply: appreciated for a second, it is quickly torn apart and thrown in the trash. Instead of buying glittery paper and ribbon that often includes plastic, use more durable items: look for vintage scarves or tea towels at second-hand shops, recycle old newspapers or even buy reusable wrapping bags. Sustainable options are booming, so there is no longer any excuse to buy traditional wrapping paper.

Dinner

Last but not least, exercise permaculture principles in your Christmas dinner menu. Between what you eat, how you present it and how you dispose of leftovers, this is the part of the festivities where you can have the biggest impact, positive or negative.

• Use your own food. If you have a permaculture garden, chances are you already have some food you can use: squash, chestnuts, herbs, homemade jams… Make a list of the food at your disposal, and create a menu that emphasises these items.
• Buy from sustainable sources. Whether it is turkey, fish or lobster, make sure you source your animal products from sustainable farms. In the same spirit, buy local and seasonal produce to limit your food miles.
• Less is more. Christmas is known as a time for overindulging, but it’s also a time for wasting. In the UK alone, the food wasted at Christmas 2015 would have made for an extra 4.2 million dinners. Be reasonable in terms of quantities, or even skip starters to make sure everyone has space for the meal. And if there are leftovers, use or give them away in the days following Christmas. Don’t waste any of that delicious food!
• Opt for sustainable table settings. Pass on single-use crackers, paper tables cloths or napkins, and instead use more natural items such as holly and candles to decorate your festive table.

Do you have more ideas on how to use permaculture principles at Christmas time? Share them with us in the comments or on www.permazone.com.