10 tips to have a greener holiday: cope with eco-anxiety, reduce holiday stress, & create new sustainable traditions

cover image: Jayden Burdick/Pexels

The holidays are stressful enough without the added weight of eco-anxiety. Trying to have a green holiday often gets trampled by overconsumption, holiday traditions, and social pressure. 

Paulina and I really got to reflecting on our own holidays and realized you don’t need to give up all of your holiday traditions and the things you love to have a sustainable holiday season! If we all just made a few tweaks here and there, imagine the waste and climate-anxiety we could reduce. 

Because here’s the thing: it’s not your responsibility to save Christmas, Hanukkah, any holiday you celebrate or fix the world’s environmental problems. 

Control your choices with small shifts that support organizations already doing the work to reduce waste, put money back into the local economy, and ease the pressure to overconsume.  

Your actions can create a ripple effect that encourages others to adopt greener habits too. By incorporating new sustainable traditions around the ones you already love, you can make the holidays more meaningful and less stressful for everyone.  

We created a holiday sustainable living guide to help you find ways to make the season greener, less stressful, and still full of joy.

10 tips to create more sustainable holiday traditions

RDNE Stock project/pexels

The holidays are stressful for most people and if you ‘suffer’ from eco-anxiety it brings in a whole new element of stress. This blog is meant to encourage you to brainstorm how you can adjust your current habits and celebrations to help calm down your eco-anxiety, have a more sustainable holiday and lifestyle, while still enjoying the season, the traditions, and the things you love that make it special. 

Bonus: Check out our guide on how to shop for gifts for the environmentalist in your life. And don’t forget to check out our 100% recycled plastic hangers for kids & adults!  

1. Give greener gifts that are better for the environment

There are so many ways you can give more sustainable gifts! 

In fact, we already wrote a blog about how to shop for sustainable gifts for the environmentalist in your life! 

• The holidays are a time of love, joy, and excess. Because of all that stuff, Americans generate 25% more waste during the holiday season.
• To us, a sustainable gift isn’t just something that’s ‘eco-friendly’; it’s a gift that carries meaning to the recipient, brings joy, stands the test of time, and isn’t destined for a landfill.

Sustainable gift ideas to make new traditions: 

• Sub things for experiences. 
• Chip in for a group experience and do it together.
• Give secondhand.
• Give food and recipes: this could include creating freezer friendly emergency meals, special family recipes, sourdough starters. 
• Gift cards are always a win—e-gift cards are even better! 
• Group gifts: go in together for something someone really needs. It may not be glamorous, but think about how meaningful that would be for someone. 
• Exchange sustainable beauty gifts: think plastic-free chapstick, handmade body scrubs, luxury soaps, and safety razors (perfect for those you may not know well).
• Exchange sustainable living & home products gifts: handmade candles, wooden salad bowls, and marble coasters make thoughtful gifts that work for almost anyone.

2. Reduce your decorations’ energy & waste

Cozy lights can make the winters a little more inviting but since so many holiday decorations are energy-based let’s make them as efficient and sustainable as possible. 

• Fact: Americans use 3.5 billion kWhs of electricity for holiday lights, just for the month of December. 
• Fact: running those lights costs a cumulative $645 billion dollars. 
• Fact: the average household will use about 65 kWhs for their lights in December. 
• Fact: powering those lights emits about 2 billion tons of CO2 😢
• Fact: that energy is equivalent to the energy needed to power 350,000 homes or the output of a thousand MW wind turbines. 
• Fact: we’re not here to make you feel worse! Just by switching to LED lights, the energy usage drops by 75%! 

Energy & decoration ideas to make new traditions: 

• Smart lighting makes for an energy-efficient holiday: unplug and unwind. Keep your holiday lights to a minimum; keep them off when you’re not home. What you do use, swap for LED. Make it a tradition to go look at (other people’s) light displays together. 
• Recycle responsibly: when you begin to swap out your holiday lights, look for holiday light donation centers that will recycle your old and broken lights. There’s a local eco non-profit near me that does a pop-up each year but check big retailers like Lowes, Best Buy, Home Depot, etc. 
• Ditch single-season-use decorations: prioritize decor that will last. Give a decoration exchange a try; have people replace one flimsy decoration with a high-quality one each year.  
• Support small businesses & makers: in this economy?! Especially in this economy. Slowly support local artisans and makers crafting decor out of recycled or natural materials.
• Make your own sustainable decorations: use things around the house such as dried flowers, cinnamon sticks, & dried fruit to make decorations. Try your hand at handmade ornaments from recycled materials. Make it a whole thing and do it together and keep it as a solo activity. 

3. Finally get that Earth-friendly Christmas tree

pascal claivaz/Pexels 

If you came here looking for the answer on whether a real tree is more eco-friendly than a fake tree, I’m sorry, we don’t have the answer because it depends on too many factors! 

If you cannot part from the tradition of having a Christmas tree that’s okay! Real and fake trees come with their own sets of pros and cons. It all depends on what fits into your lifestyle. 

Earth-friendly Christmas tree ideas to make new traditions: 

• Figure out the real vs. fake debate for yourself: do you have a car? Do you live in a walk-up? Do you have access to a recycling/compost program? Can you let a tree end its life in your backyard? These are all questions to consider! Settle the debate for good by reading this Real Vs. Fake Christmas Tree article from Earth.org.
• Rethink the concept of a Christmas tree: crazy, I know. Perhaps you try to get a potted, living tree that you can replant in your yard or donate to a local park after the holiday season. 
• DIY a tree: make it an activity to create a tree-like structure from recycled or reclaimed materials. 
• Skip the tree altogether: this year I’m going to try to go for some garland in my doorway and hang some ornaments for the ceiling. (On the plus side I won’t have to rearrange all my furniture or check the tree constantly for cats). 

4. Eco-friendly Christmas/holiday cards

• Fact: over 2.5 billion Christmas cards are sold in the U.S. each year. Not to mention all the garbage mail sent by companies.
• Fact: not all Christmas cards can be recycled (looking at you glitter).
• Fact: not everyone has access to recycling. only 37% of multi-family homes (in the US) have access to recycling; 85% of single-family homes. 
• Focusing on just this one area can help to save a significant amount of waste! 

Environmentally-friendly holiday card ideas to make new traditions: 

• Go paperless with e-cards
• Recycled material: choose from card services that offer recycled paper or plantable paper.
• DIY your own cards: if the creative spirit lives in you, use old holiday scraps, fabric, and whatever else you have lying around to create thoughtful, unique cards. 
• Shorten your list if you can: I stopped sending cards out in general because I didn’t know where to stop. If this person gets one then this person needs to get one then this person needs to get one until it went TOO FAR. 
• Skip the cards altogether: it seems wild but re-evaluate your audience. I have a friend who throws them away instantly (😥) and we know a lot of people don’t have access to recycling. Instead, a new tradition could be to schedule a time for a quick video call and give your holiday wishes “in-person”. 

5. The eco-friendly wrapping paper of it all

• Fact: the US throws away 2.6 billion POUNDS of wrapping paper away each year not to mention all the accessories like tape, ribbons, bows, etc. 
• Fact: wrapping paper is difficult to recycle because of glitter and dyes. 
• Fact: if every family used just 2 sheets of reusable gift wrap, we could save 450 million rolls of wrapping paper from the landfill. 

Eco-friendly gift wrapping ideas to make new traditions: 

• Have a conversation: talk with your people about the reality of the single-use gift-wrapping situation. Bring attention to something they may never have thought of before. Use this as a time to gauge people’s interest and move forward from there. 
• Reusable gift wrap: try using fabric wraps, reusable gift bags, or even scarves that can be reused every year. You could even create a challenge for the most creative wrap. 
• Repurpose material for gift wrap: hold onto fabric, kraft paper from packages, and even toilet paper wrapping (sometimes it’s fancy!). Put your own unique touch on it with stamps, designs, or stickers you’ve accumulated. 
• Make the wrapping part of the gift itself: a tote bag, tea towel, or cozy blanket that adds an extra layer of thoughtfulness. 
• That’s a wrap on wrapping paper: can you go so far as to use no wrapping paper? Hide gifts around the house, create personalized boxes or baskets, and see how creative everyone really is.  

p.s. there’s no shame in asking for things back. Every year after I’ve opened presents with my family I ask for all my name tags back so I can reuse them again the next year. It doesn’t make the moment any less special. 

6. Opt for reusable cutlery 

• Fact: Americans throw away 25% more trash during the holiday season. 
• Fact: Disposable utensils are likely not recyclable (they’re a #6 plastic but many facilities don’t take them because they’re difficult to recycle; also only clean, dry, uncoated paper plates can be recyclable).

Reusable tableware ideas for new traditions: 

• BYOU (bring your own utensils): everyone brings their own utensils to reduce on plastic & cleanup. It also creates a fun and personalized touch as everyone will have different ones. 

• Skip the disposable tableware: make a tradition of using reusable plates, cups, and napkins for all holiday meals and parties. If you don’t have enough, consider organizing a potluck where guests can bring their own to share.

• Get creative with leftovers: everyone brings their own tupperware to take home leftovers in.

• Reusable napkins: start small with something like reusable napkins. You could also explore making or decorating some together. 
• Compostables: this is a bit of a hot topic but anything made with plants rather than plastic is a better choice, especially if it’s going to end up in a landfill. If you have access to an industrial compost program — make sure to keep your compostable tableware in a separate bin so they can be properly disposed of. 

7. Shop more sustainably with local & small businesses 

A good holiday can make or break the rest of the year for a small business. Funnel a little of your holiday shopping into the local economy; spending a few hundred dollars locally is going to have a significantly better impact for the economy and a small business.

• We know it's easy to just go to Amazon, but Amazon is expected to capture 40% of all U.S. holidays sales for a whopping $112 billion dollars. 
• Imagine what even a fraction of that could do for local businesses.

Ideas for shopping more sustainably to make new traditions: 

This goes hand in hand with sustainable gift giving. Whether you’re trying to start a new tradition or just buy better gifts, where you shop matters!  

• Shop local: aim for everyone to purchase one gift from a local business. As time goes on, do more.
• Shop with small businesses: shopping with a small business and independent retailers has a more immediate and positive impact compared to shopping with larger chains and corporations. 
• Avoid fast fashion: if you find yourself on the receiving end of fast fashion, (gently) communicate your preferences. Say you’re prioritizing natural fabrics or you’d rather have something else besides clothing. Lead by example by choosing to purchase slow fashion pieces for those you know will appreciate it. 
• Bulk & refill stores: Find a bulk and/or refill store near you for your eco-friendly gifts like chapstick, soap, & shampoo. If you’re hosting the meal, get your dry goods like pasta, rice, beans, & lentils in ‘bulk’ or volunteer to bring them for the cook.  

8. Host a clothing and/or gift exchange

• Fact: clothing retailers see the highest sales during the holidays. 
• Fact: almost 50% of Millennials and Gen Z purchase new outfits for the holidays.
• Fact: the average Americans wears an item of clothing 10 times
• Fact: 55% of Americans will return a holiday gift.
• Fact: gift returns, just in 2020, resulted in 16 billion tons of carbon emissions.
• Fact: nearly 5 billion pounds of returned gifts end up in the landfill.

Clothing & gift exchange ideas to make new traditions: 

• Host an early season clothing swap: organize a clothing swap (anywhere you can) at the beginning of the season so everyone can find new-to-them outfits for holiday parties. 

• Make it an annual thing: wrap it into your entire holiday celebration and let people know it’s happening ahead of time so they can plan. 

• Plan it around a theme: if there’s a lot of interest (or a lot of people) planning a theme like retro, sweater-weather, activewear, etc. can help everyone get the most out of the experience. 

• Add a charity element: find an organization (before you plan it) that will take the rest of the clothes that don’t find a loving home.

• Incorporate a re-gift element: have people bring a gift they received but don’t see themselves using. 

• Or go all in on a gift exchange: have a gift exchange after the holidays to help unwanted gifts find a good home. 

9. During the meal

KATRIN  BOLOVTSOVA/Pexels

• Fact: Americans create an additional one million tons of food waste per week of the holiday season.
• Fact: during Thanksgiving, 200 million pounds of Turkey, 30 million pounds of gravy, and 14 million of dinner rolls are also sent to landfills. 

Ideas to make new sustainable meal traditions: 

• Prioritize seasonal and local foods: find a way to incorporate seasonal and local ingredients that support local farmers or CSA programs. If you’re not the chef, offer to supply some of the needed ingredients. 

• Host a potluck meal: have everyone bring their own dish. Bonus points for anyone who brings a seasonal dish made with local ingredients! 

• Swap one meat dish for a vegan option: maybe don’t go all in and replace the main meat dish, but find some appetizers and/or easy crowd pleasers. 

• Host a cook-off: organize a (friendly) competition between cooking enthusiasts to see who can get the most creative by using a specific seasonal ingredient. 

• Grow your own herbs or vegetables: grow your own herbs or vegetables to incorporate into the meal. If you’re not the chef, plan ahead of time and see if there’s anything you can add to your garden. 

• Experiment with global cuisine: add dishes from different cultures that focus on plant-based ingredients. 

• Find a compost program: even if it’s just for the holiday season, see if there’s a local CSA, community garden, or private compost program you can sign up for to divert your food waste. 

10. Be mindful of overconsumption

• Fact: household waste in the US increases by ~23% during the holidays. 
• Fact: 50% of Americans feel increased anxiety & stress during the holidays. 
• Fact: 90% of Americans (from this study from Center for Biological Diversity) said they wish the holidays were less materialistic. 
• We spend a ton of money on products that will be thrown away immediately: wrapping paper, tissue paper, tape. 

Ideas to make new traditions while being mindful of overconsumption: 

• Set gift limits: agree on a budget or limit the number of gifts exchanged. This can help encourage more thoughtful giving over giving just to give. 
• Set age limits: For both of our families we have age limits set on who gets presents (usually under 25). 
• Organize gift swaps or a secret Santa: serious or silly, this can add an element of fun while reducing the number of gifts exchanged. 
• Embrace leftovers creatively: encourage everyone to take leftovers (or by bringing their own to-go containers). Plan creative ways to use the leftovers in new dishes. 
• Request donatable items: start bringing non-perishable food items to donate to a local food pantry or consider sponsoring a family for the season together instead of (or in addition to) exchanging gifts. 
• Try a DIY gift/decoration/food making session: creating something for someone else helps to emphasize creativity and thoughtfulness while minimizing waste. Head to a local eco-store that has a class on perfume making or bath bomb making or try it at your house. 

• Gift for a cause: contribute to a cause in lieu of physical gifts. Think of an organization that’s close to your heart or needs help during the holidays. 
• Reflect on the true meaning of the season: we have enough Christmas movies that try to do this, but over a glass of wine, coffee, or tea take a moment where everyone shares their thoughts on gratitude, connection, and experiences around the holidays. 

Quiet down eco-doom during the holidays and have a green Christmas. 

Lina Kivaka/pexels

Set boundaries: hear me out. We all have someone(s) in the family who are climate deniers. You need to protect your own mental sanity. If they are not willing to have a respectful discussion, it is not your responsibility to engage. 

Don't give up your current traditions: you don’t need to give up the things that make you happy! Come at your traditions with a new angle and see if you can add some sustainability. Keep your current traditions but focus on creating other, greener traditions as well.

Change takes time: not everything you try is going to work. And not everyone is going to be as into sustainability as you are. As hard as both of those are, it's okay! Do your best and find ways to compromise so everyone can be happy.

Take care of yourself: you've heard it before because it's true. You can’t educate, advocate for, or be sustainable if you’ve burnt yourself out. Take care of yourself however that looks for you. 

How to approach holiday stress & stop the constant worrying about the future?

I believe eco-anxiety comes from a feeling of individual responsibility that we feel we’re not living up to. 

But it is not up to us individually. We will never get a more sustainable future if every person feels the burden to save the planet is on their individual shoulders. We will get there together by supporting small business and organizations.  

To calm your general eco-anxiety, talk to those around you about what’s important to you and find small ways to make changes. 

As always: check out our guide on how to shop for gifts for the environmentalist in your life. And don’t forget to check out our 100% recycled plastic hangers for kids & adults!