Planning Ahead for a Sustainable Holiday

In the northern hemisphere, days are getting shorter, jackets are getting heavier, and the trees have lost most of their leaves - in the southern hemisphere, the opposite is true. No matter where you are, though, as we wind down the year, chances are that your thoughts are beginning to turn to the holidays. Hopefully, you are feeling all of the excitement that comes with the season, and not too much of the hurriedness and busyness. 

It's easy to get caught up in the idea that we need to bake the most, do the most, and buy the most at this time of year - and after all, there's nothing wrong with wanting to shower the ones you love in gifts and acts of service. But we can embrace the joy of the season without so much of the stress (and waste) when we approach the holidays the same way we approach our stitching: with mindfulness, grace, resourcefulness, and of course, using what we have!

Self Sustainability

You might wonder what self-care would have to do with having a sustainable holiday season, but here's the thing: maintaining high stress levels and anxiety isn't sustainable in the long term, so it's important to include caring for yourself in your plans for a sustainable holiday. While a sustainable holiday does mean eco-friendly decorations and handmade gifts, it also means treating ourselves with grace, allowing some wiggle room in our plans, and not expecting perfection. Just like with our stitching!

Plus, when we are able to lower those stress levels, we have more headspace for making decisions that we're proud of when it comes to the packaging, decorations, and all those other things.

 
Gifts

As far as sustainable gifting goes, handmade is often the best option. By creating gifts ourselves, we can avoid excessive packaging, shipping emissions, and wasted resources - not to mention, we can tailor the gift specifically to the recipient.

When it comes to handmade gifts for the holiday season, the best advice I can give is this: start as early as you can! Planning ahead is the key to success - and not running around frantically at the last moment trying to find the last few things for that project, or stitching until your hands are sore to meet a deadline.

If we start early enough, we can evaluate the supplies we have on hand, and plan our gifts around those. Then we can make a list, get any additional supplies, and work slowly at a pace that feels good. And don't forget that it's not about quantity. Consider committing to a few, meaningful makes, rather than a whole lot of things that are cute or fun, but may not be cherished the same way.

And if you do find yourself working away at the last minute, give yourself some grace - I'm almost certain your loved ones won't mind receiving their gift a day late if it saves your poor hands!

Decorations

Setting a festive mood without generating a whole bunch of waste can be tricky - my favourite way to do it is to bring the outside in! A couple of pine or eucalyptus boughs, perhaps some holly, or even things like cranberries and orange slices can be dried, strung, and hung. As an added bonus, it smells lovely! Or making wreaths with your foraging finds can be a lovely community or family activity. Just be cautious with any plants that may be harmful to pets or children!

You can also consider raiding the recycle bin, and making ornaments or garlands from scrap paper, cardboard, or bits of plastic. Get creative and give these bits and pieces one more use before they are recycled at the end of the season - or better yet, continue using them each year for as long as they last!

And don't forget our favourite mantra: use what you have! You may not think you have holiday-themed dish towels and such, but if you pull out your red tea towels and green dish cloths, you begin to see a theme emerge from the items you already have. Think about what you already have that could be placed with other items in your home to make it feel cozier and more seasonal, without buying anything new!

Packaging

Of course, when it comes to waste, there is all of the packaging to consider. We are avoiding some already by making our own gifts and decorations, but wrapping gifts is still an important part of the tradition for many. 

There are some eco-friendly options available for purchase, like recyclable craft paper or gifts bags. But I like to go a step further, and use paper that would be recycled anyway - like the brown paper bags from my groceries. I've also seen parents wrap gifts in their children's art, which is both an eco-friendly and meaningful way to package presents!

There is also the option to package your gift in something practical. There are many wrapping cloths (furoshiki) available for purchase, or you can try making your own! A tea towel or hana fukin could also be a practical way to wrap something small.

Make the gift bag from this photo by following along to the YouTube video here!

Slow and Steady

When it comes to celebrating the holidays sustainably, remember that planning time for rest is just as important as using eco-friendly packaging and making something special for loved ones. Try viewing the season through the lens of your slow stitching - giving yourself grace, wiggle-room, and permission to do things slowly. 

And consider: what small changes could make your holiday feel calmer, kinder, or more sustainable this year?