What 'newer' Christmas traditions could be scrapped to help save the planet

I have stripped out any food stuffs that are unnecessary. Nuts are banned anyway because two members have nut allergies and most sweets and nibbles. If people want them they have to bring their own.

Essentially I provide a main meal at lunch time and the makings of a salad or tea meal in the evening. This way no food is served that cannot be frozen or transformed into further dishes. The only thing that gets chucked is the turkey carcase and gammon skin and that only after I have squeezed every ounce of stock from them.

What I buy is of the best and not a mouthful is wasted.

Soniah

Instead of secret santa we're all bringing items for the food bank for our WI

I love this. A couple of years ago my workplace did a 'reverse advent' bringing in donations to the foodbank, though it was in addition to secret Santa.

This thread has also got me thinking about food waste. My mum always bought certain foods for Christmas which no-one ever ate because they were 'traditional'. I've broken that tradition in my house!

Last Christmas I spent my first ever Christmas alone. I also had no presents to unwrap as I'd been planning to travel to Scotland to stay with my daughter for the 5 days allowed - then the rules changed. DS and DiL had sent a hamper for me and DD to share so I got to drink some of the wine from that on my summer visit this year! DD and I still haven't exchanged presents as she is too nervous to go shopping and there is nothing we really need or want. I'd just retired so didn't even have a secret Santa gift. I never thought I'd miss secret Santa! Obviously no plastic tatt but I only ever once got something really rubbish. Most people bought nice appropriate things! Anyone want a blow-up plastic 'perfect man'. That's the grossest thing I ever received! Can't even bring myself to donate it to the charity shop. I'm glad I don't know who bought it, though I have my suspicions. Close friends were shocked when I told them. Also glad I kept it to open at home so whoever thought it a funny thing to buy a single divorcee didn't get the pleasure of seeing my disappointment when I opened it. That sort of thing is truly a waste of money and terrible for the environment. Hopefully the world will eventually stop producing such awful stuff.

I'm glad to see that many of my grandson's toys are wooden, beautifully made and will last for years. Anything plastic I have got for him has been from freegle, my local freecycle group, so means less plastic going into landfill!

If I am virtue signalling then so be it but my M&S Christmas crackers have origami novelties instead of plastic tat.

And accusations of virtue signalling are becoming a very lazy way of shutting down debate on important issues.

Why does saying someone is virtue signalling close down a debate? I would have thought it was a robust debating point.

And accusations of virtue signalling are becoming a very lazy way of shutting down debate on important issues.

I was talking about Christmas as an example of a way in which consumerism and new 'traditions' are doing immeasurable harm to the environment and pondering on small ways that we could reduce the harm - it being Christmas time so an ideal time to start this conversation.

By all means start other threads on the many other ways we can change our habits to preserve the planet.

This isn't about being virtuous. It's about facing up to the fact that we've been wrecking the bloody planet for decades and we now have to face up to reality and change our behaviour.

But why specifically Christmas? It is perfectly possible to have a really lovely Christmas with all the trimmings without condemning the planet to perdition or going to great lengths to do so.

When people condemn Christmas they are always complaining about 'other people' and never include themselves among hoi polloi, who buy plastic toys wrapped in plastic, intensively reared poultry, unwanted presents that are thrown away (no taking to a charity shop?).

From the dawn of time people have celebrated the winter equinox. It used to be with huge bonfires, heavy drinking and slaughtering vast quantities of animals in a way we now do not approve of. O horror, all those emissions, the cruelty, the waste.

What people do now I do not know, nor care much. As I said, a lot of people here telling us what 'other people do' that they disapprove of.

Things for sale that do not interest me I do not take any notice off. So the shops could be stuffed with plastic toys, or they could all be made of wrought iron, I wouldn't really notice.

I have my own code of ethics and spend on Christmas accordingly and we have a wonderful time.

If we cannot let our hair down and celebrate once a year, life would be pretty boring. Perhaps people would like to follow in the steps of Oliver Cromwell and ban Chrismas and make everyone go to work. In their offices, no sneaking around the ban by working at home.

I little too much virtue signalling on this thread

We started secret santa presents few years ago to save money on individual presents. As they tend now to be either drinkable or eatable it does not cause much waste. I try to buy the grandchildren clothes and a small present as I agree far too much plastic stuff for children these days .

Lilyflower

"Dost thou think that because thou art virtuous, there shall be no more cakes and ale?"

This isn't about being virtuous. It's about facing up to the fact that we've been wrecking the bloody planet for decades and we now have to face up to reality and change our behaviour.

ooh twelfth night. hooray, some culture, do share.
and are some people, perhaps, saying that we need a "first night" for a start to the additional cakes and ale?
twelve days and nights of festivities: excellent. three months: excessive.

"Dost thou think that because thou art virtuous, there shall be no more cakes and ale?"

Bah humbug!

Particularly hate balloons Had one eye injury from blowing one up Most painful experience!

I remember when I was a child, and possibly still goes on among friends, people would kind of exchange talents. So if someone was good at baking they might make a friend a Christmas pudding as their present, and that friend if good at crafts might give a home made Holly wreath in return.

It involved time, but not lots of money or plastic.

At our work christmas party this year we decided everyone would buy a toy and we would donate them to the hostpital for the kids

what a medley of interesting fun ideas and miserably you-must-do-it-my-way. with barely a thought of why we give gifts/do the traditional things.
maybe we could concentrate on adapting what we do: to add to the joy and reduce the wastage.
someone suggested adapting crackers. how about an environmental hint instead of a lame "joke"? the best to be saved and used in the coming year.
i like choosing an actually useful present - a charitable donation if i can't think of one. my daughter gives her children useful things before bed on christmas eve (to focus the bedtime thoughts) eg new pyjamas for the winter season (not the same as christmas pyjamas!) and a toothbrush. and the box of tree decs include some we made together when she was a tot, and now some she's made with her own little ones.
but spare a thought for those who don't have a spare bed/room/loft to store things.
maybe christmas should be a time for sharing - ideas as well as "that cup of sugar".

With one group of friends I do a 'Charity Shop Secret Santa' - we set a price limit and wrap the gifts in newspaper to further disguise who gave what and save wasted wrapping. This benefits the charity shops, and if the recipient doesn't want their gift it can be given away to another charity shop, therefore being recycled and raising further money! Mind you we have had some lovely items over the last few years and always enjoy opening and sharing the cleverly chosen gifts.

I remember those twisty foil decorations Foxyferret.
We make spinners out of the foil cases from mince pies- 4 cuts down the sides, then bend one side of each cut out to make a windmill type shape and thread string with a knot in one end through a hole in the centre of the base. They spin well over a heat source or in a breeze and can be recycled afterwards.

All of the above, really. Life has taken a more serious turn, so many wasteful and frivolous things can be easily scrapped, the money saved can go to charities - and we can save a lot of time too.

The explanation can be that we'll have a simple, pared back Christmas, to be environmentally friendly.

Guess we all have a bee in our bonnet about something! Mine I’m afraid is the huge waste of money and damage caused by so many countries putting on these amazing firework displays for New Year.

lemongrove

Christmas Boxes...given to children on Christmas Eve and stuffed with presents that they don’t need.

Maybe the traditional gifting on Christmas Eve ONLY!! The ridiculous'buys' folks struggle to achieve nowadays is sinful! And anyway , exactly how many people now understand where Christmas has actually come from?! After all the true meaning wandered off into the wilderness long long ago........

We ask for wish lists well in advance. to ensure that all gifts are what people want.

I would like Christmas crackers with just hats and mottos.

We have actually done the exact opposite and introduced Secret Santa!
We are a family of six, and every year have spent money buying gifts for everyone, spending a fortune on presents that are oohed and ahhed over on Christmas day, then forgotten about, by and large.
This year, we are just buying one gift, spending a decent amount of money on just one person.
It has been so,relaxed this year, only one gift to puzzle over - and no more tat!

Children were excluded from this - let's see how it works out?

Balloon arches are most often made with air filled balloons. Without helium they won't fly and broken latex biodegrades.
They should be disposed of sensibly so they can't hurt wildlife. Foil balloons should never be released into the atmosphere or tied to metallic ribbon. They should always be ties to a weight.