Plan Ahead for a No-Stress, Low-Waste Holiday Season: 3 Tips

The holidays are well on their way. With just a few weeks before Thanksgiving and Christmas coming closer every moment, now is the time to start planning ahead. Here are some no-stress, low-waste ways to make the holiday season great!

Number 1. Combine Forces

Every year, my friends and family make brings their celebrations together. While this might not be your usual tradition, it is a great way to combine forces and reduce your personal and group waste production.

First off, if you’re like most people, you’ll have tons of left overs. There are some major benefits to this no doubt (I love turkey sandwiches packed full of all the Thanksgiving goodies), but if you don’t manage to eat everything in the following days, there’s a lot of left over food. Instead of rolling solo and risking this, each family can bring specific dish (we usually do 2 turkeys) and then dish out left overs to those who want!

And, of course, this works for Christmas meals too.

Number 2. Gift Wisely

Besides the holiday meals, the next big area of waste comes from gifts. This can be an especially touchy area; kids are adamant on what they want, people often compare the sheer number of gifts, and everyone loves to see those big wrapped presents.

I don’t advocate ditching this Christmas tradition, but rather suggest a balanced approach. For example, you can get more conscious gifts that come from companies who are working to reduce waste on their end. Likewise, wrap the presents using old wrapping paper, reusable gift bags, or brown paper bags. I’ve seen some really great activities for kids, too: you can paint or color these paper bags for custom wrapping paper.

Number 3. Have a Staycation

This last one can be pretty tough too. During the holiday season, it’s pretty common for a vacation to be something to look forward to. Although this can be fun, cutting this from your tradition and replacing with some sort of staycation can mean serious saving in regards to waste.

So what can you do instead of traveling abroad? Make your home a vacation destination! Maybe choose a theme or country and redecorate for the holidays. This can be a great way to engulf yourself in a culture that you might not otherwise experience. Find out what other holidays mean, or simply try other holiday dishes that you might not otherwise taste.

Staycations means savings on money, time, headaches, and waste – what an excellent gift for the planet and yourself!