Zero Waste Christmas, Gifts and Decor

During Christmas it’s easy to get caught up in all the “things,” the best way to keep your sanity is to adopt low waste measures for zero headaches. Last year I bought all the ornaments I plan on ever owning. Storing them is a pain in the neck and a waste of precious limited space in a New York City apartment.

So this year we tried something new, making our own ornaments and decorations. It turned out to be the perfect indoor activity to do and got everyone in the mood for the holiday season
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

Zero Waste Christmas Decor

So this year we dehydrated some citrus slices and added them to the tree for a bit of color.

ZERO WASTE DRIED CITRUS CHRISTMAS ORNAMENTS

Materials you will need

4 oranges
large knife
parchment paper
Twine

DIRECTIONS

Step One: Slice the citrus fruit of your choosing into 1/4″ slices and carefully remove the seeds. I recommend using a wide blade knife to ensure uniform thickness of individual slices.

Step Two: Arrange the citrus fruit slices onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and place the tray in a preheated oven set to about 170°F. Bake for 3-4 hours, flip the slices every hour until the fruit is dried, though not completely shriveled up. The end goal is for the slices to retain their color and not look brown around the edges.

Step Three: cut the twine into pieces and Use the twine to hang the slices

Sit back and take in the beauty of these zero waste Christmas ornaments as the light shines through the little circles of stained glass. them creating a pretty orange glow. These citrus ornaments work great with a vase of evergreens, hung on a Christmas tree, or even strung up for a beautiful garland in front of a window. Voila, zero waste Christmas decor, that you can compost when the season is through.

Zero Waste Christmas Paper Flowers

To be honest I made these for my daughter’s Thanksgiving party at school but they came out so nice and received such rave reviews. I think these flowers can add a whimsical touch to a child’s bedroom or can be used to decorate a wall at a wedding or baby shower. More resilient and affordable than the real thing, these paper versions can quickly become party staples. Perfect for a photo wall, they make a big impact while still being easy to make on your own. All it takes a little patience.

Materials you will need

Kraft Paper | The most important supply here? You guessed it—the paper. I repurposed paper shopping bags we had laying around the house. The creases and lines leftover from its former life added character to these zero waste beauties. Also, it’s worth noting that sharp scissors are a must. You don’t want the edges of the petals to look ragged.
Pencil
Scissors
Tape | I used whatever tape I had lying around but as it will be viewed in the final project I suggest using craft paper tape
Sticks |These are completely optional, I had a few twigs left over from a flower arrangement that I incorporated at the last minute, but any old sticks will do

DIRECTIONS

Step One: Cut and Shape the Petals.

Luckily for us, flowers come in all shapes and sizes, which means you sort of have carte blanche to do whatever you want. Each petal doesn’t have to look the same way it does in real life but use the shapes as a guide to help you draw the petals. Because you’ll need to make lots of petals, it might be a smart idea to come up with a few template petal shapes in medium, and large. That way if you do have help, from your kids, you can work in assembly-line style fashion.

Step Two: Assemble Your Flowers

Starting from the outside and working your way in, tape your petals together. I recommend using a small, round piece of cardboard as your flower base to glue petals onto. It makes it easier to hang later on because the cardboard is stiffer and holds up better to whatever tape or adhesive you’ll use to hang it than the paper would.

You’ll want to place the petals so each layer is filling gaps left by the previous layer. Eventually, the petals will start to get smaller and you can form the smallest petals into a tighter bud

Step Three: Finish and Hang
There’s a beauty to working with hot glue on this project. It means that it dries quickly (almost instantly) and that your flowers won’t fall apart in your hands.

You don’t need to make a million flowers either! These flowers look best in groups, so once you have a bunch of them ready, you can hang them on your wall using a piece of masking tape on the wall. Just a few of these Zero waste wallflowers make a statement hung around your home during Christmas time.

Zero Waste Christmas Gifts

Buy second-hand | Scout your local thirft dstore for the perfect gift for that person you love. The older an item is the more
Clean out your closet | pass on something you love that you are no longer using as frequently as you would like to a friend during the holidays for the ultimate zero waste Christmas gifts.
Spend time making homemade gifts | This is time consuming but a great opportunity to bond with your children and impart the importance of using your hands
Be specific | Put limits on the types of Christmas gifts you’d like from friends and family members. Good examples of zero waste Christmas gifts are books, tools, or plants
Eat your Presents | Ask for only edible goods or drinks, I have been known to ask for Jamaican black cake for Christmas. (although remember at Christmas the shops are full of novelty, overpackaged, palm oil-filled gifts).
Opt for experiences | tickets for shows, workshops or events; even vouchers for restaurants or cafes. Avoid vouchers for shops as these will lead to “stuff” also avoid gift receipts as receipts are not recyclable.

Low Waste Christmas Gifts

Its Christmas time, your kids are swept up in all the holiday hulabaloo. My daughter really has everything

Hair Ties | these organic tear-free ties come in gorgeous colors and will infuse so much fun into doing my daughters hair

Stainless steel Straw | Its sometimes a bit harder to get my daughter to refuse plastic straws when people slip them to her in the split second I turn my head. However, I think this crystal stainless steel straw will do the trick.

Insulated Bottle |I love these bottles for tiny hands, their monotone rubber bumpers protect them from dings and letting your little choose their own zero-waste Christmas gift helps to instill kindness to Mother Earth from a young age

Wooden House | I’ve been looking for a gender-neutral dollhouse that can house all my daughters

Rattan Shopping Cart | Whats a better zero waste Christmas gift than one to go zero waste shopping with ?