Kids & Company Blog

Eco-Friendly Holiday Decoration Tips for a Low-Waste Holiday Season

The holiday season is a time for celebration, joy, and togetherness. But for many, it’s also a time of excess waste. The good news is, with a little creativity, we can keep the magic alive and make choices that are kinder to the planet. By making thoughtful choices about holiday decorations, parents can teach children about sustainability while creating meaningful family traditions. Whether you’re celebrating Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or any other holiday this December, these kid-friendly sustainable decoration tips can help you create a festive and eco-friendly atmosphere.

Decorate with Natural Materials

Bring the beauty of nature indoors with decorations made from natural materials. Pinecones, holly, evergreen branches, and olive branches can be used to adorn your home and tables. These items are compostable at the end of the season, making them a zero-waste option. Involve your kids by making a fun nature walk part of the process—collect materials together and turn it into a holiday adventure.

For Kwanzaa, fruits, vegetables, and ears of corn are meaningful symbols of unity and gratitude, while also serving as edible or compostable decor. Let children help arrange these items for a hands-on learning opportunity about the holiday’s principles.

Handmade and Upcycled Decorations

Crafting decorations together is a wonderful way to bond as a family while reducing waste. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

• Ornaments: Make ornaments using salt dough, upcycled fabric, or paper. Kids will love shaping, painting, and personalizing these decorations.
• Garlands: String together dried orange slices, cinnamon sticks, or popcorn for a festive, biodegradable touch. Older children can thread the garlands, while younger ones can help by passing materials.
• Table Runners and Mats: Use fabric scraps to create table runners or mats, incorporating colors and patterns significant to your holiday traditions, such as red, black, and green for Kwanzaa.

Reusable or handmade dreidels and decorative elements add a personal and sustainable touch to Hanukkah celebrations. Encourage kids to make their own designs or embellishments.

Eco-Friendly Lighting and Candles

Lighting up your home is such a joyful part of the holidays, but traditional lights and candles can be energy-intensive. Switching to sustainable alternatives makes your celebrations just as bright while being kinder to the planet, and also serving as a wonderful learning opportunity for children:

• Solar-Powered Lights: Illuminate your home and tree with solar-powered string lights to reduce energy consumption. Talk to your kids about how solar power works and why it’s eco-friendly.
• Beeswax and Soy Candles: Choose beeswax or soy candles for a clean-burning and eco-friendly option. Involve kids by letting them help pick out colours or scents that match your holiday theme.

Sustainable Centerpieces and Symbols

Centrepieces can be both beautiful and environmentally friendly. Let children take part in assembling meaningful displays:

• Hanukkah Menorahs: Opt for a menorah made from recycled or sustainably sourced materials like wood or metal. Pair it with beeswax candles for a traditional yet eco-conscious display. Kids can help set up the menorah and learn about its significance.
• Kwanzaa Kinara and Mkeka: Choose a Kinara made from natural, locally sourced wood and pair it with a Mkeka woven from sustainable textiles. Encourage children to help with setting up the display and share stories about the holiday’s principles.
• Christmas Displays: Combine natural elements with upcycled or handmade pieces to create unique displays. Let kids arrange the pieces to reflect their own creativity.

Secondhand and Thrifted Finds

Thrift stores and secondhand shops are treasure troves for holiday decor. Every year, millions of holiday decorations are manufactured, often using materials like plastic, glitter, and synthetic dyes. By choosing secondhand, you’re giving existing decorations a new life and reducing the demand for new production. Involve your kids in the hunt for pre-loved items, turning it into a fun treasure hunt. This not only helps children appreciate the value of reusing and upcycling, but thrift stores, online marketplaces, and antique shops are treasure troves of vintage ornaments, hand-crafted items, and one-of-a-kind decorations you won’t find in big-box stores. 

Low-Waste Gift Ideas

For many holidays celebrated around this time of year, giving gifts has become an important tradition. Sustainable gifts are often less about quantity and more about quality. They encourage us to move away from the culture of excess and focus on meaningful, well-considered presents because, at its heart, gift-giving is about expressing love and gratitude.

• Secondhand Books and Toys: Visit local used bookstores or thrift shops with your kids to pick out meaningful gifts, including books about African culture for Kwanzaa. This teaches them about the joy of giving without creating waste.
• Experiential Gifts: Offer experiences instead of physical items. Tickets to a concert, a museum membership, or a cooking class are gifts that create memories without contributing to clutter. 

With a bit of creativity and intention, parents can celebrate the holidays sustainably while teaching children valuable lessons about environmental responsibility. By choosing natural, handmade, or secondhand decorations, and prioritizing reusable materials, you’re not only reducing waste but also creating meaningful family traditions that emphasize care for the planet.

Let’s make this holiday season a celebration of joy, unity, and sustainability that inspires the next generation to carry these values forward!

Posted on: Friday November 29th, 2024

Posted by: Kids & Company