Keep Your Tree Green This Christmas: 7 Sustainable Swaps That Still Keep the Fun

Christmas is a wonderful time of year — twinkly lights, cosy dinners, the annual hunt for the good baubles — but it’s also spectacularly wasteful. Every December, the UK unleashes 227,000 miles of wrapping paper into the world, enough to circle the planet nine times (GWP Packaging, 2025). And that’s before we get to the glitter-coated gift bags, shiny bows, and the plastic moustache from a cracker that will outlive every human currently alive.

But a greener Christmas doesn’t need to look like a beige, joyless minimalism retreat. Most sustainable swaps are simple, surprisingly fun, and often make the festive season feel more thoughtful — not less.

1. The Christmas Waste Problem (And Why You’re Not Imagining It)

UK households produce three extra black bags of rubbish each Christmas on average (DEFRA, 2024). We also throw away 114,000 tonnes of plastic packaging over the holidays (GWP Packaging, 2025) — most of it shiny, glittery, and impossible to recycle.

And here’s a stat worth dropping into conversation the next time someone says, “It’s just one bit of plastic”:

If everyone in the UK reduced just 100g of plastic waste each Christmas, we’d save 6,930 tonnes of plastic — almost the entire metal frame of the Eiffel Tower (Eiffel Tower Key Figures).

It’s a tiny personal change, with an Eiffel-sized impact.

2. Choose Experiences Over Stuff (Your Bin Will Thank You)

Experience gifts generate around 85% less environmental impact than traditional physical gifts (HandsOn, 2025). No packaging, no plastic inserts, no “I love it!” lie when someone opens yet another novelty mug.

Experiences also avoid the dreaded “unwanted gift conveyor belt,” where items travel straight from wrapping paper… to the charity shop… to existential oblivion. And they’re far more memorable.

Try things like:

• theatre tickets

• small courses or workshops

• spa vouchers

• escape rooms

• game-based experiences (Alright, we might be slightly biased on this one.)

Anything that creates memories instead of landfill is a win.

3. Smarter Wrapping (Still Looks Lovely Under the Tree)

You don’t need to wrap everything in brown paper and string to be sustainable — unless you want the whole house to look like a rustic farm shop.

Here’s the simple rule: check whether your paper is recyclable.Some foil papers can be recycled. Many metallic papers can’t. Glitter-coated anything is straight to landfill territory.

Easy swaps that still look great:

• paper wrapping (with paper tape)

• fabric wraps (furoshiki-style)

• reusable gift bags

• ribbon made from fabric, not plastic

A recyclable wrap and a pretty bow look just as festive without leaving a glitter crime scene behind.

4. Decorations That Don’t End Up in Landfill

Traditional decorations like tinsel and plastic baubles are almost never recyclable — but don’t throw out the ones you already own. The most sustainable thing you can do is use them until they genuinely give up the ghost. Especially in today’s economy, nobody needs to be binning perfectly good baubles in the name of eco-aesthetics.

When you do replace things, choose:

• paper or wooden ornaments

• natural decorations (foliage, pine cones, dried oranges)

• durable, repairable pieces

They look beautiful, age well, and don’t shed microplastic snow across the entire living room carpet.

5. Buy Less, Buy Better (Your Future Bin Will Approve)

One of the biggest sustainable wins is simply choosing fewer, higher-quality things. WRAP notes that reducing and reusing delivers the biggest environmental savings — far more than recycling alone (WRAP).

Instead of filling stockings (and landfills) with tiny plastic fillers that break before the pudding’s been served, choose one thoughtful, well-made item. That could be:

• a durable decoration

• a handcrafted piece

• a fully recyclable cracker without the usual glittered tat

• or a second-hand gift

Second-hand presents have lost the stigma; they’re often higher quality than brand-new bargain-bin items and far better for the planet.

Less clutter. Less waste. More joy. Easy win.

6. Rethink the Christmas Table (Farewell, Plastic-Tat Crackers)

Traditional crackers are festive, but they’re also a masterclass in single-use waste. Most contain toys that go from table → floor → bin in minutes. Glitter and metallic coatings also mean most crackers are non-recyclable (North London Waste Authority).

A better option?

Fully recyclable crackers — plain paper, no plastic fillings, no glitter, no landfill-friendly moustaches. Some even include little puzzles or paper games, turning a throwaway moment into something guests genuinely enjoy.

Better for your bin and far nicer for the people at your table.

7 A Christmas Tree That Doesn’t Cost the Earth (Literally)

If you’re really committed to a greener Christmas, your tree is a brilliant place to start. Real, cut trees are lovely — but they’re also a one-way trip from farm to living room to pavement. An increasingly popular alternative in the UK is to rent a living, pot-grown Christmas tree. You decorate it for December, hand it back in January, and it returns to the farm to keep growing. Some families even rent the same tree year after year, like a seasonal houseguest who always arrives dressed for the occasion. (Availability varies by region, so you’ll need to check what’s offered locally.)

If you buy your own living tree instead, it can survive beyond Christmas — as long as it’s watered properly, kept away from radiators, and replanted or cared for outside once the festivities calm down. Plenty of households now keep a “family tree” going in the garden, wheeling it back indoors every December like a guest star reprising its role.

And if you prefer an artificial tree? No judgement — just go for a high-quality one that will last a decade or more. The sustainability problem isn’t the plastic itself; it’s the cheap trees that sag, fade, or fall apart after two years and get binned. A sturdy, realistic tree you keep for many Christmases is far better than replacing a flimsy one every time a branch gives up.

Real, rented, potted, or artificial — the key is longevity. A tree you keep is greener than one you replace.

A Greener Christmas Doesn’t Have to Be Perfect

You don’t need to go zero-waste or sacrifice the fun. A greener Christmas is simply about choosing a few small swaps that create joy without creating a mountain of rubbish.

Whether it’s experience gifts, smarter wrapping, thoughtful decorations, buying fewer but better things, or choosing recyclable crackers — every little shift helps.

Your tree stays green.Your bin stays manageable.And your Christmas stays properly magical.

Explore Sustainable Christmas Fun

• #TeamParty Game-Based Crackers

• Crackin-the-Case: The Pride of Deverington Hall (Mystery Crackers)

• Visit the Crackin Games Co Homepage