Plastic free decorations for Christmas

All I want for Christmas is no plastic, please

The unspoken and unwritten rules of Christmas decorations (especially for us) go something like this: more is more. And yet Christmas can also be an environmental nightmare. So to get you through the holiday season with your conscious unscathed, here's our guide to keeping your decorations DIY and your tree tinsel-free.

Real trees

Plastic trees are often seen to be more convenient than real ones – they don’t shed needles – but they're a big problem for our planet and they never look as good as the real thing. But rejoice and be merry! Because having a real tree is okay so long as it's pine, which is a fast-growing and prolific tree type. Micro trees are a sustainable option as they can always be replanted after the festive period.

Hanging branch

Waste not, want not. It's likely no one will notice if you cut off a branch from your tree to use as a standalone decoration. Simply get a branch and tie string to both ends, bringing them up to a central point so it can hang from a wall or ceiling. How you decorate the branch is really up to you but edible cinnamon sticks and lavender smell great, while dried fruit (we like lemons, oranges and apples the most) add an alternative twist.

Pine cone chains

A sustainable alternative to tinsel: take some pine cones, string them together and decorate with eco glitter for some sparkle. Experiment with different colors and combinations of dried herbs and flowers running between them.

Coconut wax candles

Unfortunately, there isn’t yet a sustainable alternative to led fairy lights, which have plastic casings. But candles are the next best thing (and smell loads better). Try making your own from coconut flesh, blended with harder vegetable waxes, such as soy or rapeseed, to create a nice white, creamy blend with a natural coconut scent. Candles made out of coconut wax are also more sustainable, lasting longer than those made from paraffin or beeswax.

Flowers and foliage

There are no rules about which flowers to use as decorations (though dried ones work best at this time of year), so choose flowers and foliage that work best with your color scheme. We can recommend: eucalyptus, berried ivy, berried eucalyptus, ruscus, robusta, pittosporum, eryngium, delphinium, larkspur, anemones, dried hydrangeas, moluccella. While our independent florists have plenty of their own favorites too.

Christmas cards

Display your Christmas cards by hanging them on twine between doorways or from the corners of a book shelf. Mini pegs (get wooden or metal ones) will secure the cards in place.