6 tips for a more sustainable Christmas
06/12/2024
The next few weeks are going to be crazy when it comes to consumption. But we believe that Christmas is about so much more than
We’re already counting down, there’s no escaping it. Christmas is almost here and we can face it as another sustainability challenge, a bit of an extension of all the changes we’ve been making in our daily lives.
Peggada sat down to sort out the ideas and we bring you 5 ideas for a Christmas with less impact and the same magic as always.
1. An original, charity sourced or second-hand Christmas tree
This first suggestion alone actually contains several ideas. Cutting down another pine tree is not an option, but using one that has already been used for so many Christmases is. And if it’s your first Christmas with a tree at home, there’s nothing like using your network of contacts (friends, family, or even social media) to find out if anyone has an extra one they don’t use anymore, as well as decorations.
And, if we think about it, the tree doesn’t have to be a tree. It could be a pile of books with lights, some sticks attached with string in the shape of a triangle. In short, nothing that a lot of imagination and Pinterest can’t help with.
You also have the option of Pinheiro Bombeiro, a project that gives a second life to pine trees cut down to clear forests and also contributes to the purchase of professional equipment for the Portuguese Volunteer Fire Brigade.
2. Home-made Christmas decorations
Toilet paper rolls, newspaper and magazine scraps, elements from nature such as leaves and sticks. everything can be used to make Christmas decorations. Even fruit, which when dehydrated can become a beautiful Christmas tree ornament.
Joana Guerra Tadeu has made some stars that we can all replicate at home:
3. Cook less and use leftovers
Maybe this year we’ll realize once and for all that we don’t need that big pot of boiled potatoes or ten platters of vermicelli. Christmas means a full table, but without exaggerating on the food and with the certainty that we’ll be able to use up the leftovers.
A few years ago, the Portuguese Association of Nutritionists launched an ebook with recipes tackling of everything that’s left over on those days, but if you follow pages like the one by Sofia Magalhães or Amábile Kolenda you’ll also be well served with ideas for using up leftovers, at Christmas or any time of the year.
4. Gifts that are experiences
The obligation to give a gift is something that worries us. There are endless lists, full stores, lots of money spent and little intention in each of them.
We always prefer an experience. Not only is it more personalized, but it’s not just something to fill drawers or shelves at home. A yoga class, a brunch, a trip to the cinema, to the Pavilhão do Conhecimento, a ticket to the theater, a “day when I’m yours to do whatever” and, without much money involved, you dedicate yourself to the person you want to give something to.
5. Secret Santa
Still on the subject of presents, the Secret Santa idea was perhaps one of the best of recent years. What started out as a joke with friends can easily become a family practice. There are only advantages: everyone gets presents and each person only has to worry about one. If you know who invented this practice, let us know, we want to pay tribute to them.
There’s a lot more you can do, such as choosing to support charitable projects, volunteering on these special days, or making a plant-based Christmas dinner. Choose what makes the most sense to you and don’t be afraid to do things differently from previous years. There is always room for new traditions.
Marta Cerqueira is from Minho and vegetarian. Luckily, she lives in Lisbon, where there is more tofu than sarrabulho. She has been a journalist for over 15 years, the last of which writing about food and sustainability. Now, out of the newsroom, she continues to write whenever she can, be it in magazines, journals, post its, or on her Instagram page, which she uses to share a life divided between being a mom-person-foodie-traveler. Still, she created Peggada so she could write about what doesn't fit in a magazine, journal, post it or Instagram: a better world.
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