Choose eco friendly Christmas decorations for a greener Christmas
Christmas generates a lot of waste from unwanted gifts, wrapping paper, over-catering and Christmas decorations. It can be so tempting to get into the festive spirit by making impulse purchases of decorations when you go shopping but it’s unlikely this will be a sustainable option. Here we have 20 sustainable Christmas decoration ideas that you can feel good about.
- Solar Powered Christmas Decorations
- Ethically Produced Christmas Decorations
- Christmas Ornament Making Kits
- DIY Sustainable Christmas Decorations
Sustainability 101
1. Reuse your existing Christmas decorations
The most sustainable Christmas decorations are the ones you already have! I actually find it really exciting to pull out the old decorations, considering they haven’t been seen in 11 months. It’s nice to reminisce about where each one came from, if they were a gift or homemade and how long you’ve had each decoration.
Also consider mending or repairing any Christmas decorations that may have deteriorated after being in cramped storage for most of the year.
2. Buy second hand Christmas decorations
There is no need to buy new decorations when there are thousands of preloved Christmas decorations floating around the community. As well as being sustainable, buying second hand will also save you money.
Op shops or thrift shops tend to create a Christmas section in November and December that can be browsed for Christmas decorations. If there are no second hand stores nearby or you prefer to browse from home, try Facebook Marketplace, Gumtree or Craigslist.
Ask your Buy Nothing Facebook group or other community groups if anyone has Christmas decorations surplus to their needs.
Solar Powered Christmas Decorations
If you love to have Christmas lights then aim to get solar powered Christmas decorations. Having Christmas lights running for a whole month can use a lot of energy. Solar powered Christmas lights will reduce your energy consumption which is better for the planet and your wallet.
There are increasingly more solar powered options available and they make total sense if you’re in the Southern hemisphere and are enjoying Christmas during summer with long days and plenty of sunshine.
3. Solar Reindeer and Sleigh
This reindeer and sleigh is powered by 160 solar powered LED lights. The cool white lights will come on as soon as it gets dark after being charged all day in the sun. At 145cm in length this will make a great addition to you festive lights display.
4. Merry Christmas Outdoor Garden Sign
This multi-coloured sign lights up for up to six hours using the sunshine it has soaked up during the day. You can choose a steady or various flashing effects and the smart controller remembers your preferred settings. At 68cm x 27cm, it works well on hedges and fences and comes with a 2m transparent lead cable.
5. LED Christmas Tree Lights – Solar
This 2.1m Christmas tree is lit up with 264 multicolour LED lights that have 8 different lighting effects. Perfect for the front garden, it charges through solar power during the day and the lights come on automatically at night.
Ethically Produced Christmas Decorations
6. Paper Star Ornament
Add a touch of class to your holiday decor with this 25cm paper star ornament. Made from recycled cotton paper, it’s ethically sourced and features 100% authentic indigenous art.
7. Earth Greetings Bamboo Ornaments
These beautiful ornaments are made from bamboo and feature Australian animals. They are made in Australia by a small business who offset their carbon emissions by providing native species reforestations in one of Australia’s biodiversity hotspots.
8. Earth Greetings Bamboo Christmas Wreath
This bamboo Christmas wreath featuring a kookaburra is a wonderful celebration of native Australia. Designed and made in South Australia, it has been locally laser but from 4.3mm thick ethically sourced bamboo.
9. Paper Boat Press Ceramic Christmas Decorations
These gorgeous Christmas ornaments have been hand made in Brisbane by artist Kylie Johnson. Made from durable ceramic, they have been designed, made and painted in Australia.
10. Fairtrade Felt Christmas Decorations
Looking for something special to help decorate your home this holiday season? Check out these felt ornaments, hand made in Nepal from New Zealand wool and eco dyes. Designed in Australian, these beautiful ornaments come in many different designs to choose from.
11. Banksia Pod Christmas Decoration
Crafted from Australian banksia seed pods, these ornaments make a beautiful natural Christmas decoration.
12. Wooden Christmas Baubles 10 Pack
Choose wood instead of plastic decorations with these wooden Christmas baubles. There are many different designs featuring stars, bells and presents in this convenient 10 pack.
Christmas Ornament Making Kits
Creating your own Christmas ornaments is a great way to spend time with the family, and the end result will be one-of-a-kind and fun. If you’re unsure of your crafting ability, kits make it really easy and can provide a fun way to spend time with the family and make some pretty ornaments.
13. Make A Merry Christmas Plywood 3D Reindeer Scene Bauble
This 3D Reindeer Scene Bauble is a fun way to celebrate the season. It features a festive scene with a snow-covered tree, a snowman, and a reindeer.
14. Make A Merry Christmas Plywood Bauble Ornaments 12Pk
These 12-piece plywood bauble ornaments are a great way to decorate your Christmas tree. They are perfect for kids to decorate with their favourite colours.
15. Make A Merry Christmas Decorate Your Own Ceramic Ornaments 5 Pieces
Decorate your own ceramic ornaments with this set from Create A Merry Christmas. You can personalize your ornaments with your favorite colors and ribbons to create your own unique ornament.
DIY Sustainable Christmas Decorations
If you don’t want to spend a lot of money on decorations, DIY projects are fantastic. I also find immense satisfaction and pride in homemade decorations. Even if they are made by the toddlers and are imperfect, they serve as reminder of the lovely family time we spent making them.
Here’s some inspiration for paper Christmas tree decoration from my local library.
16. Paper Bag Stars
Learn how to create the most beautiful Paper Bag Stars to hang in your home this Holiday season.
17. Wine Cork Christmas Trees
These champagne & wine corks craft Christmas tree is easy to make and is an adorable Christmas decoration & gift. And if you have to drink a few extra bottles of wine so you have enough corks, so be it!
18. Handmade Felt Star Christmas Ornaments
Follow the step by step photos and clear instructions for how to make handmade felt star Christmas ornaments. They are the perfect holiday gift and decor!
19. Homemade Cinnamon Ornaments
All you need is 2 ingredients to make these super simple and easy Homemade Cinnamon Ornaments! A great DIY holiday craft or fun Christmas gift for both kids and adults to make and customize!
20. Salt Dough Christmas Tree Decoration
Cute salt dough christmas tree ornament craft for kids to make, with salt dough recipe.
21. Easy Origami Christmas Trees
These pretty paper trees are a fun holiday craft that are easy to make and look stunning. They can be used as a garland, hung by thread from the ceiling or a tree branch or simply propped up on a mantle for a festive fireplace.
22. Dried Orange Slices
Dried Oranges are a wonderful festive and natural decoration touch for Christmas. See here for how to dry orange slices and 10 suggestions for how to decorate with them.
23. Rustic Scrap Wood Snowman
Turn scrap wood and paint into this adorable DIY Rustic Scrap Wood Snowman.
20 Sustainable Christmas decorations to choose from this festive season.
Do you prefer to use solar powered decorations in a lights display or get crafty and make your own eco friendly Christmas decorations? Let me know in the comments.
More sustainable ways to celebrate
- 10 upcycled gift wrap ideas
- 50+ Consumable gift ideas – no more stuff!
- Try a Reverse Advent Calendar
- Environmentally friendly party decorations
These are great ideas. I just bought led lights! I am hoping to get some solar powered ones as well! Thanks
There are some really good ideas here! We like to have one tree in our kitchen that has all homemade decorations like popcorn garland, oranges, etc.
Popcorn garlands are a great idea!
love these sustainable ideas! and the dried orange ornaments…
So many wonderful ideas for Christmas decor. I definitely use the same decorations year after year. Like you, I get excited to pull them out and reminisce over them! I love your ideas of etically produced decorations, especially the Marks, Nangala & Singleton Paper Stars and Origami Christmas trees! Definitely pinning this for later reference!
This is my favorite time of year. Thanks for sharing your ideas!
I love these decorations ideas. We also don’t change our Christmas decorations very often. Many have stories behind them.
I didn’t know you could may stars out of paper bags. I will have to try it out with kids. Cute and interesting.