My father taught me that, at Christmas, there is an abundance of goodwill in the air.
In the stories he tells of the Liverpool of his childhood there was always a strong sense of community, but come December that sense of collective empathy, of looking out for each other, was super-charged. I believed in it as much as I believed in Father Christmas. And I still do now (sorry Santa, not you).
I believe that at this time of year people are that little bit more likely to spread cheer than they are at any other time. Which makes it a great time of year to embrace new, more positive habits.
But in terms of sustainability, the festive season can be tricky. How can you harness your desire to spread warmth, show love, and, let’s face it, splurge a little, with a planet-positive lifestyle?
The good news is you can make consciously sustainable consumer decisions without having to be too abstemious - you don’t have to be Scrooge to be sustainable. The key is to buy – and give - less, but better.
The most important rule? As little single-use plastic tat as possible – personally, I think that means none. Nobody really wants – or needs - this stuff, and it’s going straight to landfill in the New Year (or, be honest, straight after the office party).
So my clarion call this festive season is to drop the secret Santa for some Christmas banter instead.
In fact, I’d go further: call the friends and family you’re on that endless merry-go-round of gift-giving with and have an honest conversation. Do they actually want the stuff you’re going to buy them? Wouldn’t they prefer to not have to reciprocate? Maybe this year, you can give someone the gift of not feeling obliged to dig deep in a cost-of-living-crisis Christmas?
One thing I’ve done is rope in family to put together a shoebox of gifts and essentials for a charity appeal. Rather than buying yet more stuff, we’re choosing to make a real difference to people who actually need it – and it feels good.
That doesn’t mean we’re not giving any gifts – of course we are. But we’re making sustainable choices: delicious, sustainable food, good wool socks, a book and (most importantly) plenty of time together.
The best gift you can give this Christmas could well be a hug or your time to listen. See friends you seldom see. Call someone you haven’t spoken to in a while. Write a letter to a friend you’ve lost touch with. Share stories. Eat, drink and be merry together.
And when you go shopping, remember that most of sustainability is common sense. Think of the materials you’re buying and the impact they will have. Go with your gut. Shiny plastic? It’s a no.
We all deserve some festive cheer this year, so have a good one, but, please, let’s all try and give the elves a little bit less to do.
