Dreaming of a green christmas

It’s that time of the year again. The time that depending on who you ask, is either the most beautiful season of the year when family gets together to celebrate love and traditions, or a season of excessive consumption, where we totally (even more than usual) give in to rampant consumerism, in the name of celebrating love and traditions, of course.

A simple evergreen twig dressed up with minimal baubles. Styling and photography by Elisabeth Heier.

On one hand, I see the problematic parts of Christmas, from the holiday stress to the commercialization and the social pressure to buy and buy that leads to unwanted gifts, debt, mental health issues, and serious environmental consequences. But on the other, I refuse to give up on this holiday, that’s why I’m still in the first camp of Christmas lovers.

Christmas is what we make it be. And we can totally make it more minimal, eco-friendly, and sustainable.

Having a (more) sustainable Christmas is not about huge sacrifices or buying eco-friendly this and super green, zero waste that. It’s about being intentional, taking the time to think about the environmental consequences of our habits, and making some smart, but really simple changes (you can find a quick sustainable Christmas guide with more resources at the end of this post).

This year, our Christmas décor perfectly reflects and symbolizes this more minimal approach to the holiday season. I’ve never been a fan of excessive Christmas decorations, in fact, it really annoys me to see more and more articles nowadays announcing that this or that is the newest Christmas decorating trend. Do we really need to be pressured to get a whole new set of Christmas ornaments every single year? Or be sucked into an Instagram competition of who has the most unreal, over-the-top decoration (led by the Kardashian clan)? A quick scroll through the images and you feel bad that you don’t have a life-size polar bear, a fake ski slope, and at least 5 differently styled, 3-meters-tall trees in your home.

For minimal and eco-friendly Christmas décor, turn to nature for inspiration. Our home is currently filled with pinecones, evergreen and red berry branches in vases, clove-studded oranges, cinnamon sticks, a scarlet and green poinsettia plant, and a unique Advent wreath made with evergreens and succulents. They dress up the apartment, fill it with amazing festive scent, and are eco-friendly as they are biodegradable.

For more minimal, nature-inspired Christmas décor, I’ve collected a bunch of ideas and images below – happy green decorating!