At the risk of sounding earnest and worthy again, I find all the mass consumerism of Christmas just well, too much. And unnecessarily expensive and stressful.
Food waste is one of the biggest problems. Various studies and surveys estimate that around 200,000–230,000 tonnes of festive food are thrown away each year in the UK - that equates to around 42 million plates of food. As you know, we hate waste at Chimney Sheep, so much unnecessary waste is depressing. It also results in colossal amounts of greenhouse gas - about 18 million tonnes of CO2e (carbon dioxide equivalent) in 2021–22.
Paper-based stuff — cards, gift wrap and packaging — is another big source of waste. Roughly a billion Christmas cards are discarded every year in the UK, and the nation uses an estimated 300,000 tonnes of card and packaging during the festive season. Much of this material is recyclable in principle, but contamination and sheer volume mean sizeable proportions don’t get recycled.
Producing, transporting and disposing of food, cards, wrapping, single-use crackers, plastic decorations and so on consumes water and energy, increasing emissions. Electronics and battery-powered decorations and short-lived “fast-tech” lights add e-waste.
There’s also a clear human cost. Households typically spend substantially more in December than in other months — Bank of England analysis shows December spending rises significantly — and the pressure to buy, reciprocate and “have the best Christmas ever” creates financial strain and buyer’s remorse for many families.
BUT. Christmas is a lovely, sparkly time of year! It illuminates the miserable dark of the middle of winter. Whatever your faith, we have all endured the ghastly dark wet windy short days of November and December, we’ve got to the shortest day, and although there’s Sad January to get through, the days will start getting longer and spring will return. That is something to get festive about.
So it’s perfectly possible to have a very merry Christmas time but a bit more of a sustainable one. At Chimney Sheep, we do a few gifty things that I’ll mention in a minute, but as you know, we don’t do a hard sell, just curate a range of things that make it easier for you to buy sustainably if you want to. I mean, the most sustainable Christmas present is the one you don’t buy. But if you think about the origin of the gift you’re getting, then you can have a positive impact on the company or charity you’re buying from, as well as the lucky person you are buying for.
So anyway, have you seen our small-but-growing Gifts category? Our Microgreen Grower, which is made to our own design, was Highly Commended in the Gift of the Year awards. It’s basically gender neutral and age-neutral; it’s very versatile and is built to last, so it really is a gift that will keep on giving.
Our Roll-Up Dog Bed also got Highly Commended. This is like a yoga mat for dogs, but the idea is that they can lie on it at home and be familiar with it, then you use it to line the boot or the back seat when you travel somewhere. Then it can easily be rolled up and transported indoors, where it’s unrolled again, and your dog is happy to have a familiar-smelling dog bed in unfamiliar surroundings.
Also, our Pet Snug™ was a runner-up in the pet gift category. All our pet products that we make in-house are made with wool and organic fabric.
As I have often said, it is a shame to grow a tree for 80 years, then cut it down to make cards and gift wrap, especially when you can get these made out of recycled paper. Except, it’s not always easy to find them MADE of recycled paper. A lot say RECYCLABLE, but this is not the same as RECYCLED. We have a charming range of Christmas cards and regular cards that are made by the Eco-Friendly Card Co in Devon. These can still be recycled again afterwards.
Wrapping paper, I was meaning to add recycled wrapping paper to our range of products, but it’s not there yet. A range of places do it now, including Namaste and the RSPB. Our Furishiki wrapping cloths are a lovely way of wrapping a gift, but you either have to factor that in as being part of the gift, or make sure the recipient knows you want it back again afterwards!
Personally, having a no-present pact with most of my family and friends has made the whole thing a lot more relaxing. I am time poor, so having time with people, eating delicious food and drinking too much delicious wine, yomping up hills to plant trees and biking about in muddy woods, that is an ace Christmas time for me. However you spend the Christmas season, I hope you have a very enjoyable time.
