10 Eco friendly gifts for Christmas

Are you planning to have a Green Christmas this year?

10 green Christmas tips: 

• Reuse your Christmas cards from last year as gift tags, if you didn't recycle them.
   
• You can usually recycle Christmas cards, wrapping paper and Christmas trees through your local council's recycling service: I take my Christmas tree to the local city farm each year. The Woodland Trust and Recycle Now run a recycling scheme for Christmas cards.
   
• Reduce the amount of wrapping you use: try newspaper with plain string, or reused bits of ribbon or twine. Haberdashery, hobby shops and so on have lovely ribbons to help you get creative. Get your children to decorate with stamps (you can make potato prints or use any stamps they already have)! Alternatively, try giving gifts in reusable fabric bags, or wrapped in a pretty scarf. If you are handy, you can make these, but they can also be bought inexpensively from charity shops.
   
• Give an e-card, like these ecards from Friends of the Earth, this year: many are beautiful and it saves a lot of unnecessary waste (and postage!).
   
• Buy an organic or freerange chicken, turkey or goose in advance if your family eats meat. I've just ordered mine!
   
• Shop locally at markets, gift fairs and independent shops to support local craftspeople, traders and shopkeepers. Try Stallfinder.
   
• Use LED fairy lights like these which use hardly any electricity and give beautiful effects.
   
• Try to use beeswax candles to avoid harmful chemicals from ordinary candles. These are available at good department stores and church supply shops.
   
• Make some festive bunting, or get your children to make old fashioned paper chains if you don't fancy sewing!
   
• Make your own Christmas fairy, and Christmas decorations. My children add a new decoration each year.

If you want to buy some Christmas decorations and gifts, the products that follow as suggestions are all available from Mimimyne, which hopes to help families 'grow up green'! Consider buying some of our recycled, recyclable, sustainably sourced or organic products this year to help you make your Christmas that little bit greener.The main image shows the fabulous cardboard Christmas Tree designed by kidsonroof out of recycled cardboard. This will provide a real talking point for your Christmas entertainment and can be reused year after year.   Lots of fun for the whole family to set up together, the Christmas Tree includes an angel, a deer, peace doves, candles and decorations, and is topped with a star. Will not lose needles.

Apparently there is going to be a shortage of Christmas trees in the UK this year, so it makes sense to choose an alternative, eco friendly and reusable one! This tree is also seriously gorgeous. If you don't believe me, look at December's issue of LivingEtc magazine where you can see it photographed sitting in a fireplace. You could also use it as a centrepiece on a dining table.

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