Under the tree - festive gift wrapping for Christmas

Is the idea of minimising waste close to you? Here are some simple tips to help you prepare Christmas with a more practical approach!
Do you try to live your everyday life in a way that doesn't harm the environment, and do you reach for solutions? Perfect! It's worth being eco not only at Christmas. But remember that ..

You can choose festive gift wrapping at Christmas too!

We give you tips on how to organise Christmas! Find out how to prepare Christmas dinner, which gifts to choose and how to wrap them in stylish Christmas gift packaging.

Practical gift packaging under the Christmas tree

The magical December day, awaited all year round, is fast approaching. We are about to spend a wonderful evening with loved ones ... Gazing up at the twinkling lights on the Christmas tree, we will be enjoying some of our favourite festive dishes together. A wonderful, almost perfect time!

Unfortunately, Christmas is a time filled not only with smiles, joy of presents, but also.... a time of increased waste production! It is frightening how much waste we produce at Christmas!

According to a study in the USA, the amount of rubbish between Christmas and New Year's increases by as much as 25%! However, you can stop this madness. Keep the amount of it in your home to a minimum! How do you do it?

Perhaps the idea of a completely waste-free Christmas sounds rather extreme to you. Instead of getting discouraged, aim to reduce waste where you can!Try to choose consciously and try to reduce your rubbish this year. You really have a lot of options! Do some thoughtful shopping and make it a beautiful, meaningful time for you and your loved ones.

Let this year's festivities be as eco as possible. Any time is a good time to take the first step. Don't wait until New Year's resolutions and make one now. Reach for zero waste solutions and change bad habits for good. Even if you find it challenging at first, you will see that it is worth it. You will be positively surprised by the results.

Christmas less waste - 9 practical tips

1. First of all, don't get caught up in the shopping frenzy! Overcome some Christmas consumerism and buy with your head. Only shop smartly, preferably on the basis of a list prepared in advance.

2. Go to the shop with your own nets and reusable packaging. If possible, choose products by weight. Buy other products in packaging, e.g. made from recycled materials.

3. Don't waste food this year. Prepare a reasonable amount of food for Christmas Eve - adjust the number and portion size to the number of guests you plan to have.

4. Something has gone wrong and there is too much food after all? The great friend of reducing food waste is... the freezer! Eat some of the food on subsequent days, freeze or preserve others. You can also share a meal with those in need and donate the food to a foundation or a special community fridge. Check before Christmas to see if there is one in your area.

5. Don't decorate your home with plastic! Instead of glitter-covered baubles, opt for handicrafts and decorations made from nature's gifts. Replace disposable decorations such as paper napkins with reusable equivalents - they will last longer (and look much better).

6. Instead of a cut conifer from the forest, choose a small Christmas tree in a pot this year. The Christmas tree has also been available for some time now.... rent one! Check if this is possible where you live!

7. Organise a Secret Santa! Instead of buying a trinket for everyone conduct a draw. This way, everyone will only prepare one (but higher value) gift. Each party will be happy - the giftee will get one specific gift instead of many goodies. The shopper only has to choose one gift, so saves time. The wallet and, of course, ... our planet!

8. Give gifts this year.

9. Choose gift packaging!

5 ideas for thoughtful gifts

1. Give experiences instead of objects! Instead of giving things help collect precious memories! Instead of traditional gifts, give concert or theatre tickets, a gym pass or dance class, a voucher for a beautician or make-up course, etc.

2. Opt for DIY gifts - use your talents! Can you paint? Make a poster! Do you have a talent for DIY? Make your own medal holder for the runner or a decorative candle holder-lampion. Do you have a talent for cooking? Prepare delicious home-made cakes, homemade liquor or fruit preserves.

3. Do everything in your power to make your gifts a hit! Unwanted gifts create a giant mountain of rubbish every year! Make sure your gift will actually be wanted and useful. When you're struggling to come up with a surprise, consider whether it's better to consult a purchase and choose something that the recipient would soon buy for themselves anyway. It will be a better choice than a gift that will end up in the rubbish bin.

4. Choose Christmas gifts for loved ones. You can create a set consisting of, for example, a stylish bag, a breakfast box, a thermal mug, a reusable tube or choose toiletries or a bamboo toothbrush.

5. Choose good quality gifts (well-made items will last longer before ending up in landfill). You may be able to purchase a gift from a manufacturer who shares your values. You can buy a gift without packaging or with packaging made from quality materials. If the person you want to give a gift to has an attitude similar to yours, you can go one step further and look for second-hand gifts! This will further reduce the amount of rubbish.

Beautiful gift packaging

How do you wrap your gifts so that you don't contribute to littering the planet?

1. Let's start with the most important one - if possible, skip buying packaging altogether! Use the ones you already have at home. Perhaps you once received a gift wrapped in metres of cellophane film, for example.... Instead of throwing it away in disgust, reuse it.

   

   2. Be creative! Don't have any old ready-made gift wrappers at home? You can make them yourself! Just use a simple grey cardboard box, an already read newspaper, scraps of wallpaper or a piece of decorative fabric.

3. If you're going to buy gift wrapping, buy it wisely. Choose one that will last a long time and the giftee will be able to use it for a long time. Decorative fabric pouches, for example, would be a good option.

DIY practical Christmas gift packaging

Not convinced by minimalist packaging? Their appearance seems too austere for Christmas? Then use them to create original DIY projects. Choose a simple base and put your creativity into action. Turn simple packaging into real works of art.

Minimalist packaging can be decorated in many ways! You can use colourful ribbons and live twigs or wooden tags, which can become Christmas tree decorations in the future. Have you decided to wrap your presents in linen bags? Great! These wrappers make the perfect base for painting with paints, markers or decorating with stamps.

Explore more ideas for hand-decorating gift wrapping and make sure your Christmas presents are uniquely decorated this year!

Looking for ready-made packaging? Be sure to see the festive collection of reusable pouches in the Saketos shop!