Tips and tricks for a sustainable Christmas

What we actually wish for during Christmas season is relaxation and deceleration. But the Christmas hustle often doesn’t allow it. Less is more – this does not apply to the month of December. 

But in the end, it is us who pulls the strings on how we spend our time, how much we indulge in the pre-Christmas stress and shopping frenzy and how we plan Christmas. This year, we wish for a calm and relaxed December and a beautiful and sustainable Christmas celebration with our loved ones. 

In order for that to work, we want to present to you easy and sustainable present ideas and tips for a more sustainable Christmas.

Tips for sustainable presents

Ask yourself the right questions – Do I really need this? 

Bevor indulging in the Christmas shopping madness, you should ask yourself one simple question: Will the person receiving the gift really need it? Most of us already have far too many things. This is why, when buying new things, one should pay attention to buying long-lasting items or some that one can really use or even use up.

Less is more – sustainable presents

Many already know it from school, meanwhile it also gets more and more important in large families: Secret Santa. Instead of buying 20 different presents and completely being subject to the stress of coming up with gift ideas and shopping, this way one can focus only on one person and one present. The advantage is obvious: One can take more time during the process, get more engaged with the wishes and needs of this one person and find exactly the right gift. This is the key to a more sustainable and especially more relaxed Christmas. 

Time is the most precious gift – Creating memories together

Time – one of the most important and rare resources everyone wishes to have more of. Why not gift somebody with time together? Having breakfast or going to the movies, to a museum, to a concert or just on a walk. Getting to know new locations, restaurants or even people and creating memories together.  

Sustainable packaging – Save paper

On average, each human being needs about 60 kg paper per year, in Germany this number is even as high as 250 kg! But there are already so many different possibilities to save a little here. 

This year wrap your Christmas presents in old newspaper, tea towels or in a homemade beeswax tissue. Using old newspaper is not only good for the environment, it can also be personalized, for example by only using the sports section or by encircling certain letters and leaving a secret message. Packaging, such as tea towels, beeswax tissues, cups, glasses or baskets can be reused after and besides that, look quite cool!

Donating – Doing good together

Another great idea is it to donate in someone else’s name. The person you want to give a gift to already donates to a certain company from time to time and would like to help more? Just donate in his or her name!

Sustainable shopping – Online and offline shopping

It does not always have to be Amazon. If you browse a little bit, you can find many different sustainable alternatives, for example regional companies that sell their homemade products online. 

Great products can also be found offline. Nowadays, there are many cities that have amazing second-hand shops. From fashion to eccentric decoration- there really are no limits.  

Use your own talent – Homemade presents

You are really good at painting, making pottery, taking photos or discovered your love for upcycling? Use your hobbies and talents and gift your friends and family with personal and original presents. 

Sustainable Verival presents

It does not always have to be something new, because the most amazing gifts are the ones that come straight from the heart. Furthermore, homemade gifts offer many possibilities to be personalized. This way you can let your creativity run wild- from the actual gift to the packaging. 

Now we want to present to you 3 gift ideas for breakfast lovers:

Recipe for homemade Christmas toppings – Roasted Verival nuts

While in summer, we love to add fresh regional fruit to our mueslis, crunchies and porridges, in winter, we like it a bit more Christmassy. Our Verival nuts are the perfect toppings!

It’s that simple: Boil sugar and water in a pan and add a little bit of cinnamon and/or vanilla. Add the nuts to the pan and stir them continuously until the sugar is dry. After that, turn the temperature down to a medium level and stir until the sugar starts melting and the almonds spark a bit. Then pour the almonds on a baking tray with backing paper and let them cool down.  

Verival waffle or pancake mix in a glass

Admittedly, nowadays baking mixes of all kinds can be bought. However, making them yourself, gives you the opportunity to personalize. One can for example take the diet of the other person into account. Is the person who receives the gift vegan? Does he or she want to avoid sugar? What does he or she like best? This way, any recipe can be changed, or something can be added. Discover our whole breakfast range and find the suitable product for every taste. 

In order to make the backing mix more Christmassy, you can for example add a little bit of cinnamon or vanilla sugar. When using the backing mix, one just has to add 200 ml of milk, a plant-based alternative or water.  

Further recipe ideas for the Christmas season by the sweet Lena Fuchs, for example her healthy Rawreos, can be found on our Verival blog. 

Verival gift sets

You know somebody who loves our products, but can’t decide which ones you want to give to that person? With our Verival gift sets, you are guaranteed to find the right one. Now new: Our porridge gift sets with a bowl!

How to make your Christmas a sustainable success

Driving home for Christmas

A sustainable Christmas already begins with the journey home. Here too, you make the decision yourself: Train or car? We all know that during Christmas season, there are many people on the train, but seat reservation isn’t expensive and with a good book for relaxation, time flies when you are on a train. 

Sustainable Christmas – Homemade decoration 

Of course, you could adapt your Christmas tree to the latest trend every year. But the sustainable option would be to use the same decoration every year. Furthermore, there are many possibilities of how you can create your own Christmas decoration, for example a garland or Christmas tree decorations made from dried orange slices. And what happened to the once so famous straw star? We think, it definitely needs a comeback. 

There are many advent markets, where organic, regional, homemade specialties and homemade designs are in paramount. This is also a place where one could get inspired for Christmas decorations and maybe even invest in something. 

Sustainable Christmas meal

Everyone knows them, the pompous family celebrations with lots and lots of food, where you end up lying on the couch with an unpleasant feeling of fullness and an open trouser button. Especially in the contemplative Christmas season you should perhaps take a step back and take a critical look at this scenario. A nice meal with the family should not be associated with food waste and discomfort. It would make more sense to think carefully what quantities and especially what kind of food you will serve for those meals. The best food is usually so near – create a feast with the delicacies from the region!

Whether for Christmas decorations, Christmas Eve or the presents, we can all make a contribution to our environment during this time and still don’t have to give up on something!

We wish all of you a quiet and relaxed pre-Christmas season and a merry and sustainable Christmas!

Katrin Atzlinger

Content Creator

Neben meiner Tätigkeit in der kreativen Content Production wie Fotografie schreibe ich auch regelmäßig für den Blog. Ansonsten interessiere ich mich sehr für Themen wie Nachhaltigkeit und gesunde Ernährung und liebe es, diese spannend aufzubereiten.

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