Last December, I was sitting on my apartment floor surrounded by what looked like a small mountain of wrapping paper, plastic containers from takeout Christmas dinner (because cooking for one felt depressing), and enough disposable plates to supply a small restaurant. My cat was batting around a piece of ribbon while I stared at this mess thinking… this is ridiculous. Like, genuinely ridiculous. Here I am trying to live more sustainably the other eleven months of the year, and then the holidays roll around and I just throw all of that out the window because it's "festive."
That moment was honestly kind of a wake-up call. I mean, I'd been making all these small changes throughout the year – using my reusable bags, composting, biking to work when the weather cooperated – and then December hits and suddenly I'm generating more waste in three weeks than I do in a typical month. It felt hypocritical and wasteful, but also… I didn't want to become one of those people who sucks all the joy out of celebrations because they're lecturing everyone about their carbon footprint.
So I started figuring out how to actually enjoy the holidays without completely abandoning everything I'd learned about reducing waste and being more conscious about consumption. Turns out, it's totally possible, and honestly some of the changes I made ended up making the season more meaningful, not less.
The gift thing was probably the biggest shift. I used to stress about buying the perfect present for everyone, which usually meant wandering around Target for hours buying stuff I wasn't even sure people wanted, wrapped in paper they'd immediately throw away. Last year I started making things instead, which sounds super Pinterest-y but actually worked out really well. I made my neighbor a batch of the granola I'm always making anyway, put it in a mason jar I already had, tied it with some twine, and she loved it more than any store-bought gift I've ever given anyone.
My mom got homemade vanilla extract that I'd started steeping in September – vanilla beans in vodka, literally the easiest thing ever, but it felt special because I'd planned ahead and made it specifically for her. My coworker who's always cold got a scarf I knitted while watching Netflix, which probably saved me thirty bucks compared to buying something similar at a store. The time investment was real, but I was just sitting around watching TV anyway, and having something to do with my hands was actually pretty relaxing.
For people I couldn't make things for, I started focusing on experiences instead of stuff. Concert tickets, a cooking class, membership to the community garden, that kind of thing. My friend Sarah got a "coupon book" I made with things like "good for one home-cooked dinner" and "good for plant-sitting when you travel" – basically offering services instead of objects. She still brings up that dinner I made her in March, so clearly it was more memorable than whatever random thing I would've bought at the mall.
The decorating situation took some trial and error. My first attempt at "natural" decorations was honestly pretty sad – some pinecones I found outside and a few branches that died within a week because I had no idea what I was doing. But I kept experimenting and eventually figured out some things that actually looked good. Dried orange slices are surprisingly pretty when you string them up, and they smell amazing too. I cut up an old bedsheet to make fabric bunting instead of buying new decorations that I'd just throw away in January.
The real game-changer was switching to LED lights. I know, I know, everyone says this, but the difference on my electric bill was honestly shocking. Last December my electricity cost was forty percent less than the year before, and I had just as many lights up. Plus LEDs last forever, so I'm not dealing with half the string going out and having to throw the whole thing away.
I started getting my tree from this lot run by a local Boy Scout troop instead of the grocery store, partly to support them but also because their trees were way fresher. Turned out the guy running it was super knowledgeable about which trees last longest and how to keep them healthy. My tree stayed green until mid-January instead of dropping needles all over my apartment by New Year's like usual.
Food was another big area where I made changes without sacrificing anything I actually cared about. Instead of ordering Chinese takeout on Christmas Eve (my usual tradition because I'm lazy), I started planning ahead and making a nice meal for myself. Roasted vegetables, some kind of grain, maybe a piece of fish if it was on sale – nothing fancy, but it felt more special than eating lo mein out of a plastic container while watching Netflix.
I also stopped buying so much food that I couldn't possibly eat before it went bad. Previous years I'd get all ambitious about holiday baking and buy ingredients for twelve different recipes, then use maybe half of them and throw the rest away in February. Last year I picked three things I actually wanted to make and focused on doing those well instead of overwhelming myself.
The waste reduction around food also meant <a href="https://zeroemissionjourney.com/reducing-food-waste-tips-for-shopping-cooking-and-storage/"><a href="https://zeroemissionjourney.com/reducing-food-waste-tips-for-shopping-cooking-and-storage/">getting creative with leftovers</a></a>, which sounds boring but actually led to some of my favorite meals. Christmas dinner leftovers became soup for the rest of the week. Stale cookies got crushed up and mixed into yogurt. I started thinking of it as a challenge to use everything instead of a chore to avoid waste.
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Probably the hardest part was managing family expectations when I started suggesting alternatives to our usual traditions. My parents were confused when I said I didn't want anything specific for Christmas and would prefer if they didn't buy me a bunch of random stuff. My dad especially seemed to think I was being difficult or ungrateful, which wasn't my intention at all. I had to explain that I'd rather have one thing I'd actually use than five things that would sit in a drawer.
We compromised by doing more activities together instead of just exchanging gifts. Went to look at Christmas lights around town, played board games, watched old movies we remembered from when I was a kid. Honestly, those are the parts of the holidays I remember most clearly now, not whatever stuff we gave each other.
The travel aspect is still tricky because my family is scattered around Texas and driving to see everyone generates a lot of emissions. I've started combining trips when possible – instead of going home for Christmas and then again for New Year's, I stay for the whole week and see everyone during one longer visit. Sometimes I take the bus instead of driving, which is slower but gives me time to read and doesn't contribute as much to traffic and air pollution.
This past year I also started a tradition of doing a "gratitude walk" on Christmas morning before all the festivities begin. Just twenty minutes around the neighborhood, thinking about what went well during the year and what I'm hoping for in the next one. It sounds cheesy, but it actually helps me stay grounded and remember what the holidays are supposed to be about instead of getting caught up in all the consumption and stress.
The biggest surprise has been how much more I actually enjoy the season now. When I was buying a bunch of stuff I couldn't afford for people who probably didn't need it, wrapped in paper that immediately became trash, the whole thing felt kind of empty and stressful. Now that I'm being more intentional about gifts and decorations and food, everything feels more meaningful. I'm spending less money, creating less waste, and having more fun. Plus I'm not dealing with the post-holiday crash of credit card bills and buyer's remorse.
I'm not perfect at this – I still drive more than I'd like during the holidays, I still occasionally buy something wrapped in unnecessary plastic because I ran out of time to find a better option, I still sometimes get takeout when I'm too tired to cook. But overall, I've found ways to celebrate that align better with how I want to live the rest of the year. The holidays don't have to be this weird exception where you abandon all your values because it's December. You can have traditions and joy and festivity while also being conscious about consumption and waste. Actually, for me at least, being more intentional about the holidays has made them better, not worse.
Daniel’s a millennial renter learning how to live greener in small spaces. From composting on a balcony to repairing thrifted furniture, he shares honest, low-stress ways to make sustainability doable on a budget. His posts are equal parts curiosity, trial, and tiny wins that actually stick.
