small
Holiday Sustainability Tips
Sustainability is all about small changes. We asked our team what simple sustainable activities or traditions their family does.
start
Check out our staff's sustainable tips!
Andrea
Lauren
James
Nathalie
DIL
Jane
Amanda
Madalyn
Grace
Leave a sustainability tip!
Lauren
Digital Media Specialist
Our artificial Christmas tree is about 7 years old. This year when we set it up, many of the lights had burnt out. Instead of tossing it out and buying new or throwing out the light strands, we measured the light bulbs and bought individual replacement lights! It took some time but by changing the burnt bulbs, we were able to fix our tree with minimal waste. It is once again beautiful, and we can continue to enjoy it for many years to come.
Tip! Keep replacement light bulbs on hand. It’s much easier to quickly change out one burnt light bulb than if you wait until the whole strand goes dark - trust me!
Back to tips
Leave us your sustainability tip!
Dil
Program Officer, Gender
We don’t have a Christmas tree, but we still wanted to decorate for Christmas. Rather than buying an expensive tree or new decorations at the store, we decided to use last year’s gifts to put together a joyful Christmas scene. I used a piece of glass from an old picture frame to bring everything together. To me, it looks beautiful! We saved some money and found a creative and sustainable way to decorate.
Tip! What do you have around your home that could be used for decorating? Get creative! You can also forage for natural décor outside (think pinecones, acorns, leaves, branches) or at the grocery store (you can dry slices of citrus fruits, and cinnamon sticks, fresh cranberries and popcorn can all be festive!) for natural, plastic-free decorations.
Back to tips
Leave us your sustainability tip!
Madalyn
Here you can include a relevant data to highlight
Program Officer, Capacity Development & Mentoring
My family and I have re-used Christmas gift bags for many years to reduce waste. We have a stash of bags–including some from when I was a little kid that re-appear every December! Fun pieces of nostalgia and environmentally friendly.
Tip! What can you reuse each year? How can you make it a part of your holiday traditions? Maybe there is a special gift bag that goes to a different person each year as a fun game.
Back to tips
Leave us your sustainability tip!
Andrea
Sustainability & Inclusion Specialist
I’m using my parents’ almost-20-year-old Christmas tree and decorations. They passed them on to me when they started downsizing. These decorations remind me of my parents and past Christmases. They are also unique and timeless!
Tip! Choose things that last. When you purchase new decorations, buy the best quality items you can afford and look for items that are timeless and won’t go out of style. Take care of what you have and when you no longer want something, check in with family and friends to see if they would like it.
Back to tips
Leave us your sustainability tip!
Jane
Office Coordinator
I love receiving holiday cards from friends and family. I set them up around the house as they arrive and then pack them away with the rest of the holiday decorations at the end of the season. The following year, I trace out small circles from last year’s cards to use as gift tags! You can make multiple tags from one card and each one is different and beautiful.
Tip! If you send out cards, include a message encouraging your friends and family to reuse your card for their own gift tags!
Back to tips
Leave us your sustainability tip!
Grace
Public Engagement Specialist
Advent calendars are super fun and special, but they can also be expensive and come with a lot of waste. This year for my son, I created our own advent calendar. I chose 24 books from my local thrift store and wrapped them in reusable gift bags that I made. It works perfectly and we are having a lot of fun reading a new book every night.
Tip! Advent calendars are a fun way to count down to any holiday and there is lots of room for creativity. Consider low-waste options or activities that give back:- Write holiday jokes on pieces of paper.
- Pick activities you can do together! Choose a holiday movie to watch, make cookies or have hot chocolate for breakfast.
- Consider fun outings like getting doughnuts before school or work.
- Include ways to give back. Spend a day choosing gently used toys to pass on, donating blood, or dropping off nonperishables or needed items at a local shelter.
- Thrift small gifts or books.
Back to tips
Leave us your sustainability tip!
James
Here you can include a relevant data to highlight
Director of Engagement & Learning
I have four kids, and we have always wrapped our presents in newspapers. It can be fun choosing the right headline, photo or comic for each gift! Bonus it makes for easy clean up after the gifts are unwrapped. Everything goes right to the recycle bin or compost (after removing tape and shredding).
Tip! Don’t get the newspaper? Maybe a neighbour or someone in your office does! You could also use magazine pages, brown paper bags and cardboard boxes from deliveries throughout the year. Consider hiding unwrapped gifts for people to find! They will have so much fun looking, they won’t even notice it’s unwrapped.
Back to tips
Leave us your sustainability tip!
Nathalie
Here you can include a relevant data to highlight
Program Coordinator
When shopping for gifts, I always try to buy local products from Québécois producers (like jam, utensils, decoration etc). Local businesses enhance our community, and shopping locally creates a beautiful sense of pride and support. By giving gifts from local makers, it also helps bring attention to their products, meaning more business.
Tip! Wanting to shop local but not sure where to start? Look for pop up markets or farmers markets in your area that feature multiple local vendors.
Back to tips
Leave us your sustainability tip!
Amanda
Education Specialist
With two kids under 10, Elf on the Shelf is one of our family holiday traditions. Our Elf starts off the season by putting out a donation box and asking the kids to collect gently used toys and stuffies that they would like to pass on. This teaches them important values like kindness, generosity and gratitude. It also helps us declutter our house! A true win-win.
Tip! Get the kids in your life involved! The holiday season is the perfect time to teach kids the joy of giving back—to loved ones and the planet. All the tips we have shared here also work for kids of all ages.
Back to tips
Leave us your sustainability tip!
Back to tips
Happy holidays!
Leave us your sustainability tip!
Back to tips
Sustainable holiday tips from MCIC
MCIC
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Transcript
small
Holiday Sustainability Tips
Sustainability is all about small changes. We asked our team what simple sustainable activities or traditions their family does.
start
Check out our staff's sustainable tips!
Andrea
Lauren
James
Nathalie
DIL
Jane
Amanda
Madalyn
Grace
Leave a sustainability tip!
Lauren
Digital Media Specialist
Our artificial Christmas tree is about 7 years old. This year when we set it up, many of the lights had burnt out. Instead of tossing it out and buying new or throwing out the light strands, we measured the light bulbs and bought individual replacement lights! It took some time but by changing the burnt bulbs, we were able to fix our tree with minimal waste. It is once again beautiful, and we can continue to enjoy it for many years to come.
Tip! Keep replacement light bulbs on hand. It’s much easier to quickly change out one burnt light bulb than if you wait until the whole strand goes dark - trust me!
Back to tips
Leave us your sustainability tip!
Dil
Program Officer, Gender
We don’t have a Christmas tree, but we still wanted to decorate for Christmas. Rather than buying an expensive tree or new decorations at the store, we decided to use last year’s gifts to put together a joyful Christmas scene. I used a piece of glass from an old picture frame to bring everything together. To me, it looks beautiful! We saved some money and found a creative and sustainable way to decorate.
Tip! What do you have around your home that could be used for decorating? Get creative! You can also forage for natural décor outside (think pinecones, acorns, leaves, branches) or at the grocery store (you can dry slices of citrus fruits, and cinnamon sticks, fresh cranberries and popcorn can all be festive!) for natural, plastic-free decorations.
Back to tips
Leave us your sustainability tip!
Madalyn
Here you can include a relevant data to highlight
Program Officer, Capacity Development & Mentoring
My family and I have re-used Christmas gift bags for many years to reduce waste. We have a stash of bags–including some from when I was a little kid that re-appear every December! Fun pieces of nostalgia and environmentally friendly.
Tip! What can you reuse each year? How can you make it a part of your holiday traditions? Maybe there is a special gift bag that goes to a different person each year as a fun game.
Back to tips
Leave us your sustainability tip!
Andrea
Sustainability & Inclusion Specialist
I’m using my parents’ almost-20-year-old Christmas tree and decorations. They passed them on to me when they started downsizing. These decorations remind me of my parents and past Christmases. They are also unique and timeless!
Tip! Choose things that last. When you purchase new decorations, buy the best quality items you can afford and look for items that are timeless and won’t go out of style. Take care of what you have and when you no longer want something, check in with family and friends to see if they would like it.
Back to tips
Leave us your sustainability tip!
Jane
Office Coordinator
I love receiving holiday cards from friends and family. I set them up around the house as they arrive and then pack them away with the rest of the holiday decorations at the end of the season. The following year, I trace out small circles from last year’s cards to use as gift tags! You can make multiple tags from one card and each one is different and beautiful.
Tip! If you send out cards, include a message encouraging your friends and family to reuse your card for their own gift tags!
Back to tips
Leave us your sustainability tip!
Grace
Public Engagement Specialist
Advent calendars are super fun and special, but they can also be expensive and come with a lot of waste. This year for my son, I created our own advent calendar. I chose 24 books from my local thrift store and wrapped them in reusable gift bags that I made. It works perfectly and we are having a lot of fun reading a new book every night.
Tip! Advent calendars are a fun way to count down to any holiday and there is lots of room for creativity. Consider low-waste options or activities that give back:- Write holiday jokes on pieces of paper.
- Pick activities you can do together! Choose a holiday movie to watch, make cookies or have hot chocolate for breakfast.
- Consider fun outings like getting doughnuts before school or work.
- Include ways to give back. Spend a day choosing gently used toys to pass on, donating blood, or dropping off nonperishables or needed items at a local shelter.
- Thrift small gifts or books.
Back to tips
Leave us your sustainability tip!
James
Here you can include a relevant data to highlight
Director of Engagement & Learning
I have four kids, and we have always wrapped our presents in newspapers. It can be fun choosing the right headline, photo or comic for each gift! Bonus it makes for easy clean up after the gifts are unwrapped. Everything goes right to the recycle bin or compost (after removing tape and shredding).
Tip! Don’t get the newspaper? Maybe a neighbour or someone in your office does! You could also use magazine pages, brown paper bags and cardboard boxes from deliveries throughout the year. Consider hiding unwrapped gifts for people to find! They will have so much fun looking, they won’t even notice it’s unwrapped.
Back to tips
Leave us your sustainability tip!
Nathalie
Here you can include a relevant data to highlight
Program Coordinator
When shopping for gifts, I always try to buy local products from Québécois producers (like jam, utensils, decoration etc). Local businesses enhance our community, and shopping locally creates a beautiful sense of pride and support. By giving gifts from local makers, it also helps bring attention to their products, meaning more business.
Tip! Wanting to shop local but not sure where to start? Look for pop up markets or farmers markets in your area that feature multiple local vendors.
Back to tips
Leave us your sustainability tip!
Amanda
Education Specialist
With two kids under 10, Elf on the Shelf is one of our family holiday traditions. Our Elf starts off the season by putting out a donation box and asking the kids to collect gently used toys and stuffies that they would like to pass on. This teaches them important values like kindness, generosity and gratitude. It also helps us declutter our house! A true win-win.
Tip! Get the kids in your life involved! The holiday season is the perfect time to teach kids the joy of giving back—to loved ones and the planet. All the tips we have shared here also work for kids of all ages.
Back to tips
Leave us your sustainability tip!
Back to tips
Happy holidays!
Leave us your sustainability tip!
Back to tips