Having an Eco-Friendly Christmas

Posted Nov 15, 2022

A couple wrapping Christmas presents

The holiday season is just around the corner, and decorations are being strung up inside and outside of homes everywhere! The trees, the lights, the decorations - for every holiday event, there's a greener alternative.

Here's a list to consider when you're getting ready to Deck the Halls.

The Lights
Make the switch to LED Christmas lights - They're brighter, last longer, and use less electricity than the incandescent lights we grew up with. Yes, they cost more, but with the savings you'll be making, they ultimately pay for themselves! They are also shatterproof, shock-resistant, and cool to the touch.

Use a timer to manage lights - Weather-proof timers will automatically turn your lights on and off without you having to worry. The Department of Energy reports in order to cut down on energy costs, the recommended daily timeframe that lights should be on is eight hours or less.

Turn off Indoor Lights - Use the lights on your Christmas tree to light the room and turn off the light fixtures (e.g. lamps, ceiling lights). The flickering glow from the fireplace can also provide sufficient lighting and warm the room at the same time. 

*Remember to close the flue when the fireplace is not in use to ensure heat isn't escaping up the chimney.

Electrical outlets - Avoid overloading outlets. Plug only one high-wattage device into each receptacle outlet at a time. Pulling the cord can damage the cord’s wire and insulation, which can lead to an electrical fire or shock. 

Make sure extension cords are used temporarily and not placed under rugs or across doorways and call a qualified electrician if outlets or switches feel warm or you have frequent problems with blown fuses, tripped circuits, or flickering/dimming lights.

Decorate without lights *Indoor* - Get creative and go without the Christmas lights. Instead, you can use reflective ornaments, candles, ribbons and garland. Battery-operated candles are a safe option that can provide a beautiful holiday glow. Festive ribbon, garland and shiny ornaments can be used throughout the house to decorate staircases, entryways, and mantels. You can also go foraging for some natural elements, like pinecones, branches, rosehips, and holly. 

*Be sure any natural decorations you bring into your home are pet-friendly if needed.

Decorate a Tree for the Birds - Place seed bells, suet, pinecones with peanut butter, and seed trays on any tree in your yard, preferably a tree in the open where cats can be seen easily by the birds. To attract a wide variety of birds, use varied seed types such as black oil sunflower seed, wild bird mixed seed and Nyjer seed bells. This is a great activity for kids and offers an important food source for birds during the winter.

Gifts
Avoid Battery-Powered Gifts if Possible - Discarded batteries are an environmental hazard. Even rechargeable batteries find their way into the waste stream eventually. 

Look at the Labels - If large appliances and electronics are on your shopping list, look for ENERGY STAR labeling on those items. ENERGY STAR-certified products use up to 60% less electricity than non-certified electronics.  

Wrapping Paper - Use newspaper, magazine pages, old maps, and calendars as wrapping paper this year.

The Tree
Buy Local - Support farms that reduce or don’t use pesticides and herbicides, and tree lots that donate part of the funds to community causes. Or, cut your own with a provincial permit.

A Potted Tree - It'll be small, sure, but that's perfect for homes with little kids! Decorate it, don't forget to water it, and once the ground thaws, you can plant it in your yard to decorate outside for years to come! This is a great way to symbolize baby's first Christmas - you can watch your child grow with their first ever Christmas tree.

Make Your Own - The internet can be a wild place when it comes to DIY projects. Finding a way to make items around your home into a tree can be fun and effective for this Holiday season. Make a tree from items you already own — books, scrap paper, metal coat hangers, felt, etc. 

Donate It! - After Christmas, if you have a real tree, reach out to farmers, livestock sanctuaries, and rescues to see if they would be interested in taking your tree as a donation. Most Christmas trees are perfectly safe (and even beneficial) for animals to eat. The most common trees used for the Holidays are Fir and Spruce which are all safe. Yew, Blackjack, or Monterey trees should never be fed to animals. 

Some wildlife shelters accept old Christmas trees to enhance injured creatures’ habitats. Or, get your tree to the curb for recycling or chipping day so it can be used as mulch in city gardens or on a forest trail.

*Never burn Christmas tree branches in your fireplace. It can cause the buildup of creosote, which is a highly flammable compound.

Christmas is a magical time, that can also be a little stressful. Make sure you're appropriately prepared this holiday season financially and safety-wise, so you don't have to worry about the possible negatives as you wait for Santa to come to town.

Contact a Fully-licensed REALTOR ® today!

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