Another festive season is colliding with rising living costs, prompting The Central App to put together some sustainable Christmas ideas, which are gentle on the environment and household budgets.

For fun free Christmas activity residents can register to add their decorated home to the Aurora Light Up Central walking trail.  The top three places showing the best Christmas spirit will win prizes, so remember to vote before January 3.

So, how can people act sustainably and do more with less cash?

Firstly, bring a plate - literally. Take a secondhand plate to Christmas functions. A preloved vintage plate is a low cost gift for the host, a good talking point. Secondhand dishes are cheaper and kinder to the environment than throwaway alternatives.

Bypass expensive gift wrap, many of these have a clear plastic coating and cannot be recycled. There are plenty of wrapping alternatives such as sewing fabric gift bags, Furoshiki, which is the Japanese art of gift wrapping using fabric or a scarf, old magazines, kids’ art or last year’s paper.

Rethink how you wrap gifts to keep costs down. PHOTO: Supplied 

Menu plan to keep track of spending on food. Shop around, use what is in season from your own garden, barter or swap fruit, vegetables and herbs with your neighbours. Use leftovers smartly with a barbecue breakfast, or a frittata or quiche, do not throw food away if you can avoid it. Consider freezing leftovers to eat later. 

Think before you shop, do you need to buy new? Can you make it at home? Bake sweet treats, make home brew, homemade decorations, such as a wreath made from garden greenery, or paint and glitter some pinecones to hang with ribbon, and make your own Christmas cards. 

Homemade ivy wreaths using florist wire, ivy, flax, ribbon and things from home. PHOTO: Supplied

Don’t buy an expensive Christmas tree, check if a neighbour might have an invasive wilding pine tree you could remove from their property and you’ll be doing them a favour too. Once Christmas is over, let it dry out and chop it up for winter kindling, or keep the pine needles to put under strawberry plants). 

Set a budget for presents, stick to it, or make a ‘homemade presents only’ rule.  A rooted  cutting from a houseplant, in a pot painted by the kids, or a handmade voucher for babysitting, cleaning, gardening, dog walking or carwashing can be a thoughtful and free present.

Painted Santa stones. PHOTO: Pinterest

Christmas tree decorations with twigs, old thread or wool, using a hot glue gun. PHOTO: Pinterest

Reuse glass jars for gifts such as preserves, ‘brownie in a jar’, homemade lemon cordial or couscous in a jar recipes.

A final tip is to think about your transport options, consider carpooling, walk if you can, take your bike, scooter or skateboard and save on your petrol costs. 

Have you got sustainable Christmas ideas worth sharing? Share them with [email protected]