5 Ways To Give Your Christmas Table An Eco Makeover

It’s the biggest feast day of the year, but your table dressing can leave a waste hangover that lasts long after the crackers have been pulled. There is, however, another way...

1. Candles

Swapping paraffin wax, a derivative of petrol, for a plant-based alternative is a great way to make your Christmas table greener. Long-burning soy is pricier than the ubiquitous paraffin, so a single scented candle can be quite an investment. We love WXY’s Big Amber Glass Soy Candle (£26, wearthlondon.com) in Black Ash + Frankincense; for a cheaper alternative, try unscented soy tealights (£3.50 for 6, thebotanicalcandleco.co.uk).

2. Crackers

The annual minute of cracker action is a nonnegotiable element of Christmas dinner – after all, every family dynamic is eased by a silly hat and a naff joke. But sending unwanted toys and plastic bows off to landfill is suboptimal. Instead, invest in Cambridge Imprint’s limited edition box of six crackers (£39, cambridgeimprint.co.uk): each includes hand-printed paper, and a small but gorgeous gift.

3. Linen

Shops are filling up with cosy festive table runners and mats, but beware: unless labelled otherwise, those sweet Scandi felts will be made from acrylic, shedding plastic microfibres throughout their lifetime. Wool felt is both expensive and hard to source, so sticking to plant fibres makes sense. Let It Snow paper napkins (£3.99, gingerray.co.uk) add a splash of colour, and are home-compostable.

4. Centrepiece

Remember how we used to merrily douse fir cones in noxious gold spray paint and a deluge of microplastic glitter? A low-tox option is to leave small boughs of fir or evergreen naked, simply decorated with delicate glass baubles best kept out of the reach of little hands and paws. A bit of biodegradable glitter (from £4 for 3.5g at ecoglitter fun.com) will ramp up the glitz.

5. For kids

Kids love a silly straw, but ditching the plastic needn’t be dull. Wheat straws (£9 for 100, agood.com) reuse this agricultural byproduct to save the 60g of plastic a standard 100-pack of straws would entail; plus, shipping is climatecompensated. For a long-lasting alternative, give them a festive shimmer of gold with these reusable metal straws (£6.50 for a set of 4 plus a cleaner, oliverbonas.com). FOR