Sometimes plastic seems like an inevitable part of life. During the holidays, it’s a virtual plague. Between gift packaging, shipping, and party supplies, is it possible to avoid plastic? We’ve got tips to make it easier. 

For hundreds of years, we humans have met the challenges of the darker and colder months by bringing our own light. We deck the halls and light the candles and bake the cookies and buy the gifts. We gather with our favorite folks in joyful and light-filled spaces to celebrate the fact that we’ve gone another lap around the sun.

For most of those years, the winter celebrations involved local foods and small, handmade gifts. And then came marketing. And then came plastic.

These days, it turns out that the average household tosses out 25% more trash (up to 30 pounds worth) during the winter holidays, with thousands of tons of extra plastic hitting the landfill.

The winter holidays can be a real environmental problem. From wasteful gift packaging to disposable partyware, to plastic stocking stuffers and decorations, there’s got to be a better way. And while we don’t foresee a return to the plastic-free days of yore, we’ve gathered a few tips to help minimize plastic in cooking, partyting, and gift-buying.

For dinner parties and cookie fests

Cookies in plastic bags, leftovers in plastic containers or covered in plastic wrap…. Not to mention the toss-away plates and cups. What’s a host and cook to do? A few thoughts:

Consider the mason jar

• For drink cups: The 8oz quilted jelly jar makes adorable wine or juice glasses and you can buy 12 of them for less than $20. No, that’s not 100 for $5, but you’ll be able to reuse them for years. 

• For food storage and gifting: The larger mason easily houses leftovers of almost any kind and makes a cute candy and cookie container that requires no gift bag or extra packaging.  

We sing the praises of inexpensive and durable mason jars in this article. 

Try bamboo and beeswax

• Bamboo is far more sustainably made than plastic and it’s compostable and often reusable. Look for inexpensive bamboo plates, utensils, and cups for your next dinner party. 

• Beeswax wraps are a genius way to cover bowls and plates of food or package up treats. It’s reusable and compostable, too. 

Make big-batch beverages

From punch bowls to coffee urns, for smaller gatherings, consider making drinks in large batches with self-serve ladles and spouts. 

• Try mulling it! Filler with cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg and citrus,  mulled tea, cider, and wine are festive, beautiful, and make your house smell divine. And you can serve it right from the stovetop. Here’s how to make it. 

• Offer cold drinks from pitchers or spouted containers. Premake cold brew, tea, or water with lemon and orange peel and have guests self-serve to avoid waste. 

For gifting

From the gift itself to the packaging to the wrapping, plastic is everywhere. You may not be able to avoid it entirely, but here are a few ideas to minimize the plastic waste.

• Buy eco-versions of their favorite things.  Got a coffee or tea lover on your list? How about a chef or a crafter? Look for beautiful and reusable supplies to elevate their experience. 

• Skip the cheap wrapping paper.  Wrap gifts in colorful fabrics, old newspapers, paper bags or craft paper. Share goodies in glass jars or thrifted baskets. If you’re feeling extra crafty, try your hand at furoshiki, the Japanese art of fabric wrapping.  

Those 30 extra pounds of trash aren’t inevitable

We may not be able to completely eliminate plastic from our holidays, but we can acknowledge that plastic packaging is one of the biggest environmental issues of our time. And we can work to reduce its impact during a time of year when it can easily get out of control. 

Maybe we’ll still end up with more trash in December than in any other month, but imagine the difference it will make if even half of all households reduce our trash by a quarter or more. It would be a difference with global impact.