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Traditionally Christmas is filled with waste and isn’t environmentally conscience, but that is changing with time. While everyone will talk about making Christmas dinner eco-friendly or having an eco-friendly Christmas tree, you don’t often see mention of the Christmas stocking, which is usually full of everything you don’t want to see in an eco-friendly Christmas. But, you don’t have to give up your family’s tradition just to be more environmentally friendly. There are lots of ways to have an eco-friendly Christmas stocking.
Fantastic Eco-Friendly Christmas Stocking Ideas
I’m super excited about all of these awesome eco-friendly Christmas stocking ideas, and I’m pretty sure you will be too. Take a peek!
The Stockings
Many Christmas stockings today are made with cheap material that either doesn’t last beyond one Christmas or is full of microplastic. In many cases, both are true, but that doesn’t mean you have to forgo the stocking tradition.
One option is to replace the stocking with something else like a jute bag, a basket, a tote bag, or wellies. If you still want to do stockings and you have a sewing machine with some necessary sewing skills, you can easily make one using an old flannel shirt or suit jacket. If you don’t have one handy then check your local thrift stores, they typically have a vast selection. These are sure to last you for years, and they’re easy to repair if necessary.
The Contents
Let’s be honest; while the stockings can be troublesome, it’s what goes inside that is the big hazard when it comes to making eco-friendly Christmas stockings. There are a lot of different things you should avoid if you want to put together an eco-friendly Christmas stocking. Here are the most significant things you need to look out for.
Plastic
Without a doubt, plastic is likely to be the least eco-friendly thing that will make it into a normal Christmas stocking. Usually, this comes in the form of cheap little toys for kids or the packaging for other items. Thankfully, it is also the easiest thing to avoid. Rather than buying plastic toys, opt for toys made of wood or metal. You could also go with paper-like coloring books, paper dolls, and card games.
Chocolate
Just like the cheap plastic toys that usually go into Christmas stockings, the chocolate that goes in them tends to be cheap and comes from unsustainable farms with questionable labor practices. Thankfully if you shop in Health food stores or check the health food section of stores, you’ll be able to find ethically sourced, eco-friendly chocolate that comes in all the shapes you love at Christmas time.
You also need to consider what the chocolate is wrapped in. Those little foil wrappers aren’t recycled. Instead, try to find chocolate wrapped in paper or get your chocolate from the bulk bin and bring your own container.
So, now that you know what to keep an eye out for, here are a few suggestions on great things you can put in eco-friendly Christmas stockings.
Soy Candles in Glass or Tin
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Reusable Straws
Organic Lip Balm
Reusable Bags
Stainless Steel Travel Bottles (You can even get sippy cup versions!)
Natural Dye Modeling Dough
Artisan Soap
Gift Cards
Books
Give these terrific eco-friendly stocking stuffers to your friends and family, and they will love you for it! Especially if they try to be extra eco-friendly too.
Looking for more stocking stuffer ideas? Check out some of these other posts to make sure those stockings are ready for the holidays!
