Sustainable Christmas Decorations

Who doesn't love the beauty of Christmas? Cities fill with lights and decorations, and the colours of this season spread magic everywhere. And we love bringing that Christmas magic into our homes.

According to History.com, around 2 billion people celebrate Christmas every year. At Green2You, we started crunching numbers…

Most Christmas decorations are, unfortunately, made of plastic. Now imagine: if these 2 billion people buy new decorations every year, looking for something different for each Christmas, how much waste will be generated? The volume is worrying and has a very negative impact on the environment.

Therefore, this year we have gathered some ideas for Christmas decorations that you can make with natural materials you have in your backyard or in public spaces, as well as with objects that would otherwise go to recycling.

Christmas trees made with wood stumps

Besides being a simple and charming decoration, this is an excellent idea for a family outing or with friends. Go to a park to look for wood stumps and then assemble the tree together!

Follow the step-by-step instructions below.

Wild Garlands

Another decoration that invites you for a walk in nature! Just collect branches, leaves, flowers and fruits — a true celebration of what the earth offers us at this time of year. You can use hot glue to attach the elements or tie them carefully with a string to a hoop, a metal structure or even a flexible branch, thus creating a hanging garland full of life and colour.

To give it an even more special touch, choose plants and elements typical of your region, such as pine cones, holly leaves, red berries, pine sprigs, and even dried flowers like poppies or lavender. These natural materials bring not only beauty but also aromas that evoke the true spirit of Christmas.

Tip for preserving the garland: to keep it beautiful for longer, avoid placing it in direct sunlight or very high temperatures. If you wish, you can lightly spray it with water to maintain the freshness of the branches and leaves.

This is a simple, sustainable, and charming way to decorate your home — while enjoying special moments in the company of nature and those you love.

Christmas Tree with Recycled Paper

Do you know those papers accumulated on your desk that just bother you and are no longer useful? Or those old newspapers gathering dust in a corner? How about shredding them and creating a charming Christmas tree?

You will only need a wooden stick and cut the papers into different sizes. You can choose the shape you want, but we think squares and circles look especially beautiful! Then, just pierce the stick and fit the pieces of paper, starting with the largest ones at the bottom and ending with the smallest ones at the top.

To give it the finishing touch, place a star on top of your recycled tree — and there you go! A simple, sustainable, and personalized decoration for your home.

Santa's Elves

This is, without a doubt, our favourite! A truly enchanting and charming decoration.

To create it, you will need pinecones, a cotton fabric in the colour of your choice, hot glue, wooden beads or other sustainable round material, and jute string.

1. Cut the fabric into a fan shape, adjusting the size to the pinecone you will use, as illustrated below.

2. Then, roll the fabric to form a small hat, and glue it with hot glue or fabric glue.

3. Glue the edges of the hat to the narrowest part of the pinecone.

4. Then, glue the beads between the edge of the hat and the pinecone, to create the effect of a round nose.

5. Finally, glue the jute string to the tip of the hat.
   

And voilà — you have your charming Santa's elves ready to decorate your home with magic and sustainability!

You already have your elf decorations!

Cinnamon Candle

A fragrant and absolutely charming idea! Cinnamon candles are perfect for creating a cozy atmosphere, with that warm and enveloping aroma that makes us feel the true spirit of Christmas. Besides being beautiful, they are simple to make and add a handmade and sustainable touch to your home decoration.

Materials needed:

• 1 candle (can be new or reused)

• Cinnamon sticks

• Hot glue

• 1 ribbon or decorative cord of your choice
  
  

Step-by-step:

1. Prepare the candle: clean the surface and make sure it is completely dry.

2. Place the cinnamon sticks: with the help of hot glue, attach the cinnamon sticks around the candle, one by one, until it is completely covered.

3. Adjust the finish: after gluing all the sticks, tie a pretty ribbon or a jute string around it, making a bow.

4. Final touch: if you wish, you can add a small natural decoration — such as a sprig of rosemary, a star anise, or a small piece of pine — to add even more charm.
   
   

A touch of sustainability 🌱

Prefer vegetable wax candles (such as soy or rapeseed), which are biodegradable and produce less smoke than paraffin candles. You can also reuse old candles, melting them and pouring the content into glass jars or repurposed cups. Natural fabric ribbons or jute strings are a great option to replace synthetic materials and keep the decoration environmentally friendly.

With few materials and a lot of love, you create a simple, elegant, and sustainable piece — perfect for lighting and perfuming your Christmas. 💛

Decorations with Dried Orange

What a simple orange can do, right? Besides being a delicious and colourful fruit, it can be transformed into beautiful Christmas decorations that perfume and beautify any corner of the house.

Below are some inspirations for you. You will only need dried orange slices, jute string, bows, and seeds or spices of your choice — such as cloves, star anise, or cinnamon sticks.

Simple, natural, and full of charm — a rustic and fragrant touch that brings the essence of Christmas in every detail. 🍊✨

The song Silent Night is perhaps one of the most beautiful ways to represent Christmas. Whatever the belief, this season brings with it a special charm — an invitation to slow down, gather those we love most, and exchange small gestures of affection that say: "you are important to me."

Ah, Christmas… there's something magical in its atmosphere. The cold outside, the glow of lights, the aroma of cinnamon in the air — everything wraps us in an embrace of comfort and tenderness. It's the perfect time to pamper those we love with special gifts, chosen with intention and love.

With this in mind, we, at Green2You and Sustento, have prepared a selection of enchanting gifts in the form of kits. We know how much we would like to gift all the people who make our lives sweeter, so we created options ranging from 3 to 35 euros, all designed and packaged with great care, in the energy of love and joy that only Christmas provides.

And, of course, we couldn't help but think about the planet too. Christmas is a time for generosity — and that generosity can (and should) extend to nature. Every year, tons of plastic and non-recyclable paper end up accumulating after the festivities. Therefore, this is also a time to rethink: how can we celebrate beautifully, but with less waste?

Opting for sustainable packaging, recyclable and reusable materials is a simple and powerful way to make a difference. Small conscious choices transform the act of giving into a double gesture of love — for the recipient and for the world we share.

For those who want to go even further, we (at Green2You) accept boxes and wrapping for our shipments throughout the year. So you can save all these materials and visit us at our Green store (Rua dos Combatentes) to leave us what you no longer need!

by Júlia Lopes