Celebrate Sustainably with Our Eco-Friendly Holiday Tips & Ideas
Last updated on October 9th, 2025
During this time of celebration and abundance, we can all make the holiday season shine a little brighter by taking a thoughtful approach to celebrating sustainably. From decor to dinnerware, we’ve compiled a few easy ways to celebrate with style – all while reducing your carbon footprint with these sustainable holiday tips.
How Can I Be Sustainable This Holiday Season?
Use Natural, Eco-Friendly Holiday Decor Instead of Plastic
Take a walk outside and let nature inspire sustainable holiday ideas that will dazzle inside. Opt for natural elements like fresh pine trimmings, calming eucalyptus sprigs, arranged birch tree logs, or fragrant cinnamon sticks. These choices will fill your spaces with beauty, transition you into the season, and significantly reduce the need for plastics in your home’s decor.
Incorporating natural elements as and decor is not exclusive to this time of year. As the seasons change and you’re ready to change up your look, add a touch of spring flowers to accent your birch cuttings and hang your eucalyptus in the shower to add aromatherapy to your bathroom.
Swap Traditional Lights in Favor of Sustainable LEDs
Gentle white lights, both indoors and out, add a glowing sophistication to all your decor and a touch of sparkle for the holidays. One easy, eco-friendly idea is to swap out any traditional incandescent bulbs within your home and holiday decor with LED bulbs. Not only do they last longer and use less energy overall, they also radiate less heat, making them a safer choice too. Today’s LED light options offer a variety of design possibilities and dimming capabilities to help you create the perfect ambiance, whether you’re entertaining guests or enjoying a relaxing evening at home. Plus, they work well in both warm and cold climates.
Introduce Natural Light with Non-Toxic Candles
Candles can play a major role during the holidays. If candles are part of your family traditions, or you simply want to incorporate the beauty of candlelight into spaces within your home, consider choosing eco-friendly options.
Soy, beeswax, and coconut wax candles with natural cotton or wood wicks use natural ingredients that may release fewer toxins than traditional paraffin candles. For best results, trim the wick to ¼ inch before each use. Burn for at least two hours but no longer than four, keep away from drafts, and extinguish with a snuffer to help prevent tunneling and excess smoking.
Opt for Local, Seasonal Ingredients
Consider using local, in-season ingredients when planning your holiday gathering. By shopping fresh from local farmers’ markets and growers, you can help reduce food transportation and preservation, excess food packaging, and waste.
The more you shop locally, the more you will know what’s in season where you live. For example, in the Southwest, late fall is the perfect time to look for apples, brussels sprouts, and pumpkin. In the Northeast, you’ll also find an abundance of apples, turnips, carrots, and cranberries.
Other Ideas for Practicing Sustainability During the Holidays
One of the best holiday sustainability tips is to keep reusable plastic and paper bags handy for planned and impromptu shopping trips. This good habit can be practiced throughout the year, but it is particularly important during the holiday season when many people shop for groceries and gifts more often.
Finally, go ahead and break out the good china and linen napkins for your holiday entertaining. Not only will your tablescape be all the more beautiful, but choosing reusable dinnerware is also far more sustainable than relying on disposables.
For more holiday tips and inspiration, visit the Design category on our Build Beautiful blog.
