It’s getting to that time of year again, yes it may be the middle of October but we find the subject of Christmas all around us. We walk into shops and are met with sparkly lights, decorations and adverts telling us to order in time for Christmas or book our Christmas meal. Have you ever thought about the impact of Christmas on the environment?

Christmas is a joyous time of year for most, turkey dinner, a nice pile of presents and travel to see family. Each families Christmas is unique to them but the concept of gifts and food are constant. It is estimated that a family may spend up to £700 at Christmas but this has a large variance on travel[1].

Christmas has been built up to be the largest consumer event of the year it all adds up with the average UK Christmas having a footprint of 280kg[2] per person, that is equal to;

• 100 loads of washing washed at 40 degrees and tumble dried
•  A single  plane journey from London to Glasgow
• 200 bottles of wine

Though this impact is dependent on a range of factors including travel and overall money spent.

So what can you do to reduce your Christmas footprint:

- Consider alternative modes of transport to get to family gatherings, if you are spending a few days with relatives consider taking the train or coach for part of the journey, not traveling by car will also encourage you to take less, this is more applicable for traveling long journeys around the UK.

- Try to do all your shopping in one trip to minimise your transport footprint, or if ordering online make use of their gift wrap service and get parcels sent direct to the recipient, as delivery companies are greening up their act to reduce emissions, especially if you order through amazon as they use courier DPD[3] who ensure deliveries are carbon neutral and also send you hour delivery slots to ensure you are at home.

- Each year we each on average receive 2 gifts that we don’t want equating to £2.1 Billion worth of gifts[4]. Create a Christmas gift list for the family to detract from receiving unwanted gifts which will also cut out the journey to take an item back to the shops.

- The tree: real or fake[5], studies have shown that the type of lights used on the tree have a bigger impact than whether the tree is real or fake, ensure you buy low energy LED lights, and if you are buying a fake tree be sure to check where the tree has been made and try to avoid ones made in China. Ensure you properly recycle your Christmas tree, as it can be reduced down into chippings or burned saving up to 80% of the emissions that would be released it was sent to landfill, contact your local authority to find out options available in your area[6].

- Plan food portions, helping you to save money and save resources. Any food leftovers you may have make into pies or stews for the Boxing Day meal. Some great Christmas leftover recipes can be found at http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/collection/christmas-leftovers

- Re-use or recycle Christmas paper and packaging, be sure to check what items can be put in your household recycling bin and for any larger items ensure you dispose of them correctly. http://www.recyclenow.com/ is a great website to look up where items can be recycled and there are some great reuse tips at http://www.rethinkwasteni.org/at-home/reuse/reuse-at-christmas

So this year make your Christmas a happy one for both you and the planet.