When it comes to Christmas day, our meal really is the main event, when we allow ourselves to indulge a little more than we would at any other time of year. Unfortunately, this often leaves a huge amount of waste, and the food we eat is less than ideal for the environment. Here are a few tips on making your Christmas dinner more eco friendly.

Buy Organic

If you don’t buy organic, then the chances are that the bird you eat will have been raised in intensive factory farms that are not only bad for the animals, but also bad for the environment. These animals may be full of unnatural hormones, and fed food that was grown using harmful chemicals.

Instead, opt for an organic turkey this year. This may be a more expensive option, but it’ll be far healthier for you and for our planet. If you want to save money then buy directly from a local farmer (buying local also has its other benefits as you’ll see below). And remember – the drinks you serve can be organic too!

Buy Local and Seasonal Produce

Buying local is a great way to support your local area. You’ll be keeping money in the hands of small time farmers, instead of the major corporations, and you’ll help to boost jobs where you live.

Buying local means that you won’t be buying food that’s travelled miles over the world to reach your table. Out of season vegetables often have to be flown in from countries with a different climate, which does nothing to help your carbon footprint. Seasonal and local really are the way to go.

Other Green Christmas Dinner Tips

There are a few other ways to save energy on your green Christmas dinner. Although you’ll likely be cooking a lot of the ingredients for the main meal, if you’ll be snacking beforehand, or serving starters, choosing food that doesn’t need cooking will save energy and time.

When you are cooking your food, try to open the oven as little as possible, use lids on saucepans to enable you to turn the heat down, and then leave the oven door open once cooking is finished to let the heat warm up the home.

Go Vegetarian

Although this tip isn’t for everyone, the absolute biggest thing you can do to help protect the environment this Christmas is to go vegetarian. One pound of meat takes far more energy and resources to produce than a pound of vegetables. There are now a huge number of delicious choices for vegetarian Christmas meals. If you can’t go the whole way, perhaps start by replacing a key ingredient with a vegetarian alternative and see how you like it.

Christmas Dinner Leftovers

It goes without saying that you should do your best to make the most of the leftovers after Christmas. Soups, stews and pies are all fantastic ways to use up leftover meat. And, if you’ve got too much to use, cook meals you can freeze or give leftovers to some of your Christmas guests.

Waterford Crystal ornaments are a beautiful and elegant way to capture the magic of the holiday season. These truly magnificent ornaments are well known for their distinctive craftsmanship, unmatched quality, and timeless appeal. For more than 200 years Waterford has been perfecting the art of turning ordinary glass into a collectible masterpiece that will be lovingly handed down from generation to generation.

This Christmas consider adding one of these amazing crystal Christmas ornaments to your tree!

Crystal Angel Ornament

If you have ever had the opportunity to view one of these amazing crystal angel ornaments up close you are sure to immediately recognize why they have become one of the most collectible Christmas ornaments each year.

Angels are often thought of as being supernatural creatures that reflect the brilliant light that signifies the majestic glory of God’s saving grace. In much the same way these elegant Waterford Crystal ornaments sparkle and shine reflecting the twinkling colors of whatever lights you have hung on your tree.

Each year Waterford releases a new angel as part of their annual collection. Celebrate this Christmas season with a timeless classic that embraces the message of peace, love, joy and unity. The 2010 Waterford Crystal ornament is depicted floating through the air with a heart in her hand.

This stunning work of art comes with a jeweled 3″ ornament hanger and a removable 2010 date hang tag.

The Waterford company was founded in 1783 in Waterford, Ireland. Since that time, they have been producing some of the finest crystal glasses, vases and ornaments ever manufactured. Every piece of Waterford Crystal brilliantly shines and has an extraordinary elegance that has made Waterford Crystal a favorite among collectors.

If you want to have fun with your kids making your own Christmas decorations then Christmas stocking kits are a great way to create personalized items for each of your children. They will love decorating the stockings ready for when Santa comes to visit!

Why Use Christmas Stocking Kits?

Using a kit to create your own Christmas stockings is a great way to bring the family together by spending an afternoon getting creative. Not only will this serve as a personalized place to put your Christmas gifts for each other, but the stockings can also be saved for years to come, serving as a happy reminder of Christmases gone by!

Felt Christmas Stocking Kits

The first kind of kit, and one of the most popular, is made of felt and ready-made patterns. These are great for kids, as all that’s required is to cut out the pattern and stick it to the stocking. The end result is a great-looking stocking that was very quick and easy to make.

Choosing The Right Embroidery Christmas Stocking Kits

The kind of kits you buy will depend upon who is using them. For kids, there are a large number of simple embroidery patterns to choose from if you prefer that kind of style. Choose one based on imagery they enjoy – this could mean famous cartoon characters, animals and so on. Cross stitch kits are a good idea if you’re a beginner.

If you’re more advanced and want something that poses more of a challenge then there should be plenty of Christmas stocking kits available to you, too. These could include appliques, crochet patterns and so on. And you can even make them more detailed by adding embellishments and using the kit as a starting point.

Making Your Own Christmas Stocking Kit

If you want to save some money then you could put together your own kits for your kids to use. This means you’ll gather all the materials they need, in the correct shapes and sizes, along with instructions to help them put the stocking together.

Choose a fabric to use and cut out the stocking shape in the size that you want it. You can go online to find free patterns for the design you want to add to your stocking. Some ideas include Santa giving gifts to children, snowy landscapes, snowmen or Christmas stars. Alternatively, you could just have the kids decorate it in a more basic way using glue and accessories!