Tinsel, baubles, plastic angels on top – a lot of what goes on your Christmas tree isn’t exactly environmentally friendly. And when it’s time to get rid of them and they end up on landfill, they’re going to be a nightmare to break down.
Plastic items like bottles, beer holders and nappies can take 450 years to biodegrade. Other items can take even longer – up to 1,000 years.
In a bid to do better, for the sake of our planet, here are some eco-friendly Christmas tree decorations made from paper, wood and natural felt. Happy decorating!
Multi-Coloured Paper Baubles
Paper baubles, Paper Tree, £6.95
These intricate paper baubles come in three colours: white, red or grey. You can buy them in packs of two for £6.95. They are packaged flat and unfold to create a 3D bauble secured by magnets (meaning they can fold away easily for re-use).
Buy it here
Log Slice Decoration
Log slice decoration, Three Peaks Company/Etsy, £4.50
Christmas, in our opinion, is the most wonderful time of the year so this tree decoration – made from a log slice – is very apt indeed. The baubles are lightweight and come with a twine hanger.
Buy it here
Rudolph Paper Bauble
Rudolph bauble, Paper Amy/Etsy, £10
This cute little fella is designed and handmade by Amy Mathers (who runs the Paper Amy store on Etsy). It’s 100 per cent paper and is a lovely little decoration to brighten up the tree. She also does Christmas puddings, robins and snowmen so you can gather together a team.
Buy it here
Felted Snowflake Decorations
Handmade felted baubles, Somnus And Seb/Etsy, £22
A set of three handmade Scandinavian-inspired baubles with Christmas tree designs. They are felted using hand-died Norwegian wool, filled with lambswool and fitted with a silver coloured satin ribbon. Each of them is decorated with a tree made of green wool felt and at 6cm in diameter, weighs about 16 grams.
Buy it here
Wooden Snowflakes
Wooden baubles (diameter 8.2cm and thickness 3mm), AmazeGifts UK/Etsy, £12.99
This set of four wooden baubles have been cut-out in various intricate snowflake shapes. The decorations, made from plywood and painted in ‘Antique Pine’, add a rustic touch to any tree and come with gold tree ties.
Buy it here
Felt Decorations
Felt decorations, Peter Christian, £6 each (or three for £15)
These adorable tree decorations are handmade using 100 per cent wool felt. Choose from a penguin, reindeer, snowman, pudding, dog and robin.
Buy it here
Wooden Star Hanging
Wooden star, TK Maxx, £6.99
This wooden 3D star decoration will give a rustic feel to your tree and comes with silver painted edges and a twine hanger.
Buy it here
Wool Christmas Hearts
Wool Christmas hearts, Linen Forest /Etsy, £14.10
These beautiful hearts are handmade from organic wool and come in a set of four. You can get different colour combinations: set one consists of 2x ivory hearts, 1x red heart and 1x grey heart with red/white pom poms; set two consists of 4x red hearts with white pom poms; and set three contains 2x ivory hearts with red pom poms and 2x red hearts with white pom poms.
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Wooden Decoration Set
Snowflake decorations, GoodWild/Etsy, £24.25
These items are handmade from walnut in the Ukraine and come in a set of 16, so you get a fair few for your money. They also come in a lovely wooden box of their own. Be prepared for a delay in delivery as the items are made abroad.
Buy it here
Paper Mistletoe Sprig
Mistletoe decoration, Paper Tree, £4.95
These sprigs of mistletoe are made from eco-friendly paper, believe it or not. They’re actually marketed as gift tags but we would 100 per cent hang them on our tree, they’re too beautiful to give away.
Buy it here
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