Last-minute tips for a greener Christmas

Managing to keep calm in the run up to Christmas? We just have a few more days to go, and hopefully most of us feel ready to relax and celebrate. Still, there are lots of last-minute preparations, so I’ve compiled some eco-friendly tips, for the good of the planet and your pocket.
When I was younger, I used to be on standby to help my dad, uncle and cousin wrap their gifts at the last minute, so I’d be handed a roll of patterned paper and a pile of presents. After all that, I am absolutely sick of wrapping things. Now, we save all gift bags given to us to reuse, but mostly I prefer to use fabric in the Japanese furoshiki style. A vintage scarf, piece of linen or coloured cotton can be used to wrap a box or even a bottle, with the ends tied around the top – it is particularly forgiving for odd shapes. Sometimes people keep the wrap to reuse themselves, and some give it back to me to use for the next time.
In addition to the main meal, Christmas snacking is a given. It’s amazing, though, that ‘holiday packs’ seem to be such an important part of the celebration: boxes of individually wrapped chocolates, big boxes of crisps with multiple small packs within. If possible, try to stick to larger bags of crisps (after all, if one person opens a bag, others are bound to want to help finish it off) and chocolate boxes with less packaging.
I’m duty bound to note that refill shops offer packaging-free popcorn kernels, mixed nuts, dried fruits and many options for sweets, from chocolate-covered goodies to jellies and plastic-free chocolate bars, plus many health-food shops have options in paper packaging as well.
For the main meal, preparing as much as you can a day or two ahead will help everyone to enjoy the day, and having everyone sit and peel and chop while having a chat makes light work of the tasks for the head chef.
This time of year you can get all the nicest root vegetables and greens from Irish farmers for a local meal, and having a plethora of vegetables makes the meal adaptable for everyone. Plus, leftover veg can easily transformed on the following days: try fried rice, quiches, wraps with beans, or even blitzing everything with some lentils into a soup.
Growing up, for all holiday meals throughout the year, we used the ‘good’ plates, cutlery, tablecloths and napkins. After all, if not for a family occasion, when will we ever use them? Disposables are much more expensive, not to mention the waste they create. Anyone who wasn’t helping cook the dinner was on washing up duty later (mostly the teenagers, before the dessert was served as an incentive), and the linens can often be turned over once before washing.
Wishing you and your families a holiday season filled with love, laughter and appreciation for all we have.

McKinley Neal is the owner of PAX Whole Foods & Eco Goods, a minimal-waste shop in Westport offering bulk organic foods, reusable goods, household products, eco-friendly personal-care items and gifts.