Christmas With A Conscience

Are you dreaming of a green Christmas? It might be easier than you think to go a little more environmentally friendly without sacrificing any of the magic of the festive season this year

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Christmas...

The season of fun, indulgence, excitement… and excess! Let’s face it, in our annual rituals of eating, drinking and being merry we can all have a tendency to go a little overboard in our festive celebrations. But with a new awareness on sustainability and the environment, are there ways we can all make Christmas a little more eco-conscious?

We challenged some of our favorite Surrey creatives and producers to share their ideas on how to make some small but significant changes this year – whether it’s sourcing your food and gifts locally or coming up with reusable, eco-friendly alternatives. With a little imagination, it is still possible to capture all the magic of Christmas without a single string of tinsel in sight.

SOMETHING PRETTY

“For me, flowers make Christmas. And I adore the way the shop looks, smells and comes alive with a gorgeous, magical feel during the festive season. This year I’ll focus on honoring traditions, but I’ll also try to give things a modern twist in the crafting and designs I come up with.”

Alison Howe from Mad Lilies in Banstead

ALISON’S ECO-FRIENDLY FLORAL TIPS:

We’re working towards reducing the use of foam in our table arrangements. Instead, chicken wire makes a perfect, eco-friendlier base. Roll the chicken wire into a sausage shape, which will give you a framework to secure the stems. Push your base into a suitable container and then simply position whichever flowers and foliage you prefer into the holes. Try to source a mix of seasonal, locally sourced foliage, pinecones, berries, and flowers. I love to use plenty of eucalyptus for its wonderful wintery fragrance.