How to host a greener Christmas

Rise to the challenge of a sustainable Christmas and dress your table using planet-friendly materials. Good quality tablecloths and napkins can be reused time and again, with a cheerful tartan or check design nodding towards the festivities. “Lighting can also really elevate even a simple tablescape,” says prop stylist Charlotte. “I love using real candles,” and pure beeswax candles offer the perfect finishing flourish, being both naturally fragrant and a warming light source.

Decorating at Christmas doesn’t have to be all holly, ivy and out-of-season cut flowers. Take a leaf from the houseplant trend to fill your home with colour and scent this winter. Whether it’s the lipstick pink flowers of a tropical Christmas cactus, fragrant paperwhite daffodil blooms or a simple pot of pure white cyclamen, you’ll find plenty of lower-carbon choices. Continue the natural theme by using dried citrus fruits to create sustainable, beautifully scented tree decorations.

TOP TIP: Exotic moth orchids make a sophisticated centrepiece that will bloom for weeks. Blousy, beautiful amaryllis are a breeze to grow and can make a strong statement in a pared-back pot. Plus, the bulbs can be reused year after year.

It’s a time for gathering loved ones far and wide – and sharing sentimental delights. Nothing captures nostalgia quite like unwrapping cherished trinkets and baubles collected from years past. "I’m obsessed with baubles and have been collecting them for about 20 years” says Charlotte. While mismatched pieces are a decorator’s delight, she advises, “always choose decorations you know you’ll use more than once and which compliment your current collection. My go-to is always antique gold and silver.” That said, this year she’s tempted by bolder colours: “reds and pinks are a great combination and look wonderful with dark winter greenery.”

Elevate your gift wrapping into something to be treasured by adopting the Japanese art of Furoshiki. Using beautiful, natural fabric to wrap presents is both stylish and sustainable, as it can be repurposed in so many ways after use. Brown paper packages tied up with string are a forever favourite and can be dressed in elegant velvet ribbons or brightly coloured raffia for a personalised look. Charlotte adds, “don’t forget to buy ribbons and bows that can be repurposed.”

STYLE TIP: Choose a luxurious silk scarf or a jaunty cotton bandana as your wrapping choice. Rather splendidly, it becomes part of the present – truly the gift that keeps on giving!

As designated host, set the scene for a greener celebration by upcycling your current wardrobe, leaning on your most treasured styles from Christmases gone by. Rich fabrics, dark hues and sequins are festive favourites, though when you’re celebrating at home, anything goes! Investing in new accessories will bring renewed energy to older looks, with costume jewellery, belts and shiny accents all readily available at this time of year.

Get Christmas gatherings off to a swinging start with a carefully considered menu of cocktails and canapés. A classic champagne cocktail, presented in a delicate glass flute, always hits the mark, but make sure to offer an equally sumptuous non-alcoholic alternative – a delicious pomegranate mojito mocktail, perhaps? Canapés needn’t be complicated, either – treat your guests to dainty but indulgent mouthfuls of seasonal favourites like smoked salmon and caviar, then let the conversation flow.

INSIDER TIP: “If I have time in September, I love picking sloe berries and making sloe gin. A Sloe Gin Fizz is a great cocktail to serve at the start of a Christmas party. Use roughly 50 ml sloe gin to a glass of champagne or a good Crémant. You can add a little bit of edible glitter on top for extra festive sparkle.”

Matching gift to guest is the order of the day when it comes to treading lightly on the planet and avoiding waste at Christmas. Whether you’ve tracked down a delicious specialist ingredient for a keen cook, the softest cashmere gloves for a friend, a favourite bath oil for a beloved aunt, or a quirky puzzle for the kids, now’s your chance to prove that good things really can come in small packages!