Remember that many of the decorations available in High Street stores from late September onwards have been treated chemically to colour the paper, or are made out of non-biodegradable substances.
A large proportion will have been manufactured in countries where employment and environmental legislation is at best weak and at worst ignored. You can make a difference by supporting fair trade organisations and boycotting manufacturers who exploit people and the environment.
If you are buying new decorations, purchase from fair trade catalogues or go for decorations that use sustainable resources such as fabric angels, papier maché balls, wooden handmade and painted tree hangings, hanging embroidered boots.
Origami snowflake patterns work wonderfully on real trees and are fun. Visit www.origami.com for loads of ideas or amazon.com for books with instructions on papier mache balls and trimmings.
Use edible tree decorations which can be given to garden birds afterwards, like popcorn and dried cranberry strings. Ready made gingerbread hearts can be brought at www.notonthehighstreet.com, a wonderful site with lots of first rate recyclable decorations at great prices.
Or if visit www.bloomingmarvellous.co.uk and look at the Christmas page where they sell gingerbread decorations and ready made houses. (alongside lots of gifts for baby’s first Christmas.)
Wooden Nativity Tree Decorations are great for decorating real trees. Sometimes it is easy to forget the real message of Christmas, but these beautifully painted tree decorations will remind your children of this special story, year after year. Log onto www.gltc.co.uk which stands for great little trading company, where you will find wooden nativity decorations and lots of other fun ideas for Christmas.
At the ethical superstore you will discover a range of unique selection of fair trade decorations, alongside charity Christmas cards and solar powered tree lights. Visit www.ethicalsuperstore.com