Sustainable Christmas Crafts: DIY Festive Fun For Kids And Parents

How to use arts and creativity to enjoy a greener Christmas.

The last three months of every year are heavy on celebrations and low on conscious living. From mountains of candy (each wrapped in glistening paper) on Halloween to indulgent turkey meals for Thanksgiving, the lead up to Christmas is often full of excesses. That’s why we’re attempting to keep the December holidays merry and bright while also championing sustainability. From wrapping to cracking, twisting and tying, these fun and simple craft ideas will help you spread goodwill to others and the earth this festive season. Keep the little hands and minds busy and out of trouble (now wouldn’t that be the best gift for parents?!) with these sustainable Christmas crafts.

Read more: How To Have A Sustainable And Eco-Friendly Christmas In Hong Kong

Make Your Own Wrapping Paper

What you need:

• Newspaper or butchers’ paper (this is any plain paper, white or brown. You can get it at Ikea)
• Acrylic or tempera paint
• Objects to use as stamps

How you do it:

Let’s start with this. This festival is about gifts (obviously!) and they need wrapping (especially for Secret Santa exchanges). Why not have fun while doing your part to reduce waste this holiday season? Make your own wrapping paper as an easy and sustainable craft activity over the Christmas holidays. Start by finding things around the house that can be used as stamps. Lego pieces, bottle caps, containers or even toys can create fun patterned paper. Prepare some paint on a plate, then stamp the item in the paint and print it on the newspaper or butchers’ paper. Once dry, it is ready to be used as wrapping!

Twist Your Own Twine

What you need:

• Old fabric or clothes
• Masking tape
• Scissors

How you do it:

Take colourful fabric or old clothes and cut the cloth into one-inch-thick strips. Tie a knot at the end of two strips and start twisting (use a tape to secure it in one place)! This is an easy fine-motor activity that even the young ones can do. You can twist some twine while you watch your favourite Christmas movie (here’s a quick tutorial to help you). Once you’re done, you will have a pretty twisted rope that you can use to tie up gifts, for tags and even to hang up decorations.

Read more: 10 Christmas Movies: Family Films For The Festive Season

Recycle Old Christmas Cards

What you need:

• Old Christmas cards
• Scissors
• Twine or string
• Hole punch

How you do it:

This year, pull out all of last year’s Christmas cards and repurpose them as gift tags. Simply save the decorative front, cut down to size and punch a hole to then tie some twine or string to attach the tag. The same idea can be used to make ornaments and decorations. It’s a nice way of reusing the cards for their festive images and sentiment.

Create Your Own Crackers

What you need:

• Toilet roll tubes
• Newspaper or butchers’ paper
• Twine
• Scissors
• Washi tape

How you do it:

Cut down on cost and waste by making your own Christmas crackers. Collect toilet roll tubes to use as the form and body of the cracker. Fill it with sweets, treats and trinkets. Then wrap the crackers in newspaper or butchers’ paper, seal it with washi tape (we prefer this to the non-biodegradable sellotape!) and tie the ends with string or twine. Although there will be no crack, there will be lots of cheers from your appreciative guests (especially those under 7!) when the goodies come pouring out.

Read more: Where To Buy Christmas Decorations In Hong Kong

Decorate A Different Tree

What you need:

• Butchers’ paper
• Acrylic or tempera paint
• Stickers
• Bows
• Recycled paper
• Glue

How you do it:

Collect bric-a-brac from the house as you make and decorate your own tree. Using newspaper or butchers’ paper, draw or paint an outline of a Christmas tree. Then add stickers, bows, ribbon, buttons and Post-its to make the decorations.  Keep adding to it in the lead-up to the 25 December or even use the discarded wrapping and ribbon on the day to craft and stick onto your tree.

Here’s a quick recap of the five ideas we’ve discussed.

So there you have it! You can now craft with a purpose this Christmas and adopt a more sustainable approach. Remember, Santa’s watching!

Read more: Feeling Festive: DIY Christmas Crafts For Kids Of All Ages