Is it just me, or does the sight of overflowing platters of festive treats going stale, paired with baubles and tinsel hitting the shelves earlier every “-ber” month, make you cringe or weep for humanity?

Nothing says “holiday cheer” quite like mass-produced consumerism shoved in your face before you’ve even had a chance to finish off your remnants from August.

Ah, Christmas. It is that time of year when joy and generosity are wrapped in a thick layer of waste and non-recyclable glittery paper.

As festive lights twinkle and Mariah Carey’s royalties skyrocket with her ever-cheesy lyrics blaring out everywhere in public places when all I wish for is a “silent night”, something far less cheery is brewing behind the scenes.

An environmental debacle of global proportions.

Yes, the season of good cheer and excess is nothing short of a planetary catastrophe. Plastic waste, carbon emissions and enough tinsel to strangle a small country – all for the sake of a few days.

So before you reach for that second helping of Christmas pudding, let’s unwrap the true cost of Christmas and find out why it’s less “silent night” and more “climate fright.”

History And Hype: How Christmas Became A Global Goliath

Let’s rewind for a moment. Christmas wasn’t always a festival of frenzied consumerism and waistline-busting feasts.

Its origins are, of course, rooted in religion, celebrating the birth of Christ. But even earlier, pre-Christian festivities like Saturnalia and Yule laid the groundwork for the present-day extravaganza.

Fast forward to today and Christmas is celebrated in over 160 countries, with or without religious significance.

But what started as a modest holiday seems to have evolved into a full-blown consumerist spectacle.

From jingle bells to jam-packed trolleys, the world now spends billions of dollars each Christmas, leaving a festive footprint of waste and environmental devastation that no amount of carolling can disguise.

Plastic, Packaging And Presents: A Waste Wonderland

Ah, the great gifting tradition – or as I like to call it, the annual exchange of unnecessary plastic and shiny things destined for the bin.

The wrapping paper alone is enough to send eco-conscious minds spinning. According to South Australia’s Environment Department, Australians discard 150,000 kilometres of wrapping paper each Christmas.

That’s enough to gift-wrap the Earth, almost four times over, in pure, unrecyclable guilt.

And it doesn’t end there. Glittery baubles, plastic wreaths and that darned tinsel rearing its bristles again! They all have one thing in common: they’re a microplastic disaster waiting to happen.

These decorations not only stick to your jumper but also clog up oceans, harming marine life long after your festive hangover has worn off.

The Guardian warns that the synthetic sparkle of our Christmas joy has a decidedly darker, longer-lasting consequence – landfill for centuries.

What about the presents themselves? Ah, the joy of ripping through the packaging, sealed with plastic tape—only to uncover a soon-to-be-obsolete gadget or a fast-fashion item unlikely to outlast a New Year’s gym membership.

In the UK alone, it’s estimated that a whopping 40% of toys are binned within three months. If there’s one thing Christmas does well, it’s turning overconsumption into a seasonal sport.

Transport And Tourism Turmoil: Sleigh Bells Or Smog Bells?

Not to be outdone by waste, Christmas has a second trick up its sleeve: emissions. Travel is a cornerstone of the season, with families crisscrossing countries and continents in an epic festive migration.

Unfortunately, this mass movement comes at a price – and it’s not just the cost of your last-minute plane ticket.

In 2023, holiday travel contributed an additional 8 million tonnes of carbon emissions into the atmosphere. A mere stocking filler for the planet.

But it’s not just the human hordes shuffling from one family dinner to the next. The modern marvel that is online shopping has created a monstrous fleet of delivery trucks clogging up roads, all so we can receive our last-minute impulse buys by Christmas morning.

So the next-day delivery translates more like next-century carbon offsetting.

Tourism is just as problematic. According to a study published in December 2024, the highest-emitting tourism destinations are the United States, China and India. 

Trees Or Trouble: The Conifer Conundrum

Now, let’s talk trees. The Christmas tree is the ultimate symbol of festive cheer – but it’s also a symbol of environmental ambivalence. Real or artificial, each option has its delightful downside.

According to the BBC, PVC artificial trees travel so far and wide that their carbon footprint could give the aviation industry a serious inferiority complex.

To balance out the environmental cost, you’d need to keep your fake tree for at least a decade – a noble commitment for most, but in reality, they often end up in landfills long before that.

And real trees? They may seem eco-friendly on the surface, but the environmental picture isn’t all that rosy. The monoculture farming of Christmas trees is a pesticide-heavy affair and once chopped down, they release carbon dioxide back into the atmosphere.

In the UK alone, over 7 million trees are discarded after Christmas – a fine way to celebrate nature by sending them to rot.

Food Fiasco: The Festive Feast Of Waste

Ah, Christmas dinner – the one time of year when gluttony becomes a social obligation. But let’s be honest: no one needs that umpteenth serving of turkey.

Each year, the festive feast leads to obscene levels of food waste.

In the UK alone, an estimated 230,000 tonnes of Christmas food are thrown away – enough to feed a small nation or at least a few million festive revellers.

Food waste is a serious environmental issue. Decomposing food releases methane, a greenhouse gas that’s far more potent than carbon dioxide. Read more about that here.

And then there’s the carbon footprint of the food itself – from production to packaging to the energy required to cook that 12-course Christmas dinner. And for what?

Plates of soggy brussel sprouts no one wanted in the first place.

Turkeys, too, carry their environmental burden. Poultry farming and packaging are resource-intensive.

Also, don’t get me started on those styrofoam trays, excess foil and cling wrap. It’s enough to make you consider becoming a vegetarian for that “special” day if you aren’t already.

Lights, Litter And Landfill: An Energy Extravaganza

If Christmas has a visual soundtrack, it’s the glow of over-the-top light displays.

Entire neighbourhoods transform into glowing shrines of festive one-upmanship, using enough electricity to power a small country.

In fact, in the US, holiday lights alone consume more electricity than entire countries use annually.

While LED lights are a step in the right direction, the sheer volume of lights twinkling across the globe ensures that Christmas remains an energy-guzzling event.

If we all turned our lights off a bit earlier, maybe we could shave a little off the Christmas energy bill. But good luck convincing the neighbour with a life-sized illuminated sleigh and reindeer on their roof.

Festive Fixes: Can Christmas Be Celebrated Sustainably?

So, what’s to be done? Are we destined to trade our baubles and bright lights for an austere Christmas of recycled brown paper and dimly lit dinners?

Not necessarily. There are ways to celebrate without torching the planet:

• Decorate differently: Reuse decorations or opt for natural, biodegradable options. Who needs plastic when you can have dried oranges, scented pine cones and a smug sense of eco-superiority?
  
• For Christmas decorations: LED lights are a smarter choice than incandescent bulbs as the latter convert only about 10% of the energy they consume into visible light with 90% being wasted as heat. LED lights use up to 85% less energy, last 25–50 times longer and stay cool to the touch, making them safer and more cost-effective. With vibrant colours and minimal electricity use, LEDs brighten your holidays while saving money and energy.
  
• Gift thoughtfully: Instead of mindless consumption, give experiences, homemade gifts, or even the most unappreciated gift of all – donations to charity.
  (Read more about that here on a separate blog).
  
• Shop local: Whether it’s the turkey, the tree, or the presents, shopping local reduces transport emissions and supports your community.
  
• Eat only what you can manage: Perhaps it’s time to scale back the feast.
  Less waste, fewer leftovers and no one has to pretend they actually like platefuls of Christmas pudding.

A Festive Final Thought…‘Tis The Season To Be Eco-Jollier?

As you sit beneath the glow of your energy-sapping Christmas lights, stuffed with unsustainable turkey, consider this: are a few days of indulgence worth the environmental aftermath it leaves behind?

Perhaps we’re just decking the halls with our destruction? Wouldn’t that be something to mull over with your wine?

Perhaps it’s time to make our Christmas wish for the planet, not at its expense.

In any case, “I’m dreaming of a green Christmas“.

How about you?

Comments welcome below.

(If you’re curious about how Cupid, the Easter Bunny and Halloween ghosts are all pitching in to wreck the planet, you can read more here).

Fun fact:

In 1647, the UK parliament made the controversial decision to ban Christmas celebrations across England. The move was driven by Puritans, a group advocating for modesty and stricter religious practices.

Under the leadership of Oliver Cromwell, who later ruled as Lord Protector, the Puritan regime argued that the holiday had strayed from its sacred roots, becoming a time of excessive indulgence, pagan-inspired traditions and unruly behaviour such as gambling and drunkenness.

However, many people defied the restrictions, continuing to mark the holiday in secret until the prohibition was eventually overturned.

About the author

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Dr Surrinder Singh is a medical doctor, blogger and freelance writer. He is passionate about healthcare, medicine and education and works professionally with B2B and B2C clients.