The holiday season is the perfect time to spend with family and friends. Unfortunately, it can also be a stressful time of year for people who want to reduce their environmental impact. It isn't always easy to know how you can cut back on waste while still enjoying the holidays, but there are many simple things you can do. That’s why the team at Climate First Bank has put together this list of tips on how you can reduce waste and make your holiday season more sustainable!

Buy gifts that can be reused or repurposed.

Buying gifts that can be reused or repurposed is a great way to reduce your waste this holiday season.

• Buy reusable items like tools, kitchen gadgets, and clothes. These are great for anyone in your life who likes to DIY.
• Make gifts out of recycled materials like old magazines or newspapers (perfect for kids who love arts and crafts). The best part of this DIY project is that no two gifts will be the same! Check out Uncommon Goods for some inspiration.
• Reuse old gifts by giving them new life as something else--from decorations on the tree to wrapping paper around presents! If you have children with toys they don't play with anymore but still have sentimental value for them (or even just sentimental value for you), try repurposing these toys into something else fun: turn them into puppets or puzzles; decorate them with stickers; make jewelry from beads attached onto their bodies with string etc... The possibilities are endless!

Keep sustainability in mind with your holiday cooking.

If you're planning to host a holiday meal, think about ways that you can reduce waste. For example, consider buying local produce and using reusable containers for leftovers. It's also worth considering how much food is being wasted during the cooking process--for example, if some of your guests don't like certain dishes or have allergies to certain ingredients, making sure that they're not served something they won't eat will help cut down on what ends up in the trash can after everyone's gone home. Composting at home also dramatically cuts food waste in landfill! Our friends at O-Town Compost share their advice in their blog.

Recycle your own wrapping paper after the holidays.

Recycle your own wrapping paper after the holidays.

• Use old gift wrap and gift bags to make new cards for next year's gifts.
• Make new wrapping paper by cutting up your old stuff and layering it together, then use Modge Podge or another adhesive to glue the layers together (you'll want to cut out any parts that are still attached to the original gift). If you're feeling fancy, decorate with glitter or paint before sticking everything together!
• Even if your kids don't care about reusing their gifts' packaging, they might be interested in making their own holiday cards this year--and there's no better way than with recycled materials!

Before you buy anything new, consider whether you could get it secondhand.

Even if you're not a fan of secondhand gifts, consider that they are a great way to reduce your waste this holiday season. Many people don't want to buy new products because they believe that buying secondhand means less money for charity or less profit for the seller, but many charities actually benefit from the sale of used items. And as long as it's in good condition and safe to use--and you clean it if necessary--there's really no reason not to give someone something that has already been enjoyed by another person (or several other people). Check out this blog from The Good Trade for ideas of where to look for secondhand gifts.

In addition to helping out charitable organizations, purchasing secondhand can also help reduce your own footprint on Earth by decreasing production and disposal costs associated with manufacturing new goods. Plus there's often an interesting story behind each piece of used furniture or clothing: Where did it come from? Who owned it before? How long was it around? What happened when they stopped using it? These questions might sound trivial at first glance but actually reveal important information about our relationship with consumerism and its impact on society at large

Try to find toys made from natural materials like wood that can be reused over time.

If you're buying gifts for young kids, try to find toys made from natural materials like wood that can be reused over time without breaking down immediately like some other materials may do after only a few uses.

Wooden toys are often made with non-toxic paint and stains that are safe for children. In addition, these toys are generally constructed of solid hardwood which is durable enough to withstand the wear and tear of little hands playing with them over the years. Many wooden toys have been passed down through generations because they're such great quality! Etsy has a great range of handmade, individual wooden toys.

Plastic toys tend not to last as long; many break down after only a few uses (if they don't break on their own).

There are many ways that we can reduce our waste during the holiday season.

• Reduce the amount of plastic you buy.
• Reuse your own wrapping paper.
• Give gifts that can be reused or repurposed, such as books and games that can be played by multiple people, or even used for decorating your home after Christmas.
• Buy gifts that are made from natural materials, like wood toys or clothing made from organic cotton (if in doubt about whether something is organic cotton or not, look at the label!). These are great because they're usually better quality than mass produced items too!
• Consider whether you could get it secondhand instead of buying new; this way there isn't any extra waste created by packaging or transporting products around the world before they get to their final destination!

Tired of gift cards? Consider a minor savings for the kids this year.

Instead of the usual gift card, consider giving a gift that can put your little ones on a path to long-term financial success. At Climate First Bank, we offer minor savings accounts that you can open to get kids of any age started on the path to saving money and gaining financial literacy…and you can rest easy at night knowing that their money is deposited with Climate First Bank where it will be redeployed into projects making a positive environmental and social impact in the community!

If you're feeling overwhelmed by all this information, don't worry! The most important thing is that you start somewhere. You don't have to do everything at once and there will always be more ways for you to reduce your waste as time goes on.