It's cold outside. Thick knitted sweaters and cozy hats are being pulled out again and the smell of freshly baked gingerbread, warm mulled wine and resinous spruce branches is in the air. It's Christmas time - here at the agency too. As the topic of sustainability is particularly close to our hearts and we deal with it on a daily basis due to our clients, we would like to provide inspiration on how to make the sometimes consumer-oriented Advent season more environmentally conscious.
For many, the Advent calendar is part of the pre-Christmas season. Originating from a Lutheran custom in Germany, it is now available in many shapes, colors and sizes. Whether with toys, teas, gin specialties, games or sweets: While many advent calendars provide great joy, they cause a lot of packaging waste in the process. To avoid this, it is important to buy the 'right' advent calendar. Some seals offer helpful support here, such as the organic seal, the Fairtrade seal or the Flustix seal, which shows the amount of plastic and microplastics in a product. Alternatively, to make the little surprise even more personal, you can also make the Advent calendar yourself and take the issue of sustainability into your own hands.
Get creative instead of buying new
Wrapping 24 small gifts beautifully is not really rocket science. However, to make it a sustainable Advent calendar, environmentally friendly packaging materials should be used. The most obvious option is wrapping paper made from 100 percent recycled paper, for example paper with the 'Blue Angel' seal. However, it is also advisable to take a look in your own drawers, shelves and boxes - because with a little creativity, many materials can be repurposed as gift wrapping. Collected wrapping paper from past celebrations or beautiful pages from magazines are also ideal as Advent calendar packaging. Newspaper or single-use fruit and vegetable paper bags can also be upcycled as packaging material - including decoration in the form of potato stamps. If you want to be a little more creative, you can also collect toilet paper rolls or small preserving jars and decorate them so that they act as containers for small gifts. Scraps of fabric, cloth or jute sacks also make beautiful and reusable alternatives for wrapping paper. It becomes even more personal with baby socks, for example, which can be filled with little things and hung on a string to make the ideal Advent calendar.
It's all about the contents - sustainable tips for filling the little doors
A classic Advent calendar should contain sweets. Especially the many Christmas specialties such as Spekulatius and Aachner Printen are ideal as small gifts. The seals mentioned above also help to fill the 'little doors' with truly sustainable and/or Fairtrade sweets. Alternatively, sweets such as cookies and chocolates can also be easily prepared yourself. The advantage here is that any intolerances or special eating habits of the recipient can be taken into account.
For those who want something even more unusual and personal: The Advent calendar can also be a lovely way to show loved ones what we appreciate about them. Doors or parcels can be labeled with 24 small letters or photos, creating meaningful memories. An advent calendar is also possible digitally. For example, the recipient receives a loving and special email every day or you can use the MyAdvent app directly. For gourmets, there are also all kinds of options, such as 24 delicious recipes or various jars of exotic spices, while music lovers can give a little treat with their own playlist.
Whether filled with chocolate, homemade or digital: an Advent calendar should be more than just a disposable gift. And: it's not always material gifts that bring the most joy - sometimes it's the little personal messages of love.