Sustainable Holidays: Reduce Stress, Waste, and Clutter

The holiday season brings excitement, nostalgia, and stress. Stress fueled by shopping lists, clutter, and pressure to find “the perfect gift.” But many families are rediscovering what this time of year should be about. Instead of accumulating more stuff, people are prioritizing experiences, handmade gifts, sustainability, and meaningful togetherness.

This combined guide weaves ideas from several of our previous blogs into one resource to help create a season that’s lighter on consumption and richer in joy.

Why Shift Away from 'More Stuff'?

For years, advertisements and social media have pushed us to buy more, decorate earlier, and fill our homes with the latest trending items. But, we have always known (somewhere, in the back of our minds), more stuff does not mean more holiday and it certainly doesn’t mean more happiness. In fact, clutter is directly linked with higher stress. Many people long for holidays that focus less on consumerism and more on connection, care, and creativity. Surveys show that 72% of Americans plan on spending less and a large number of Americans (statistically) think that friends and family time is the biggest reason to enjoy the holidays.

Gifts from the Heart

Handmade gifts offer something store-bought items never can: time, thoughtfulness, and personal connection. Creating something for someone is a genuine act of love. Recipients appreciate not just the item, but the thought, creativity, and effort behind it. Even if you make two of the same item, no two handmade gifts are identical. Unique gifts are perfect for the person who “has everything.” Colors, scents, size, style—every detail can be tailored. Crafting can be relaxing and joyful—if you’re not learning a brand-new skill during holiday crunch time. Gifts from the heart are eco-friendly by design, upcycling and reusing materials reduces waste and gives new life to old fabrics, jars, clothing, wood scraps, and more.

Nora's favorite hat, made by a friend. Photo credit: Nora W.

Important Tips for Successful DIY Gifting

Work on utilizing skills and supplies you already have. Holiday season is not the ideal time to learn sewing and make six pillow beds (says the person who doesn’t know how to sew). Budget friendly is a real concern for so many people, and honestly should be for more, which is why you can and should search through your current supplies. Remember that handmade gifts do take time so set realistic goals. Just because you don’t have time to make something homemade for everyone, doesn’t mean you can’t make a few this year, and maybe next year rotate those recipients.

Some of the most meaningful and memorable gifts are those that create lasting memories, not landfill fodder. Baking and sharing stories with grandparents, sledding with siblings, watching holiday specials while eating a treasured treat aren’t tied to what’s wrapped under the tree. Seek activities like volunteering together, not only a memory maker but a great perspective reminder about what is truly important and of value to all. Create a scavenger hunt through your town. Tie it to special memories or just cool locations that also make great photo ops. Give the gift of a National or State Park pass, and then, this is key, USE IT!!!! 

What about museum memberships? That could be a gift that invites you to explore and supports something you believe in and a legacy for the future. Is there a skill someone you love has been dying to try? Buy them lessons. One of the best gifts I have ever received was having someone pay my gym membership for the year. I love working out and being active and this was a way someone showed me they see me and they know what I care about.

Ideas for DIY Gifts

Are you looking for some ideas for DIY? Maybe these aren’t in your wheelhouse, but here's some ideas to get the thought train rolling and be inspired. Kids love toys and they love simple, imaginative toys like a match game made from family photos. People they know? Places they remember? Vacations they loved? How perfect!

What about food? Food brings people together, it’s thoughtful and SUPER USEFUL! Think a  personalized recipe book with your family's favorite recipes or Grandma’s Top Secret Cookie Recipe? What about mixes you can put in a jar? They can be soups, dips or cookies. And even more fun? How about if that jar of cookie mix or dip mix can also become a part of the gathering? Somebody gives you a great dip mix at your family or friend event and you happen to have the necessary additions? Whip it up and share!

Maybe your gift recipient is all about the cozy, the homey, the memories. Make self-care products, you’d be amazed how many of the necessary ingredients are in your pantry. Check out some suggestions here. Put together a cool memory shadow box or a photo album of things you’ve done together. How about a custom hand painted sign that applies directly to your recipient? Something more interesting and more meaningful than a generic wall sign you would just grab at a store that will be in a yard sale in a year.

Eco-Friendly Holiday Décor

Decorating sustainably reduces environmental impact and helps cut down on the 25% increase in waste produced between Thanksgiving and Christmas. A significant minimization in waste is wrapping. Consider using newspapers–bonus points for papers that include articles related to an interest of your recipient. Instead of wrapping presents, write a note on a small piece of paper with a clue on where to find the gift. Adds a fun element to your Christmas activities and elongates the time you get to spend opening and admiring gifts! Taking eco-friendly steps is not just limited to wrapping. Consider jars, scrap lumber, fabric snippets, broken ornaments, pine cones, and greenery that can all be transformed into cozy holiday décor.

Anna's DIY eco-friendly decor. Photo by Liz B.

Happy Dancing Turtle Staff Shares Their Favorite Traditions

Dave W. - Food Production and Grounds Coordinator: I like to make my grandmother's homemade caramel popcorn balls for the holidays. They were always one of my most favorite Christmas treats!

Liz B. - Media & Marketing Communications Specialist: We open stockings and have a huge breakfast while watching the Disney Christmas Parade. I remember doing this at my paternal grandparents house until I was in high school when we moved and even then, we continued on the tradition at my parents house and we still do to this day (especially if I’m visiting). And there is something so magical about all of those memories filed away with different events from different years.

Delaney D. - Driftless Region Program Assistant: A fun holiday tradition my family partakes in is that, instead of buying each other gifts, all the adults pool their money into a bowl & write a nonprofit of their choice on a paper. Then they have a random grandkid pull a nonprofit from the bowl, and ALL the money goes towards it! It is a great way not to have to worry about gift buying and knowing your $$ goes to a good cause, is a great way to spread holiday cheer. Last year, I believe over $300 went towards St. Jude's Children's Hospital!! AND: A personal tradition that my partner Jacob and I partake in each year is to adopt a kid for the holidays and buy them a BUNCH of gifts! We are childless by choice, but we still think every kid deserves a happy holiday. So we sponsor a family in need of help and make sure the kids have so many goodies!!

Nora w. - Driftless Region Program Manager: We started a new family tradition and I'm pleased to announce this year we will be competing in the 2nd Annual Family Christmas Olympics! Instead of fretting about presents, material things, & wastefulness, I make my family compete for their Christmas presents. These presents include cash, local gift cards, experiences, special "coupons" for time or favors with/from me, or small gifts of everyday items that I know will be used (puzzles, fishing lures, locally made soap, jewelry, & sweets, etc.). We compete in the 12 Games of Christmas, which are short, hilariously competitive, tasks. These may be done individually, with partners, or on teams. It could be anything from musical candy canes & candy slide tic tac toe to drawing your best snowman blindfolded. You win prizes along the way and we keep score to crown an overall Gold Medalist in the Christmas Olympics! My family had so much fun with this last year, we laughed until we cried and the kids begged to keep going.

Nora's family Christmas Olympics. Photos by Nora W.

Michelle H. - Program Manager: One of our favorite family traditions is to drive through the Sertoma Winter Wonderland at Northland Arboretum. When the girls were little, they used to sit up front on our laps, but sadly they've outgrown that! My mom also has all of the grandkids over one day to make candy cane cookies. On New Year's Eve, we stay home and watch movies. We make popcorn and eat a bunch of candy and take a family selfie on the couch.

Michelle's family traditions. Photos by Michelle H.

Anna S. - Garden and Grounds Assistant: My family has been taking fun yearly holiday photos for the past 10 years. It's now a Halloween tradition since my parents became "snow-birds," which is just fine because we prefer that holiday anyway.

Anna's family holiday photo. Photo by Anna S.

Quinn S. - Executive Director: Traditionally, I like to make as many gifts as I can. This certainly varies year to year, depending on time and inspiration (let alone skill and materials) and by the recipient (their age, interests, what they may use and or have requested). Often I'll collect packing paper (the brown rolled and scrunched material in packages inserted to buffer your shipped items) and repurpose it as gift wrap by painting, stamping, and/or drawing on it. This is a fun creative reuse endeavor.

Make the season richer in experience, not corporations richer in cash. What meaningful holiday changes are you hoping to make this year?

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