How to make sustainable yet stylish Christmas decor • PhilSTAR Life

With September well underway, Christmas season in the Philippines has begun.

Already thinking about the decorations you'll put up in the coming holidays? Why not go a sustainable route?

One way to contribute positively to the environment without breaking the bank is by recycling Christmas decorations. This not only helps reduce waste but will also let you exercise your creative and resourceful side.

And so, PhilSTAR L!fe has collated various ways how to upgrade your last year's Christmas decorations and create eco-friendly fixtures as shared by our virtual kapitbahays in the Facebook community Home Buddies.

DIY and Handmade elements

Engaging in DIY projects allows us to breathe new life into old materials. For instance, a virtual kapitbahay wanted a reindeer as part of her Christmas decorations. However, due to its expensive price, she opted to make one for herself by crafting a paper mache figurine out of recycled newspapers and old notebooks.

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Courtesy Maria Adonis / Home Buddies Facebook group

Another way to make DIY Christmas decor is by repurposing shopping paper bags, which are very usable during the gift-buying season. So instead of throwing those bags and adding them to the trash, why not make them into a shining star for your Christmas tree?

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Courtesy Philip Noceda Dimapilis / Home Buddies Facebook group

Want to have a giant Christmas parol yet don't have a budget? Why don't you try this clothes hanger parol suggested by one of Home Buddies contributors, Consuelo Almero?

To do this, she said you need to tie the clothes hanger using zip ties based on your desired parol form. You can add some Christmas lights and paint to match your theme. Take note: after Christmas, you can reuse this by untying the zip ties and removing the Christmas lights.

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Courtesy Consuelo Almero / Home Buddies Facebook group

Moreover, if you are looking to have a less than P1,000 budget for a Christmas wreath, you can incorporate what virtual kapitbahay, Chamartz Roan did. She shaped old cardboard into a circle and decorated it with old bubble wrap, garland, flowers, and ribbons.

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Courtesy Chamartz Roan / Home Buddies Facebook group

Update color schemes

Updating the color schemes in your Christmas decor is a fantastic way to refresh your holiday aesthetic and bring a modern touch to your festive celebrations.

Take, for example, what Home Buddies member Jessica Sarmiento Quito did when she wanted to have snow-themed Christmas decorations. This user painted her garland white to match the theme.

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Courtesy Jessica Sarmiento Quito / Home Buddies Facebook group

Think outside the box

Want to go beyond the typical lanterns? One virtual kapitbahay, Stephanie Gabayan, took old decorations and reinvented them, adding plastic crystals, and styrofoam.

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Courtesy Stephanie Gabayan / Home Buddies Facebook group

No budget for a Christmas tree? All you need is a clean hard broom and some lights to create a simple, rustic tree.

Resheilyn Mendez / Home Buddies Facebook group

How about turning your house into a Christmas village without breaking the bank and at the same time helping the environment?

Take a look at this DIY attic with dormer miniature made by virtual kapitbahay Mendiola Bais Menard. By using illustration boards, glue, and stickers, he turned his "dream" Christmas attic into reality!

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Courtesy Mendiola Bais Menard / Home Buddie Facebook group

Another eco-friendly decoration to check for inspiration is Home Buddies contributor Emoinkz Bailey's dreamy Christmas village.

According to her post, her life-size fireplace was made from a used box covered with cartolina. Her Christmas ball from last year's decors was repurposed by using her desired fabric, while the Christmas tree was given another look through spray paint.

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Courtesy Emoinkz Bailey / Home Buddies Facebook group

"Hindi kailangan mabutas ng bulsa natin para makapag decor ng masaya. Ang tunay na diwa naman ng pasko ay nasa puso natin," she wrote in her post.

If you have finished crafting sustainable Christmas decorations, head over to the article How to Store Your Holiday Decorations To Make Them Last Longer to learn tips on how to store your holiday fixtures for longer use.

Watch out for our Home Buddies features every Saturday.

TAGS: CHRISTMAS sustainability eco-friendly Home Buddies Christmas decorations

About the author

Yoniel Acebuche

Yoniel Acebuche is a journalist by profession and a beauty queen by passion. She has constantly joined beauty pageants in different cities and fiestas across the Philippines ever since she was 15. Writing and pageantry are her empowering ways to connect to other people as well as to understand herself.