How to have a very eco-Christmas

Tags

A renewable Christmas tree, a trip to the beach, bean casserole, black bag open, bows, box of chocolates, brand new, brown paper, bubble and squeak, buying, carbon footprint, carnage, check it twice, Christmas, Christmas cards, Christmas Day, Christmas tree, Christmas-tree hire service, comfort zone, compost, cuts down, December, do it yourself, e-cards, eco-conscience, environment, fake tree, family and friends, farms, festive season, future generations, garden, garden centres and nurseries, gesture, gift from the heart, glass, glitter, glittery paper, Go meat free, green, happy, hurtle, kinder, leftovers, local farms and butchers, local food bank, local landfill, make a list, millions, money, new trend, nut roast, omelette, organic and free-range options, pair of socks, planet, plant, Plastic, post vans, Recycle gifts, resolutions, ribbons, Santa, shiny, soup kitchen, spicy sweet potato wedges, stop and think, stylish, super simple, supermarket, tat, thrown away, tinsel, trees, vegetarian and vegan recipes, walk in the park, waste, wrapping paper, wrapping up

As we hurtle our way towards the festive season, now is the time to stop and think about what you are buying, and why you are buying it. Yes, we all want to have a great time with family and friends, but to do this there is no need to buy tinsel and tat that will take the local landfill to bursting point.

We have some top tips on how you can be kinder to the planet and look out for future generations while still raising a glass (not a plastic one) with your nearest and dearest this Christmas.

A renewable Christmas tree
You read it right. Millions of Christmas trees are bought every year and that’s a lot of waste! Other options include going for a fake tree – but if you do this, pack it up and keep it for years to come. A new trend being seen in farms, garden centres and nurseries is one where there is a Christmas-tree hire service, so you collect, use and return! Or you can do it yourself and buy a rooted tree that you then plant in the garden after Christmas and bring back out from the cold for the next few weeks.

What about cards?
An unbelievable number of Christmas cards are thrown away each year, so let’s put a stop to that. You can either use ones from years gone by, make your own (leave the glitter out of the equation) or you can send e-cards which cuts down your carbon footprint as well as saving trees and money, oh yes and the fumes of the post vans that deliver them!

Recycle gifts
Years ago, no one would have thought about doing this, but if you have goodies that are brand new that you didn’t want, dust them off and wrap them up for someone else – they will be happy and so will your eco-conscience.

Wrapping paper
Speaking of wrapping up, this is a good one to thing about as all that shiny, glittery paper isn’t up too much for anything other than ripping up come Christmas Day. If you can, save paper each year and bring it out next December, giving it a gentle iron if need be. You can also go for brown paper, draw on bows rather than using ribbon and keep things super simple but stylish and environment loving.

Give away your time
Why spend money if you don’t have to? Instead, give a gift from the heart and do something nice for someone instead of giving them another pair of socks or box of chocolates. You could create some pretty cheques and make them out for something like a walk in the park, a trip to the beach, or an hour of gardening once a week and use this as a lovely gesture of showing how much you care.

Go meat free
This idea seems alien to some, but even if on one day you look at creating vegetarian and vegan recipes, it could make a difference if everyone did the same. We aren’t talking about an omelette or nut roast, but instead look at a tasty bean casserole, spicy sweet potato wedges or bubble and squeak – it might be out of your comfort zone, but it could lead to some pretty special resolutions come 31st December. When you do eat meat, go for organic and free-range options, and if you can, support your local farms and butchers – not just at Christmas, but all year round.

Don’t over buy
You know what we are talking about here. The day before Christmas and the supermarket is carnage as people stock up as if the world is going to end, whereas you’ll find somewhere open on the big day if you run out. Just like Santa, make a list, check it twice and this year, be nice rather than naughty and keep to it! If you have leftovers, see what you can freeze, donate some to an elderly neighbour, local food bank or soup kitchen and then compost any other waste.

Recycle
We know the temptation is to keep a black bag open and on the go come Christmas morning, but rather than chucking everything in the bin, have fun as you open presents and cook dinner, and sort things into recycling as you go to keep things green.

You see, it’s the small things that can really have a big impact, so go forth and enjoy the festivities but keep the planet in mind whenever you can.

Team Pure Beauty

Advent Calendars Galore

Tags

advent calendar, ark, candy canes, cheap and cheerful, chocolate gifts, Christmas, Christmas tree, Crafter’s Companion, dark and cold, December, Dermalogica Body Hydrating Cream (75ml), Dermalogica Daily Cleansing Shampoo (50ml) and the Dermalogica Multi-Active Toner, Espresso, family favourites, Frozen, glitter, good old days, grandma, hanging advent calendar, Hazelnut Slice, instructions, John Lewis, LEGO® City Advent Calendar, little beauties, luxe, luxurious options, milk and white chocolates, Nativity scenes, Olaf and friends, old school, Pure Beauty, robins, Salted Caramel Praline, Santa, shopping, sing along, snowboarder, snowy days, super-cute figure, Swizzels Sweets, Thornton’s Continental, Traditional Advent Calendar, uletide log fire, Viennese Truffle, Yankee Candle

With December just around the corner, for many there will be soon a reason to jump out of bed however dark and cold it is outside.

Long gone are the days when children would share one advent calendar. Today you can go from cheap and cheerful chocolate options to more luxurious options and there is an ever-growing amount of choice.

At Pure-Beauty we love nothing more than a present a day in the run up to Christmas and today we will share with you some of the best advent calendars out there.

For candle lovers out there, the Yankee Candle calendar is a must have. Behind every door is a special seasonally scented tea light as well as an extra treat for Christmas Eve. Light up the candle each day and enjoy with a glass of mulled wine and a mince-pie to really get in the spirit of things.

A popular choice for kids, big and small, is the LEGO® City Advent Calendar. Complete with six mini figures, including Santa, a grandma and a snowboarder, as well as Christmas tree with yuletide log fire, there is something fun to build every day in the lead up to the festivities. Be warned, these little beauties are going fast so if you want to join in the fun, get shopping ASAP.

You get an assortment of delicious dark, milk and white chocolates with the Thornton’s Continental advent offering. Espresso, Viennese Truffle, Salted Caramel Praline and Hazelnut Slice are just some of the rich taste experiences to be found inside this luxe option that can be enjoyed for breakfast! Well, it would be rude not to.

If you fancy some a little more rustic, how about making your own hanging advent calendar with a cute kit from Crafter’s Companion? Priced at £14.99 from John Lewis, you will get 24 blank card boxes, 24 metal binder clips, cool foil stickers, 3m of twin, 24 card frames, 24 printed paper strips, 2m of double sided tape as well as a set of instructions so you can make something totally unique.

As an alternative to chocolate gifts, why not wake up to Swizzels Sweets this December? Behind the 24 doors are an assortment of family favourites to delight all. Just remember to give those teeth a good clean before you leave the house and go to bed!

Olaf and friends are here again this Christmas, so if you can’t let Frozen go this one is for you. Each day you get a super-cute figure from the film as well as a back drop so you can recreate your favourite scenes and sing along to your heart’s content.

If you want to go old school, the Traditional Advent Calendar Company is for you. They have a comprehensive range of old-fashioned calendars with seasonal illustrations and glitter galore. Nativity scenes, robins, snowy days and stockings filled with presents are all there for the taking on these pretty calendars. Throw in some glitter and candy canes and you are back to the good old days of Christmas past.

You could also consider buy an advent candle and burn a little each day, or how about giving the one you love a trial product from Pure Beauty during advent to show how much you care? Wrap up gifts such as the Dermalogica Body Hydrating Cream (75ml), Dermalogica Daily Cleansing Shampoo (50ml) and the Dermalogica Multi-Active Toner and making a cracking start to Christmas.

All you need to do now, is decide which one is for you and of course, only open one door a day because Santa is watching who’s been naughty and nice.

Team Pure-Beauty

Buy a charity Christmas card, change a life

Tags

Alzheimer’s, cancer, celebrity, charity, Charlie Waller Memorial Trust., children, CLIC Sargent, deaf, dementia, depression, dream come true, gorgeous, help, holiday, life, London, London themed cards, Make a Wish, message, movie, National Deaf Children’s Society, organisation, polar bears, postbox, research, robin, robins, Santa, sheep in the snow, snowmen, society, suicide, support, understanding, young people

Whilst a text or email is enough for many, sending a Christmas card is still the traditional way to send love to those you care for.

Whilst you can go into any supermarket or chain store and pick up a great offer on a box of twenty cards, why not show your nearest and dearest you care as well as giving back to a charity close to your heart?

There are plenty of worthy organisations out there, so we have done some research and come up with what we think are the the pick of the bunch.

CLIC Sargent is the UK’s leading cancer charity for children, young people and their families. They provide support to help people cope with cancer and get the most out of life. From diagnosis onwards, this great charity helps deal with the impact of cancer and its treatment, life after treatment and, in some cases, bereavement. From sheep in the snow to contemporary candles, they have a gorgeous selection of cards to choose from.

‘Hounds for Heroes’ is a brilliant organisation that not many people know about. The team provide specially trained assistance dogs to disabled and injured personnel from the UK Armed Forces and the Emergency Services. They are based in Hampshire, where the puppies are put through their training before they go onto offer the companionship and love that can be missing when someone becomes disabled.

The National Deaf Children’s Society is dedicated to creating a world without barriers for deaf children and young people. This charity believes every deaf child should be valued and included in society and have the same opportunities as everyone else. Their cute cards feature Santa and polar bears, robins and snowmen and as you pop your cards in the postbox you know the profits are going to a great, life changing cause.

You cannot help but notice more and more media coverage about Alzheimer’s and you might even know someone who is suffering from it. The Alzheimer’s Society is a key organisation that campaigns for better quality of life for those with dementia and greater understanding of the condition. They are involved with research as well as support and are really getting the message out there so people know where they can get help.

A less well known, but still very worthy cause, is the Charlie Waller Memorial Trust. The Trust raises awareness of the symptoms of depression and believes early identification and improved treatment can help reduce suicide numbers and ensure sufferers receive the care they needed and deserve. We love their London themed cards and found their website, pretty impactful.

Last but no means least, is Make a Wish. We have a soft spot of this charity, which makes magical wishes come true for children and young people with life-threatening illnesses. From walking with dinosaurs, going on a brilliant holiday, meeting a celebrity or making a movie, this is where lives are changed and memories are made. Their robin on a pot card is as traditional as it gets, but it is Santa dressing the Christmas tree has stolen our hearts.

Remember, if can change in a moment so support a charity and change a life this Christmas.

Team Pure-Beauty