A Low Waste Christmas Photoblog

Happy New Year! This Christmas looked different for me and my loved ones this year. My partner got Covid (a mild case thanks to vaccination) and I ended up getting Covid from work (again, a very mild case thanks to full vaccination and booster). But there was still magic. Mostly because it was my first Christmas in my new apartment, our first Christmas together, and I got to decorate for the season with thrifted and inherited items. A snapshot: I spent Christmas Eve eating Chinese food on the floor of his bedroom with a glass of champagne. And let me tell you, it couldn’t have been more special to me.

I am very proud of my $20 second-hand tree from Facebook Marketplace. The carbon-footprint on a fake tree is…questionable. But this fake tree is at least ten years old (according to the box) and I plan to keep it for another ten years at least.

My best friend and I have been gifting each other an ornament every Christmas for the past ten years in anticipation of this moment. Both of us now have our own trees to decorate! I’m so grateful she started this tradition as I look at my tree I see memories from the last ten years and most of them remind me of her.

Dried Orange Decoration

In theme with my ‘budget friendly Christmas’ I created my own dried orange garland. Well, I never got the chance to string them into a garland but they made a beautiful, natural statement to my homemade mantle anyway and smelled divine.

Homemade Wreath and Window Sash

My mom is the queen of wreath making! She had me and my brother’s girlfriend over for a wreath making night. My mom made four wreaths (two for the family house and two for her work). I made my wreath with dried hydrangeas, some velvet ribbon, and little ornaments. I also made a couple of window sashes with red ribbon for my front windows and my mailbox.

New Year’s

I spent another holiday in quarantine having tested positive days before New Year’s Eve. My partner and I indulged in a charcuterie board and toasted 2022 outside on my porch by live-streaming the ball drop on my laptop and eating twelve grapes at midnight.

By the end of the season, I finally got a tree skirt to match the stockings. I also got a loveseat from Facebook marketplace that matches my other sofa perfectly. It fits in the nook right next to my bookshelf.

I’m not sure if I’ll be in this apartment next year, but I can’t wait to decorate in 2022. Fall and winter have such a special place in my heart and I love being able to embrace what each season has to offer. Especially the holiday season with so much to celebrate, so much to be grateful for, especially this year.

Happy Holiday Season-