Rosalind Skillen

November has faded away, and with it the last remnants of autumn and the arrival of December. The air carries a crispness, trees stand bereft of their leaves and darkness stretches long.

You may not spend much time outside during winter, but take a look out of the window. Even in the quiet chill of the December air, you can detect a flurry of activity.

Christmas is a time of coming together, of warmth and cosiness, of reflection and rest. It’s also a time of giving, but this act and spirit of generosity at Christmas has become marred by materialism, consumption, and greed. In this A to Z guide, I share some suggestions for how we can embrace a more environmentally friendly Christmas, while retaining the magic and joy of the season.

Last year, the environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy introduced Buy Nothing New Month to the UK.

The New Year invites us to explore our hopes for the year ahead and think about intentions that we want to take forward. It’s not just about the future though. It’s also a time to reflect on what we may want to let go of or leave behind in 2023.

As far as months go, January gets a lot of stick. Weather-wise, it’s not ideal. Without the warm glow of Christmas lights, you leave the house in the dark and it’s dark when you get back. Darkness bookends our days, cutting them short, and all our favourite parts of December have been cut too. Away with festive fun and chocolate for breakfast. It’s back to porridge, back to work and back to routine (or worse still, you’re trying to establish a new one).

The dwindling and depletion of the natural world has served as a constant drumbeat for most of our lives.

Managing our environment was the last order of business before the collapse of Stormont in 2022. It should be the first agenda item in this year’s General Election.