Raising Eco-Conscious Kids During the Holidays: Finding Joy in Less and Meaning in More

How to Raise Eco-Conscious Kids During the Holidays

The holidays have a certain magic…the lights, the laughter, the cozy moments. But they also have a way of coming with… a lot of stuff.
Extra packaging, endless wrapping paper, toys that don’t last beyond New Year’s, and that constant hum of “more.”

As parents, we want our kids to have joy — real, wide-eyed, giggly joy.
But I’ve found that joy doesn’t have to come at the expense of the planet.
The truth is, when we slow down, make things together, and focus on connection over consumption, that’s where the real holiday magic lives.

This year, I wanted to share some ways we can make the holidays both joyful and sustainable — not by being perfect, but by being intentional.

Try This: The Eco-Holiday Family Challenge

Before we dive in, I made something to make this easy and fun for your family — the Eco-Holiday Family Challenge.

It’s a simple printable checklist filled with small, meaningful actions: making homemade gifts, reducing waste, decorating with nature, giving back, and saving energy together.

You can print it, post it on the fridge, and let the kids check off each act of eco-kindness throughout the season.
Think of it as a game — one where everyone wins, including the planet. 

1. Rethinking Gift-Giving: The Best Presents Don’t Come from a Store

I used to feel pressure to have a pile of presents under the tree.
Seriously, I would wrap up socks in pairs, instead of in 3 packs!
This was until I realized the best presents were usually “spent” with time together.

• DIY gifts: Have your kids make beeswax candles, cookie jars, or bath salts.
  Let them mix, pour, and decorate — it’s creative and personal.
• Upcycled treasures: You can turn almost anything into a gift. A jar becomes a candle holder. Scraps of fabric become bookmarks or tote bags.
  Even outgrown toys can be repurposed into ornaments.
• Gifts of time: One of my favorite ideas — “experience coupons.”
  Things like “one family movie night,” “help make dinner,” or “an afternoon in the park.”

The real lesson?  When kids make something themselves, they understand that giving is about love, not money.

2. Wrapping Without the Waste

Every year, mountains of wrapping paper get tossed — and for what?
To be ripped open in five seconds.
Did you know that most of that pretty wrapping paper is not recyclable?
I did not.
Not until my sister, who lives in Oregon and can only have a really little garbage can each week for a family of four told me.
I send a book a day, kind of an advent calendar, in December for my nieces, and each one is wrapped.
She educated me on pretty wrapping paper that is recyclable or these other options:

• Using brown paper, old maps, or kids’ artwork instead of store-bought paper.
• Tying gifts with twine, yarn, or sprigs of herbs instead of plastic bows. This also can create a fun time looking, together for fun outdoor “accents” for the presents.
• Trying furoshiki, the Japanese fabric wrapping method.

Fun idea: Host a “Creative Wrap-Off.” See who can make the coolest wrap using only things you already have at home. It’s messy, hilarious, and surprisingly beautiful.

3. Decorating with Nature

We love this one — because it turns an ordinary afternoon walk into a treasure hunt.
If you come up with a list ahead of time, it truly feels like a scavenger hunt-super fun!

Head outside with a basket and look for fallen pinecones, branches, leaves, and acorns.
You’ll be amazed how much you can decorate with what’s already around you.

• Make salt-dough ornaments and dried citrus garlands.
• Fill bowls with pinecones and cinnamon sticks for natural fragrance.
  For those of us who cannot endure heavy scents of artificial candles or those grocery store pinecones-these are positively lovely!
• Use LED lights on timers so they sparkle efficiently.
  I know-not decorating with nature per say, but decorating according to nature’s cycle!

The bonus: Everything smells incredible, feels authentic, and composts when the season ends.

 4. Mindful Eating and Food Waste

One of the biggest lessons we can give our kids is gratitude for food — where it comes from, how it nourishes us, and how not to waste it.

Let them help plan the menu.
When they’re part of choosing and prepping, they’re more aware of portions and waste.
And if you do have leftovers, make it fun:

• “Leftover Nacho Night”
• “Soup Remix”
• “Mystery Sandwich Saturday”
• My boys’ favorite: Turkey and Noodles (not soup)-everyone who emails me will get the family recipe! Kara@epicpublisher.com

Start a compost jar or small bin for veggie scraps — even on a windowsill.
Watching food scraps turn back into soil is a tiny miracle for kids (and a great conversation starter about the circle of life).

Message: Food is a gift. Let’s teach them to treat it that way.

5. Kindness and Giving Back

This one’s my favorite.
The holidays are the perfect time to show kids that giving doesn’t have to mean buying.

• Choose a “Give Instead of Get” day — donate toys, bake for a neighbor, or make cards for a local nursing home.
• Create a Kindness Advent Calendar with one small eco-action or act of kindness each day.
• “Adopt” a family in need and anonymously give them a Christmas.
  You can get a little tree and decorate it, prepare a a dinner and get a gift for each person in the family.

Truth: These are the memories they’ll remember — the moments when they got to do something good.

6. Light, Energy, and Waste

Lights are beautiful, but they don’t need to run all day.
Teach your kids about energy use by making it a game:

• Have a “Lights Out Challenge Night” — eat by candlelight or flashlight.
• Use LED bulbs and unplug strings when not in use.
• There are now great timers, show the kids how to use these.
  It seems there is an app or electronic device for most everything now.
  Teaching your children how to use these “modern wonders” can make a big difference in creating an eco-conscious holiday.

Bonus: Kids feel empowered when they understand that even small choices matter.

7. Reflect and Rejoice

After the holidays, take a few minutes as a family to look back. Ask questions like:

• What did we make or reuse this year?
• What made us happiest?
• How could we make next year even more meaningful?

Start keeping a small “holiday reflection jar.”
Every year jot down favorite memories or lessons, fold them up, and tuck them inside.
Next year, open them before decorating — it’s a sweet reminder of what matters most.

Gentle reminder: Sustainability isn’t about being perfect.
It’s about paying attention, doing our best, and passing those values along with love.

Final Thought

The best part of raising eco-conscious kids is that they get it.
They see the connection between caring for the planet and caring for each other — and they carry that awareness into everything they do.

So this season, celebrate slower.
Wrap with purpose.
Eat with gratitude.
Give with heart.

And if you haven’t yet — print your Eco-Holiday Family Challenge.
Let it guide your family through small, joyful acts of sustainability.

Because as The Lorax said:

“It’s not about what it is, it’s about what it can become.” — Dr. Seuss’s The Lorax (2012)