The holiday season is a wonderful time to celebrate joy, love, giving, connections to family and friends and also the perfect opportunity to reflect on ourselves, our ideals, our intentions, our impact and relationship to the earth by choosing how we celebrate.

It is a time for sharing and giving and we can help to make it the most wonderful time of the year by giving the most important gifts of all; time, love and compassion. It is the perfect time to slow down and simply connect with the meaning of the holiday season, connect with each other and connect with ourselves. We need more conscious creations of loving atmospheres that reflect simplicity, nature and the intention to connect deeply with family, friends and humanity. By really looking into how we celebrate and the broader impact of what we do to celebrate is a wonderful start and it leaves you with a beautiful feeling of helping the planet too.

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1. Host a party that is plastic free! Say goodbye to the paper and plastic tablescape! Use reusable cups, plates, napkins, straws and cutlery and say no to plastic which is a wonderful way to celebrate and avoid excess unnecessary and harmful waste.

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2. Go for a picnic in nature - set up an area that is yours for the day to connect with each other and nature - pack everything in reusable containers and cutlery, don't forget to take all rubbish home and try the idea of a compost pile of food scraps that can be taken home, the other pile for recycling and the other pile for the bin. You will be surprised what you don't need to throw away in landfill!

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3. Find gifts that you wish to give that have minimal plastic packaging to begin with such as local artisan soaps, food, jams and oils.

4. Choose recycled paper for wrapping presents or better still wrap gifts in fabric not paper that can be reused over again - a tea towel or hand towel is the perfect choice and a handy gift as well! Add a touch of rosemary or eucalyptus for that extra special feeling.

5. Entertain and host with food and beverage sourced from local sustainable farm and produce. Even a trip to the market is fulfilling for you and has a wonderful wider positive impact.

6. Serve items with limited food waste - a sustainable celebration doesn’t have to compromise elegance! It’s all about choosing ingredients that can be reused later on in different ways. Cheese, fruit and nut grazing platters are a wonderful choice.

Having a sustainable mindset for the holiday season does not mean it changes the celebration or takes the fun out of it, it may just alter how you celebrate. Small shifts in how things have been done are paving the way for the new and have a far reaching positive impact.

About the Author: Vinita is the Founder of Bhumi Organic Cotton and passionate about an Earth Life Balance