It's that time of year again - the magic, the lights, the music, the presents, the anticipation, and best of all, in my opinion: the traditions. Patricio and I both grew up celebrating Christmas, and we each have our own family traditions that we look back fondly on. For me, it was decorating the tree together as a family, unwrapping every beloved ornament from tissue paper and finding the perfect branch to hang it on, a clementine in my stocking - and getting to open one present on Christmas Eve before we went to bed. The memories surrounding this time of year seem the most vivid and bright our minds - and now that we are parents, we get to relive a piece this piece of our childhood, and also choose which traditions to introduce to our family culture.
While this time of year is filled with feelings of warmth and nostalgia, one thing that I don't feel an ounce of sentiment for is the wrapping paper, tape and plastic ribbons littered across the living room floor in the aftermath of opening presents. As we have become more sustainably-minded over the years, our approach towards the holidays has shifted to reflect those values. We want this time of year to carry the same joy and cheer for our children as it did for us, but to let go of the significant amount of waste that unfortunately goes hand in hand with the holidays.
In the spirit of creating more sustainable traditions, I'd like to share a few ways to avoid excess waste this time of year.
This post is in partnership with Volvo, and their sustainability mission, which includes a long-term ambition to be a climate-neutral company by 2040. Volvo has a 2025 goal to have 1 million electric cars sold, like the XC90 T8 Hybrid (as featured in this post). Much like how we are always adjusting our approach to the holidays with our environmental impact in mind, it's wonderful to see companies like Volvo making sustainability a priority as well. While this is a sponsored post, all thoughts, opinions and run-on sentences are my own.
