If, like me, you aren’t the most organised of people, right about now your Christmas panic should be settling in. (So last minute that, as you probably guessed, this blog has sat in my good intentions draft box for the past fortnight.) With only hours to go until the Amazon prime cut off point for Christmas and a solid day and a half of shopping hell ahead, now is danger time for madness, impulse buying and mountains of tat destined for landfill and obsolescence – not to mention some serious overspending.

In the words of 6Heads hero George Monbiot in The Gift of Death

“Bake them a cake, write them a poem, give them a kiss, tell them a joke, but for god’s sake stop trashing the planet to tell someone you care.”

At 6Heads we couldn’t agree more. For the first twelve days of Christmas we teamed up with If You Want to#? for 12 days of cleanweb solutions.

This morning we shared five great recipes for what to do with your inevitable leftovers.

We love this blog by 6-Heads co-founder, and now kickass food waste warrior founder of Snact Ilana Taub on how to make your stocking more sustainable

Thank you to you all for a fantastic 2016 and before we sign off for a festive recharge I wanted to share a few ideas for a greener Christmas I learned from my mother. Who I have finally realised is not a lunatic hoarder but a fanatical and wonderfully inventive recycler and my original sustainability role model.

Happy Christmas and new year

Love the Heads xx

Things that look like rubbish are often treasure

This is something my mother is brilliant at. Much to our amusement last year she refused to throw away any of the oyster shells after a festive dinner party. Our sneaking suspicion that she was turning into an eccentric hoarder turned into total delight when at Christmas dinner these new salt bowls and name tags appeared.

Give experiences and your time instead of presents

We are so lucky to be spoiled for choice in exhibitions, concerts, shows and experiences. So instead of bankrupting yourself by buying stuff give your loved ones tickets and fill your new year with dates for fabulous outings with your favourite people. Double win as you get a present for yourself too.

Homemade presents are often the most appreciated

We obsessively keep all old jars and some of our favourite things to give are homemade marmalade, chipotle chutney and raisins soaked in Pedro Jiminez sherry.

And here are some of the delicious homemade treats we received last year.

And speaking of delicious treats… Food is always a wonderful gift. Why not think local and responsibly sourced and see what your hometown has to offer.

The snact blog has some great ideas.

Keep Ribbon, gift bags, undamaged wrapping paper and old Christmas cards

Ribbon and gift bags always come in useful and you can cut last year’s cards in half to make your labels for future gifts

Or, why not use silk scarves as wrapping paper

Vintage stores, second hand shops and market stalls often are full of gorgeous silk scarves that only cost a couple of pounds. I love using these as reusable wrapping paper, plus they make a beautiful extra present!

And this may not be in time for Christmas but why not join EcoAction Games Dump Trump campaign and get your free copy of the brilliantly educational game eco trumps, soon to be renamed eco toppers!

If you want to catch up on our Christmas cleanweb series

Day 1 of XMas — Food Waste Apps

Day 2 of XMas — Air Quality Apps

Day 3 of XMas — Transport Services

Day 4 of XMas — Electric Vehicles

Day 5 of XMas — Crowd Delivery

Day 6 of XMas — Local Food Systems

Day 7 of XMas — Reforestation, Tree Planting and Crowdfarming

Day 8 of XMas — Crowdfunding & Fintech for Good

Day 9 of XMas — Sustainable Fashion

Day 10 of XMas — Circular Economy

Day 11 of XMas — Green & Circular IT

Day 12 of XMas – Energy efficient homes