Anyone who’s ever hosted at the holidays knows that even one rogue comment can derail an entire party; who could forget the disaster dinner scene in Family Stone? Unfortunately, you can’t control every last detail of how your shindig will go, but you can manage the decor, menu, place settings… and amount of nagging guilt you feel about participating in a bonanza of consumerism that leaves piles of waste in its wake. (Sorry to bring it up, but... !)

So this year, we suggest trying to let go of your desire to defuse dysfunction and instead focus on hosting a sustainable soirée that will help you deck the halls without drowning the planet in single-use plastic. The six tips below may not alleviate bad feelings about whatever you said to your sister 15 years ago, but they will make your holiday gathering otherwise more conscience-friendly.

Ditch traditional wrapping paper

Reusable gift bags are great for the environment but a little ho-hum when it comes to style. For sophisticated and sustainable packaging that makes presents even more fun to unwrap, try furoshiki, the Japanese art of wrapping gifts in spare fabric bits. You can source the fabrics from old clothing of your own, go treasure hunting at Goodwill, or shop the beautiful options below.

Christy Dawn Furoshiki, $18

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Wrappr Von Bingen Print, $15

Leave other paper and plastic products in 
the past, too

Technically, real dishes and silverware should be used to entertain because they're the most environmentally-friendly option (and you can actually put together super-chic mismatched sets by thrifting!). Still, the reality is that we are all busy and sometimes need a shortcut. Fortunately, there are far better single-use options out there than plastic—look for bamboo and other biodegradable materials when sourcing plates and cutlery. When it comes to napkins, biodegradable materials work as well, but cloth is the most sustainable option. It’s also an easy way to make tables look festive without spending on additional decor.

VerTerra Round Lip Palm Leaf Plate, 25-pack, $17

Wasara Bowl Set, $10

Atelier Saucier MÉNAGE À QUATRE napkins, $66

Save your cooking scraps for a multipurpose stock

While crafting your holiday feast—or trying to help whoever is tasked with doing so—collect vegetable scraps and meat bones (or just veggies alone, if you’re more of an herbivore) to turn into a stock that can be used as a soup base or to braise greens and meats or even infuse rice and other side dishes with added flavor and nutrients. (P.S. You can also take inspo from our seasonal mushroom broth if you feel like tossing in a shroom or two.) The stock can be utilized immediately or frozen for up to two months, and any other scraps you don’t use can be composted.

Our Place Perfect Pot, $165

Biovessel Living Composter, $199

Gift your guests with leftovers in a reusable container they can keep

Food waste is a huge problem for this planet; each American discards an average of 219 pounds per year. While holiday leftovers are great the next day, by day two or three, you’re likely to prefer just about anything to another helping of that-family-recipe-you-make-every-year-out-of-tradition-but-don’t-actually-like. Instead of assigning yourself this mountain to climb, gift each guest with a reusable container they can fill with their favorite dishes (hey, maybe they love g-ma’s sweet potato casserole thingie) before they leave for the night.

W&P Porter bowl—ceramic, $40

Skip the rando decor splurge at World Market

It’s tempting to visit a big box store to binge buy a bunch of stuff you’ll use once and then stash away for your great-grandkids to have to offload one day… but don’t. Instead, get creative—and perhaps a bit minimalist—with your decor. Use fresh herbs and kid-collected pine cones for your tablescape; opt for beeswax, coconut, or even plantable candles (which, after the holidays, can be used to make herbs for your next gathering) for lighting; consider winter succulents and other longevity plants that can later be repurposed around the house in lieu of flowers with shorter shelf lives; and, if you’re really feeling ambitious, design your menu so that the dishes themselves double as decor.

Terrazzo Plantable Candle, $85

Holiday cactus, $40

Make your party favors plantable

And speaking of plantables, no one truly needs to take anything home from a holiday gathering (besides leftovers!), but if you want to give your guests something they’ll actually remember you by, consider a seedling they can plant in their yard and watch grow over the years. Paul McCartney says he was given just such a gift—an evergreen coniferous tree, specifically—by George Harrison, and years later he looks at its fully-grown form and thinks of his late bandmate. (I’m not crying, you’re crying… but what are the holidays without a few tears anyway, right?)

Little Saps seedlings, 6 for $60