How to keep it sustainable while being festive

Christmas in halls hits different. One minute it’s grey lecture days and library trips, the next your corridor is covered in tinsel and someone’s blasting Mariah on loop from the kitchen.

If you’re itching to decorate but don’t want to create a pile of landfill (or a passive-aggressive email from your halls team), here’s a guide to doing Christmas in halls in a way that’s both festive and sustainable.

Before you start: hall rules & flat chat

Check:

• Any guidance from the University of Southampton / your accommodation team
• What’s allowed on walls, ceilings, windows and doors
• Fire safety rules (especially around lights, wires and flammable stuff)

Then have a quick chat with your flat:

• Agree where to decorate (kitchen, corridor, maybe your own rooms).
• Decide a rough budget and who’s bringing what.
• Make sure everyone’s comfortable with the theme – not everyone celebrates Christmas, so keep it cosy and inclusive, not intense and in-your-face.

The sustainable dos

✅ Do reuse, borrow and share

The greenest decoration is one that already exists.

• Ask older students/friends if they’ve got spare decorations you can borrow.
• Check SU swap shops, Facebook groups or local charity shops for pre-loved decorations and mini trees.
• If you buy something this year, choose stuff you’ll actually want to keep for next year, not just “it was cheap”.

Tip: Label a box “Christmas decs – [flat name]” and keep it for next year if someone’s staying on in halls or moving into a student house together.

✅ Do get crafty with low-waste DIY

You can make halls look festive without loads of plastic.

• Paper chains & snowflakes – use scrap paper, old notes you don’t need, or paper from recycling.
• Garlands – string up dried orange slices, cinnamon sticks or paper stars using twine or thread.
• Upcycled jars – clean glass jars can become little winter scenes with a bit of paper and ribbon (no candles inside, though).

Just avoid anything covered in glitter – it’s basically microplastic.

✅ Do choose energy-efficient lights

If you’re going for fairy lights:

• Pick battery-powered LED lights – they use less energy and don’t get as hot.
• Use shorter strings for small spaces rather than wrapping the entire corridor.
• Put them on a timer or just agree as a flat to turn them off when you go to bed or leave the flat.

Cosy vibes are good. Leaving them on 24/7 while everyone’s at the library is not.

✅ Do go natural (with a bit of common sense)

A few natural touches can look great and be low waste:

• Small potted plants with ribbons
• Pine cones you’ve picked up on a walk
• Dried fruit, herbs or spices for garlands

Just:

• Don’t block fire exits, radiators or vents.
• Clean up any leaf/needle mess before it turns into compost on the kitchen floor.

And if you get a mini tree, try to:

• Get one in a pot you can keep and reuse, rather than a chopped one.
• Look after it so it doesn’t end term as a crisp, brown twig in the corner.

The sustainable don’ts

❌ Don’t use real candles or tea lights

They might look “Pinterest”, but they’re a fire risk – especially with tinsel, paper and drunk flatmates nearby.

• Swap candles for LED tealights or fairy lights in jars.
• Never leave anything glowing unattended (even LED candles in dodgy holders).

❌ Don’t go mad on cheap plastic tat

Those £1 multipacks of plastic baubles and novelty stuff are tempting… until they snap, shed glitter everywhere and get binned in January.

Try to avoid:

• Single-use novelty props that break easily.
• Plastic tablecloths, confetti and glitter balloons.
• Loads of tape, Blu Tack and plastic hooks that will be ripped off and thrown away.

If you’re buying new, look for:

• Fabric items (bunting, table runners) you can wash and reuse.
• Sturdier decorations that will last for years.
• Things made from wood or metal instead of flimsy plastic.

❌ Don’t damage walls, doors or furniture

Sustainability also includes not wrecking your surroundings so things need replacing.

• Avoid drawing pins or anything that gouges holes.
• Go easy with tape on painted walls – it can peel paint off when you remove it.
• Command hooks/strips are usually kinder, but still check your housing rules.

If you’re not sure whether something is allowed, keep decorations to:

• Shelves
• Noticeboards
• Inside cupboard doors
• Tables and windowsills (without blocking the view or opening fully).

❌ Don’t leave a “Christmas graveyard” in January

The least sustainable part of Christmas in halls is the bit where everyone goes home and leaves:

• Broken decorations
• Dead trees
• Bins overflowing with tinsel and wrapping

Make a plan before you all disappear:

• Decide who’s taking what home.
• Keep anything reusable in a labelled box for next year.
• Anything still in good condition? Donate to a local charity shop or SU free table.
• Recycle what you can (cardboard, paper, some plastics – check local guidance).

Try to avoid dumping everything by the bins and hoping “someone else” sorts it.

Extra tips for a greener Christmas in halls

• Think second-hand for Christmas jumpers & decor – charity shops around Southampton are full of them.
• Use rechargeable batteries for lights.
• Go light on wrapping – reusable gift bags, brown paper or even old newspapers work fine for a flat Secret Santa.

Christmas in halls doesn’t need to mean a mountain of rubbish and a telling-off from your residence team. With a bit of planning, you can make your flat feel festive, stick within the rules and keep things kind to the planet at the same time.