The Hidden Cost of Presents under the Tree and Santa Hanging on the Wall

Americans produce 25% more trash during the holiday season, amounting to 25 million tons of garbage that ends up in the landfill. This extra trash comes from the 2.65 billion Christmas cards sold every holiday season, the thousands of square kilometers of wrapping paper used to wrap gifts, and the insane amounts of plastic packaging used for the gifts we buy.

The decorations that we use to decorate our home are mostly made from different types of plastics. While these decorations intend to infuse holiday spirit to your family and guests, they also might be adding toxins to your home. The tinsel, wreaths, and other artificial greenery that many people put in their homes during the holiday season might very well contain large amounts of lead, toxic flame-retardants, tin compounds and phthalates, and other hazardous substances.

The Christmas lights we use in our homes, besides wasting energy, might also be leaching lead into our homes. One recent study found that over 50% of all Christmas lights had amounts of lead that were significantly higher than what is permitted in children’s toys.