Could second-hand presents make Christmas jollier?

Consumerism and Christmas traditionally go hand in hand, but with second-hand gifting on the rise, many people are stepping away from conventions.

Across the UK, people send more than 100 million bags of rubbish to landfills each Christmas.

From Christmas Eve boxes to matching pyjamas, the pressure to keep up with trends can leave us accumulating more than we need - so could taking a sustainable approach actually be the jollier option?

Becky Davies, 29, buys all her presents second-hand and said it makes her happier, as she believes over-consumption "takes the joy away from Christmas".

Becky, 29, a mum-of-two from Cardiff, is very concerned about climate change, and said while she is "not perfect by any means" she feels better for shopping "pre-loved".

"You feel less stressed than being surrounded by all that over-consumption, it can make you feel guilty.

"Ultimately, Christmas is about the memories and you don't need to spend a lot of money to do that," she said.

Becky said the joy was from smaller things, like attending the town Christmas light switch-on, baking festive treats or settling down for a classic festive film.

She sets a budget of £80 each while shopping for her children, aged six and four, and said they were very aware the gifts were second-hand and felt proud to be involved.

"They learn about recycling in school, so understanding how we do our bit for the planet is important," she added.

Also joining the second-hand wave is Sophie Jenkins, 31, from Swansea, who initially bought pre-loved last year to help save some money, but now chooses to shop sustainably no matter the cost.

"My children don't notice a difference between brand new or second-hand and I have saved hundreds," she said.

"You can find so much more or less brand new, it's great, it's repurposed."

She documents her thrifting to 17,900 of her TikTok followers and is keen to open up the conversation, but said she had received some hate comments.

"I do feel like a change is coming, but some have called me a bad mother and said I'm taking the joy away, but the joy comes from so much more than things which are bought," she said.

Sophie is conscious of the waste involved with the big day, so much so that she does not bother to wrap some gifts.

"The children are more interested in playing with the toys themselves," she said.

She said social media can add pressure to create a picture perfect Christmas, which she used to give in to by spending upwards of £50 on matching pyjamas.

"It's all surface level, it doesn’t mean people are happy," she added.

Amy Greenfield, the founder of pre-loved children's store Eto, said her shop in Barry, Vale of Glamorgan, had been overwhelmed with customers buying gifts for Christmas.

She said buying second-hand made people feel less guilty.

"We want more people to shop pre-loved. Especially for children, they grow out of clothes and toys so quickly," she added.

"It can be a hugely stressful time of year but some customers say shopping second-hand has saved it for them."

The ethical creator is also offering sustainable substitutes to trends, like the Christmas Eve box, where customers can fill a box full of gifts for £5.

The Eto owner said while some customers lean towards shopping second-hand to save money, for many people, it was an ethical choice.

"Everyone should think carefully about what they're spending their money on, you don't have to buy the latest thing," she said.