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Just want to start shopping? Here’s an affiliate link to a random lead free item.
Holiday items can be made with all sorts of toxic components, with lead being found in decorative items and in particular vintage and antique holiday products.
Unfortunately artificial trees can contain lead if they are older, or flame retardants which are undesirable and potentially harmful. Old Christmas lights and other electronics may contain lead as a flame retardant or as a plasticizer to keep plastic flexible.
We’ve made a list of eco-friendly, non-toxic, or less toxic options to make your holidays simple and fun.
Trees
We recommend artificial trees without pre-strung lights from IKEA. Here is an example made with polypropylene. IKEA restricts the use of lead, PVC, PFAs, and flame retardants in its products when possible.
We do not have a recommended artificial tree from Amazon yet because none of them meet our standards for non-toxic.
For those who prefer a real tree we recommend the Norfolk pine, which is a tropical houseplant that is a beautiful dupe for a real Christmas tree, and has the eco-friendly perk of being reusable from year to year. We drape ours in a wood garland and a couple packs of battery powered string lights.
American Plant Exchange Norfolk Island Pine Live Plant
Dwarf Alberta Spruce Evergreen Live Plant
Ornaments
Hallmark Sloth in Ugly Christmas Sweater Christmas Ornament
Hallmark Baby Girl’s First Christmas Rocking Horse 2022 Christmas Ornament
Hallmark Jolly Sloth Christmas Ornament
Hallmark Cardinal Bird Christmas Ornament
Why We Like It: These ornaments are made of resin by Hallmark and are unlikely to contain lead. We do not recommend PVC ornaments.
Hallmark Disney Frozen 2 Elsa The Snow Queen Christmas Ornament
Why We Like It: These kid’s Disney character ornaments are made of resin by Hallmark.
Why We Like It: We like that this product is made of eco-friendly materials including acorns, felted wool and twine.
Why We Like It: Clear new acrylic plastic is likely to test lead free and these are similar to the look of crystal ornaments without the lead.
Bulk Package of Natural Pinecones-24 Pack
Why We Like It: Nature already figured out to decorate trees ages ago. Fun for kids! Maybe avoid dipping in plastic glitter.
Christmas Wood Beaded Garland 14.4 Feet Boho Ornaments for Christmas Tree
Why We Like It: Plain wood is a great non-toxic option.
Wood Christmas Ornament Blanks
When in doubt, make your own! This is a great option for group activities with children. There’s no affiliate connection here we just like their ideas!
How to Make Salt Dough Ornaments with Julie Blanner
Easy Knitted Decorations with Gina Michele
Making a Popcorn Garland from Inspired by Charm
We also like the fabric ornaments sold by the Wondershop by Target that are labeled ages 3+. They are only available seasonally so keep your eye out around November. They are polyester and likely contain trace antimony, but we do not mind given their use.
Individual Etsy shops may sell ornaments made with organic cotton or wool. Be cautious about metal components and accessories.
Lights
We like battery operated string lights because these products are less likely to contain flame retardants. We also prefer light made with thin wire as opposed to soft flexible plastic, which is often PVC.
Unfortunately battery powered strands are typically rated for indoor use only. We use ours on a covered front porch and they perform well. The strands are shorter than plug-in varieties.
If you are using older Christmas lights anywhere, they probably contain high amounts of lead and we recommend updating to new lights, which will likely contain PVC and antimony but rarely lead.
This article from Consumer Affairs dated 2007 discusses how common brands of Christmas lights still used high levels of accessible surface lead. Unfortunately, these types of products can spread lead to the hands when the product is handled, and may contribute to lead dust in the home. We believe it is unacceptable to manufacture products that can expose consumers to lead, and more so for items that may be handled by children.
Fortunately every newly manufactured plug-in light we have tested so far in 2022 uses antimony instead of lead as a flame retardant, which isn’t perfect but it is an improvement. So if you have Christmas lights over ten years old it is worth upgrading to new ones. The battery operated lights are unlikely to contain antimony or lead. We have included both indoor and outdoor options below.
Indoor Plug-in Light Options – Best
Philips Battery Operated LED Micro Lights Color Changing Warm White/Multi 4 Sets
Outdoor Plug-in Light Options – Acceptable
Why we like it: We recommend these lights for outdoor use if you need a plug-in option and are replacing older lights made with lead. They likely contain high levels of antimony, so it is prudent to wash hands after use and keep lights away from children. For indoor use we recommend battery operated lights.
Decor
Unfortunately due to the randomness of Christmas decor and the many ways it can be made, we do not yet have many eco-friendly product recommendations for this category. We will add more material as we have the opportunity to reach out to manufacturers, review materials, and test more products. We like responsibly made items from reputable brands, and items approved for children. We recommend IKEA for most holiday decor since they have such a broad restriction on chemicals of concern including lead and PFAS. We are also a fan of Target decor (skip the galvanized products until we can test them).
Northlight Unfinished Paintable Wooden Christmas Nutcracker with a Crown, 14.75″, Brown
Why we like it: This nutcracker is made of unfinished solid wood and it’s a great way to make a non-toxic personalized piece that goes a step beyond mass-produced decor.
Mr. Christmas Nostalgic Ceramic Christmas Tree with LED Lights Indoor Decoration, 14 Inches, Green
Mr. Christmas Nostalgic Ceramic Christmas Tree with LED Lights Indoor Decoration, 18 Inches, White
Why we like them: in December 2022 customer service from the Mr. Christmas company reported their nostalgic Christmas tree line is lead free. We’re excited by this news because older ceramic tree decor can test very high in lead.
We interpret their response to mean the company restricts the use of lead in this line of products or this item does not contain added lead, but may contain trace lead in its constituent parts like clay, glaze, or pigments. Because of their response I’ve included their product line although it may possibly contain trace lead.
If you have a vintage ceramic Christmas tree, it is definitely worth upgrading to a safer product to safeguard young children who may interact with it. As a bonus the battery operated LED the tree does not have cords, which can contain high levels of lead or antimony.
Melissa & Doug Countdown to Christmas Wooden Advent Calendar – Magnetic Tree, 25 Magnets
Why we like it: This is a fun wholesome way to count down the holidays with kids. Due to the magnets this item is recommended for ages 3 and up.
Prince of Scots Highland Tweeds Big Throw (Maple)
Why we like it: This extra plush throw is constructed of two pounds of virgin wool and the red and green plaid add a festive touch to winter and holiday decor.