Are you looking for ways to move beyond consumerism this year to give meaningful, sustainable gifts this holiday season? Too often gifts reflect a passing trend and are soon thrown away. Instead, these eco-friendly gift giving tips will help you reduce waste not only in the gift itself but also in how you structure your present exchange. Your loved ones will appreciate your thoughtfulness, and so will the planet!
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Organize your gift giving to reduce waste
The first way to reduce waste over the holidays is to look at how you are organizing your present exchange. But don’t worry I’m not going to be a grinch! I know that giving and getting gifts can be important to people and their loved ones. By structuring your gift exchange in certain ways, you can cut down on waste while still enjoying this part of the holiday. Different approaches might work best for different families. Here are some ideas to consider:
1. Have a drawing so that each person gives one person a gift
By having a drawing, you do not need to get every single person a gift. Instead, you only buy a present for the person whose name you drew. This likely allows you to put more thought and energy into the gift since you aren’t busy trying to find something for each person. It also reduces waste because it lowers the number of overall gifts.
This approach takes a little bit of advance planning, but it is as simple as putting all the names in the hat and having people pick a piece of paper. You could also have someone (or an online gift exchange site) assign it for everyone. It is nice if you have a conversation with everyone in the exchange to establish some ground rules. For example, you may want to set a range or limit for how much money you will spend.
2. Make a list
My family is a list family. We each come up with a list of things that we want, and we send it to the other people in the family. My husband’s family, on the other hand, is a little less structured. I can understand that there is a fun aspect of surprise by not having a list. However, the list approach can be great for reducing waste. It means that you are getting gifts that you actually want and will use, rather than having a pile of barely touched presents. You can also better specify which brand or size of something you want. This reduces the need to return gifts.
3. Buy in bulk for eco-friendly gift giving
Small items like stocking stuffers are often full of plastic. Where possible, you can buy in bulk and divide the items across the stockings of different family members. For example, you could get some bulk snacks and reorganize them into reusable food bags. Then you are giving two gifts in one – the bag and the item in the bag. Or better yet, make your own stocking stuffers without packaging, such as these really easy homemade soap bars. They can be personalized for each loved one by using their favorite scents.
Gift wrapping and cards
1. Encourage the use of reusable gift bags
Did you know that each year approximately 2.3 million pounds of wrapping paper are thrown away? While it is tempting to say that we should recycle all of that instead, it is a bit more complicated. Not all wrapping paper can be recycled. If it has sparkly material, glitter, or other non-paper material incorporated then it is unlikely that the gift wrap can be recycled.
Instead of using gift wrap, we use gift bags so that we can reuse the same tissue paper and bags year after year. We don’t write names on the tag that comes with the bag, we just have a separate sticky note or sticker that we use to say who the present is to and from. If you buy a pack of gift bags that come in a variety of sizes then you will be surprised by how many gifts of different shapes will fit.
2. Wrap your gifts in your child’s drawings
For the gifts that don’t fit in a traditional bag, you may want to look around your house for newspapers or kids drawings that would otherwise be recycled. Instead of buying new wrapping paper, use those instead. If you have young children ask them to decorate paper in the weeks leading up to Christmas. This can be a good way to keep them occupied and will add an extra personalized touch to the gift.
Kids are also great for making homemade cards. Instead of buying cards, which often have glitter, plastic, and other non recyclable components, consider making one by hand. We tend to ask our kids to color cards in the car.
Gift ideas
One thing I sometimes need to remind myself is that gifts do not need to be physical things. And in fact, they are usually more appreciated when they are not! The gift of your time, presence, or creativity are beautiful presents. Consider making a craft or a nice meal for a loved one. Or take them out for a coffee date or to a movie you both have been wanting to see. If you want a gift for them to open, give them a gift card related to the activity or a “coupon” for the time that you will spend together.
I hope these tips for eco-friendly gift giving help to bring joy to your holiday season. You can thoughtfully structure your holiday present exchange, gift wrapping, and the gifts themselves in a way that is beneficial to the environment and creates fun holiday memories. Do you have any ideas to add? Let me know in the comments!
P.S. Looking for ways to reduce your consumerism this holiday season? Check out my post here.
