Yes, Christmas is a time of giving. Depending on our mood, we’d be scouring the malls now, hunting for what we think is the best gift for our loved ones.
Go Green with green Christmas gifts.
But isn’t the eco-friendly lifestyle all about reducing our purchases? Well, yes, but let’s face it—a little, within-your-means consumerism is enjoyable too, especially in this merry month of December—emphasis on “little” and “within-your-means”). We’ll tell you this however: you can be generous this holiday season and it need not be in conflict with your green ideals.
With just a little creativity, we can give green Christmas gifts. And the best part is your recipient will surely appreciate it.
Eco Gift Wraps. Let’s start with the wrapper. Naturally, green Christmas gifts should be in eco-friendly gift wraps. Imagine the amount of newly-bought Christmas wrapping that’s just intended for one-time use, ripped up and thrown in the trash each year, worldwide. Sad, right?
Nice alternatives: the comics section of newspapers, magazines, scraps of fabric, old maps, plain brown paper, leftover colored kraftpapers from your kid’s drawing desk, old posters, calendars (yes, large-sheet calendars still exist), and those old gift wraps and gift boxes you’ve carefully saved the last time. On that note, reuse old ribbons too (from those birthday cakes), and cut up old bright cardboards to make gift tags.
Give Apt Gifts. No one wants to receive pointless gifts, yet every year these useless gifts turn up in store shelves, luring customers desperate to buy just anything. Think twice before buying a gift, and make sure your recipient will actually have use for it. Also, it helps if you base your green Christmas gifts on your recipients’ personality.
Apt gifts for friends: water-saving showerhead for your athlete friend, a variety of flower and vegetable seeds for the garden lover, coffee mug for the office worker, an LED bulb for the friend moving in a new apartment.
Buy Second-hand. Some things are meant to be bought new, and when it comes to giving gifts, there’s certainly that perception that new is better. Second-hand bought items make perfect green however. Contrary to popular belief, they won’t make you look cheap. The fact that they’re aged imbues them with personality, so look for thrift stores, pawnshops, garage sales for great finds.
Nice second-hand bought gift ideas: books, CDs and DVDs, comic books, classic board games, musical instruments, vintage jewelry, toys, and other bric-à-brac your recipient just might find lovely.
Do It Yourself. Making your own gifts is certainly liberating, plus it automatically stamps your gift with love and care as proven by your humble efforts. Of course, you’d have to be a bit of an artist/cook/handyman/craft hobbyist to pull off any DIY projects for your green Christmas gifts. But, even if you’re not, you can still go DIY with your green Christmas gifts with just a little practice and dedication. Just Google those easy craft tutorials and get busy.
Nice DIY gift ideas: homemade jams and fruit preserves (recipes are simple, just three or four ingredients at most, and culinary expertise not needed), home-baked cookies and pastries, a knitted scarf, a wooden birdhouse, an origami animal or star.
Get creative with DIY Christmas cards. (Image from whatkatiedoes.net)
Christmas Cards. Another thing to put on your Christmas DIY list. Actually, we don’t have anything against store-bought Christmas cards. Given a choice between a lovely commercially-bought Christmas card and a badly-drawn DIY card, we’d naturally choose the former. But if you’re artful enough to come up with a nice, decent Christmas card using recycled paper that’s just sitting in your desk, then by all means do so. Go ahead and amaze them with your signature style.
Treat them to Dinner! Instead of one more Christmas gift that your recipient might or might not actually like, why not give gift coupons or gift certificates that would entitle them to services. No doubt they’d enjoy the experience of, say, a dinner or coffee, and consequently you’d be supporting local businesses in your area as well. Be sure to put your coupons or certificates in an old envelope that can be reused again for truly green Christmas gifts.
Nice gift coupon ideas: massage at a favorite health spa, dinner for two at a posh vegan restaurant, tickets to the museum, concert, or an art exhibit, coffee and baked goodies at that fair-trade coffee shop around the corner.
But of course, you’ve got ideas too for green Christmas gifts, right? Just post them at the Comments.
