With another Christmas right around the corner, we have collaborated with the Canadian climate girl Karishma to show you how to gift more consciously during this holiday season but also in the future too!
With yet another year marred by COVID, Christmas is that all-important moment to relax, meet with family and friends but of course buy Christmas gifts.
With consumer ethics becoming more and more prevalent in purchasing choice there has been a greater demand for more ethical and sustainable purchasing choices.
With this in mind, we at ecoLogicc are hugely excited to introduce you to Karishma. She has been promoting low-impact lifestyles for years and has been using her voice via Instagram to encourage a greater shift to more sustainable living.
She’s hugely knowledgeable and has a fantastic Youtube channel, so give her a follow and see what she has to say about conscious gifting this holiday season below!
The holiday season is a time of joy, coming together (at least in years other than these COVID years), and kindness. However, as our world has dived deeper into its capitalist system, the holiday season has also become a time of shopping, receipts, trashed wrapping paper, piles of unwanted presents, and millions in profits for uncaring corporate giants.
There are, however, ways in which we can embrace the beautiful gesture of “giving” in a more pure, low impact, and meaningful way. Hopefully, the five suggestions below can help you tick off some names on your Christmas list that you haven’t gotten to yet, in a way that is kinder to the planet and the people on it.
1. Support Local
The first piece of advice I would give you is, try not to set foot in Walmart, or Costco, or virtually set foot into Amazon. Local businesses have had a hard year thanks to coronavirus, forcing to close, limit capacity and facing supply chain interruptions.
If you are able, try to shop local. Lots of small business owners have carefully curated shops, ready to serve you with a warm smile. Be sure to place your orders ahead of time, so that they can meet their lead times and be sure to call if you have questions about delivery or curbside pickup.
Local business owners have gone above and beyond with mask-wearing, distancing and sanitizing. Support someone’s dream with your Christmas gift this year, instead of being another number on a balance sheet.
2. Buy them something they’ll actually use
Okay, so we’ve all been there. Sometimes there is that person on your list that is just impossible to shop for. What will they like? Though it is tempting to pick up a generic box of chocolates, scented candles, scarf or mug, try to buy them something they will actually use.
This way, all the resources, processes and labour hours that went into making that item weren’t all in vain. Yes, you may have to plan a little ahead of time and yes, you may have to pry a little more and ask them some questions about what they like (discreetly of course), but that’s half the fun of gifting in the first place.
And bonus – they’ll never forget you got them something that they appreciate and use!
3. Regifting / second-hand gifts
On the other hand, maybe you have been on the receiving end of a generic gift. You got that peppermint-scented candle that you never used because you hate the smell of peppermint. And then, lo and behold, your secret Santa recipient this year is someone you’ve spoken to maybe twice.
In this instance, it’s probably okay to re-gift that candle instead of going out and buying a new, generic gift. Even with other gifts, regifting needs to be normalized. If someone gifted me wine (I don’t enjoy wine), I would happily gift it to a wine-enthusiast who would give it the love it deserves.
Gifts from the thrift store too, must be normalized. In fact, the hours it takes to find a hidden thrift store gem is a labour of love and has a smaller impact on the planet.
4. Gift an experience
Consider buying an experience for someone. Even if it is for when the pandemic has passed. It’s hard not to impress with concert tickets, plane tickets, or sports game tickets. Yes, they are available to pre-order for the re-opening of the entertainment industry.
You could also think about gifting someone lessons for something they have been wanting to learn such as music lessons, cooking lessons or language lessons. There are many virtual options when you want to give someone the gift of learning.
5. Gift them your time
Lastly, and this one is a good option if you’re running low on funds, you can gift someone your time. Time well spent is rarely forgotten.
You could hand-make a little voucher book, giving the recipient time with you to cook a meal, have a picnic, go on a hike or play a board game. Loneliness affects us all, particularly this year and company is something that we all sometimes need.
Offering kindness and conversation goes a long way, and your real friends/family will appreciate it just as much as a physical gift.
