In the thick of the Christmas season, it’s hard not to be sucked in by marketing messages from seemingly every front telling us to buy more, eat more and consume more. Instead of Christmas being a wonderful opportunity to spend time with family, be present, and share a lovingly home-cooked meal with loved ones, it can very often turn into a stressful, expensive and wasteful day. Yet do not despair! There are plenty of steps you can take towards an ethical, stress-free and truly memorable Christmas.
Presence over presents
Firstly, have a chat with your family about valuing PRESENCE over presents. If they still want to exchange gifts, you could suggest doing secret santa, encourage the giving of experiences (such as a workshop, massage, dinner or adventure experience), or get creative with DIY.
Ethical gifts
If you must buy gifts, it is a fantastic idea to purchase ethical gifts that are zero waste, natural, chemical free, or are transparent about their production process and how they pay their workers. Biome is an eco store local to me that has amazing sustainable gifts for every type of person! Examples include:
- Bamboo toothbrush
- Keep cup
- Safety razor
- Reusable straw
- Produce bags
- Reusable water bottle
- Coconut bowl and spoon
- Natural skin care
- Compost bin
- Slow fashion
- Natural skincare and makeup
- Plant-based recipe books
DIY
Personally, I love to get creative over the festive season and make my own gifts. Not only is it fun, but you can ensure that your gifts are zero waste, ethical, economical and personal. You’d be surprised how much more people appreciate a thoughtful handmade gift over one that is purchased! Here are some ideas:
- Bath bombs
- Mascara
- Deodorant
- Toothpaste
- Homemade muesli
- Gingerbread men
- Bliss balls
- Coffee/sugar scrub
- Berry chia jam
- Sauerkraut or kimchi
Gift Wrap
Instead of wrapping your gifts in chemically treated, plastic wrapping paper, opt for simple brown paper, reuse decorative papers you have lying around your home, get creative and make your own wrapping paper by decorating plain paper, use scrap pieces of material, or place your gifts in empty jars and decorate with twine. Alternatively, don’t use wrapping paper at all and instead keep your gifts in a basket ready to be handed out on the day.
Cooking
To ensure that food is not wasted on the day, it is important that you talk to your loved ones to plan what everyone will be bringing. Once you know what you are cooking, I advise shopping at local markets for fresh produce free of plastic at lower prices than your supermarket. Bulk food stores are great places to stock up on any grains, legumes, spices and other staple ingredients. Don’t forget to bring your own jars! Once you’ve feasted on Christmas lunch, don’t wait to put all the leftovers into containers. Doing so ensures the food will stay fresh to be enjoyed over the next few days. You’ll certainly be grateful for those leftovers once the frenzy of Christmas ends and you want nothing but to sit back and relax.
I hope these tips have given you some ideas on how you can reduce your waste, costs and stress this Christmas. Let me know in the comments if you have any other tips!
