A GREEN-ER HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE
Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash.
It’s less than two weeks until the start of Christmas, but have no fear! Earth & Altar is here to bring you some last-minute gift ideas. Before you start panicking about shipping delays and deadlines, remember: December 25th is just the beginning of that 12-day window of Christmastide. As long as you get the gifts before Epiphany, you’re technically good to go. Normalize the celebration of the full Christmas season!
If you’re just starting your shopping at this late date, and if you really do want gifts in hand by Christmas Day, that does limit your options and might mean shopping small and local, or gifting experiences for later. Although you might have fewer choices for where to show and what to buy, the flipside is that shopping for and giving these sorts of gifts can be more environmentally-friendly.
After all, as fun as giving and receiving gifts can be, it can also come along with a lot of wastefulness from excessive packaging (especially from online retailers) as well as from well-intentioned but under-appreciated gifts that end up in a giveaway pile as soon as the giver is out the door. This year, we’re here to help you think about ways that you can lessen the environmental impact of your gift-giving.
Ways of making gifts more sustainable and eco-friendly
Order from Local Retailers
One of the largest environmental costs of Christmas is also the most invisible: shipping. According to the New York Times, 3 billion packages were shipped during last year’s holiday season. That’s 3 billion parcels propelled by jet fuel and diesel across thousands of miles. The click of a button on Amazon might feel simple, but it can kick off an international adventure and the package blazes through fossil fuels to arrive at your door. If you’re going to buy a new present, shopping locally is one of the easiest ways to prevent these emissions, as well as supporting a local creator.
Buy from retailers who offset shipping emissions
If you’re shopping online, try to buy from retailers who offset their shipping emissions as another way to lessen your impact. While carbon offsets are by no means perfect (the efforts are difficult to measure, and many programs sell more offsets than they are able to fulfill), they are a step in the right direction to support reforestation and carbon sinks. Etsy is a good example of a major retailer that offsets the carbon of shipping.
Upcycle
Thrifting, recycling, or repurposing gifts are wonderful ways to give new life to something that may otherwise get thrown away. Often, the stigmas we carry around re-gifting are rooted in our cultural obsession with the “new;” we forget how much joy there is to be found in what has already been created. There is no shame in re-gifting that thing your aunt gave you last year that’s still in its packaging and bound for the landfill.
Thrifting is another great source for gifts! If you’re looking for higher-end items, check out consignment and antique shops. The bravest among us know the real treasures are in the local thrift mart. Wherever you shop, buying an item with history in a local store is by far the best way to go green this Christmas.
If you have a knack for crafting, consider making your gifts out of upcycled materials. Common Prayer Shop, run by our own Ellie Singer, is an example of an Etsy retailer who uses found-fabrics wherever possible.Wrap Sustainably
Consider buying wrapping paper made from recycled paper, using paper gift bags that can be reused, or sewing cloth gift bags that can be reused. (If you want to learn, here’s how to sew a reusable gift bag). Adolescent me, who continually rolled my eyes at my mom for doing this, can’t believe the sentence I’m about to write: if you’re using wrapping paper, buy higher quality paper that can be reused: save larger, in-tact pieces of to use again later (this is much easier with older children and adults!).
If you’ve gotten this far but are still thinking, “okay, okay, I get it, but please just tell me what to buy!” we have some ideas for you:
Donate to a green organization in honor of a loved one. Nothing says “I care about you” like supporting an organization working trying to keep the world inhabitable far into the future.
Is your loved one a fan of fresh produce and local agriculture? Consider gifting a CSA (community supported agriculture) membership for the coming year.
For the coffee fan in your life, consider buying some locally-roasted coffee and a handmade mug from a local artisan. Something beautiful and one-of-a-kind is less likely to end up in a giveaway pile immediately after Christmas.
Give the gift of an experience rather than a thing. Concert tickets, museum entrances, movie passes, MasterClasses, and more can all be thoughtful gifts that don’t put more waste in a landfill.
If you’re exchanging gifts with a group, set a sustainable theme for your giving, such as homemade gifts or thrift store finds. Set a price limit and make the process of giving part of the fun.
If you’re looking for a gift for a book lover, consider a used edition of a favorite book.
Consider gift cards or gift certificates to a favorite store. I know, I know. That can feel impersonal. But it guarantees they can get what they want and reduces waste in the long run.
Of course, the most sustainable Christmas gift is the one given to the world on the first Christmas, lo those many years ago: God’s own Incarnation, which sustains our spirits from one generation to the next. Since God’s Incarnation is already taken care of, though, we hope these ideas will help make this Christmas season joyful, bright, and green for you and those you love.