Wasting Less and Giving More During the Holidays
Written by Meltem Cana Etiz
Thumbnail Photo by Kari Shea on Unsplash
Header Photo by Caley Dimmock on Unsplash
The holiday season is upon us! It’s time to enjoy the ambiance of evergreens, decorations in bright colours, warming drinks, the cute cringiness of matching outfits, and devoting oneself to loved ones and religion. Amongst the excitement, there is one iconic seasonal tradition we have tailored our time and money around: gift-giving. This is an internationally practised way of showing love and appreciation. We like to give and receive gifts because the act of doing so connects and gratifies us in both a personal and a spiritual sense. Executing this task with generosity and care is the key to maximizing this gratification.
In knowing the lovely aspects of this fiscal exchange, we must also recognize that the holiday season has actually become one of the most wasteful times of the year. The waste generated by discarded food, wrapping paper, and decorations is harmful to the environment as well as our enjoyment of the holiday spirit by making us aware of the effect we have on our environment.
As a society becoming more aware of the global impact of pollution, reducing our waste in every aspect during the holidays by composting our food, replanting trees and reusing decorations needs to become the new standard. That being said, recognizing and changing the behaviours within our culture of gift-giving is a necessary part of our ecological and social responsibility. Some questions we can ask ourselves to facilitate this might be “do I buy many gifts because I want to show love or show off?”, “what would my loved ones really want?”, “do I feel obligated to get the best/most gifts possible?”
We all want to see the people in our lives smile when they open our gifts. We aim to give them gifts they will appreciate and use for a long time. Doing so with consideration for the environment is a compliment to their character and strengthens the bond we share with them by establishing and addressing a common appreciation for waste reduction. There are a number of mindsets we can consider and adopt to achieve this. Some of them are listed below.
Regifting is more than OK. What do the scarf you wore twice, the book you started but never finished and the necklace that is not quite to your taste have in common? They were likely gifted to you and (as long as they are in good condition) they are totally regiftable! You might have received a gift that isn’t “you” or you may know someone the gift is better suited for. In which case go ahead and regift it to the person in mind. The idea that regifting is rude, cheap or a last resort is simply not true if you go about doing so properly. Here are some basic guidelines to get you started:
1) Don’t regift to someone the original gifter knows without telling them or regift it too soon. Wait a few months if that is an option.
2) Never regift a handmade or sentimental item. It was (made) for you (with love)!
3) Keep it personal. Don’t regift an item because you want to get rid of it. Give it to someone if you think they would really like it.
Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash
Consider wasteless wrapping, bagging and boxing. There are a variety of options from recycled and recyclable wrapping paper to cutting brown paper shopping bags and using them to wrap gifts in. I opted for an “all brown” aesthetic this year and I have to say, a brown bag and a little yarn or string as a bow look very cute. I prefer it to patterned paper (mainly because I’m not very good at wrapping gifts). Other reusable options for wrapping are boxing (perhaps in a cute crafts box they can store things in) or using newspaper or recyclable bags.
Quality over quantity isn’t a cliché. Many of us don’t have the means to go all out for every single person on our lists (even though we probably want to) especially during a pandemic. For students, many of whom are no longer able to work, the budget gets tighter. No one should feel bad about not being able to buy many gifts. Within your budget, check to see if you can afford one or two items of good quality and longevity. I bet your person will appreciate it!
Make your gifts! Seriously. Home-made gifts are the most precious of all. I still keep gifts made for me by people I am no longer in contact with because that is how much power they hold. Printed handmade photo albums, knitted scarves, an attempt at a portrait, a jar of memories and more are all great examples of such gifts. Contrary to popular belief, you do not need extreme crafting skills in order to make something wonderful. If you are a musician, write a song. If you speak a language they don’t, offer classes. If you are athletic, treat them to personal training. When in doubt, you could always opt for the classic holiday care package full of stocking stuffers and personal care items. The options are endless. Making a gift is making time. What is more precious than someone dedicating their time to make you smile?
Finally, an important thing to remember is that you are not defined by what you put under the tree. Money, time and energy are finite sources. It is completely fine if you are unable to fulfill a “waste-less” gift exchange this year. Keep it as an idea for the gift-giving seasons to come. Try not to stress too much about your gifts for your loved ones. After a heart-wrenching year of uncertainty, panic, and fatigue, the people in your life are just going to be happy just to see you and give you a hug. Hug them back. Happy Holidays!