Ever since I remember, the holiday season has been about gifts. I don’t know if it’s because I grew up in a traditional place where people feel they need to retribute last year’s presents, or if it’s a global phenomenon. I guess the latter should be true, or it wouldn’t be so crazy to go shopping between Black Friday week and Christmas week.
I grew up to become a person who’s very much against this type of materialistic attitude toward Christmas. No matter if you’re religious or not, I’m sure the things you look forward to the most during the holidays aren’t necessarily presents. Do you look forward to spending more quality time with your family? Maybe eating something special? Or putting up your favorite Christmas decorations that you use every year?
While this might be true, it’s not easy to break the centuries old tradition of gift-giving. I don’t think it needs to stop entirely; I just think it needs a shift into a more genuine and thoughtful direction. When I say thoughtful, I mean not only toward the person you’re buying the gift for, but also toward the environment and the people behind the production of the gift. While you can apply this train of thought to any purchase you make, I know that it does get overwhelming. So why not start slowly with this holiday season?
Throughout the years, I have learned a lot about having a more sustainable holiday season. One of the propositions could be a gift-free event. While this would be the best solution, not all families would agree. Yet, I encourage you to first propose the idea and see the different reactions. If it doesn’t provoke a change of behavior, at least it’ll spark a conversation.
If “no-gifts” isn’t an option, let’s keep them minimal and meaningful. First, let’s stop buying just because we feel that we have to. You can take this in two directions: 1) don’t continue the infinite loop of gift-giving by obligation – guess what, if you stop, probably next year they could stop as well. Obligation is toxic and generates extra consumption that hurts your wallet, the environment, and also your mental health. 2) If you want to show someone they are special to you through gift-giving, you don’t necessarily need to purchase it. You can write them a letter, make a video edit, bake a cake, or even gift them something of your own, such as a book you liked reading or a sweater they complimented you on.
If for some reason you still want to purchase something, just try to be informed. Buy something you know they need, something they’d buy themselves. Opt for the second-hand shops, which could be a fun shopping experience. Support small and ethical businesses by either purchasing a useful object (such as soap!) or food. You can also offer experiences, such as a voucher for their favorite restaurant or a ticket to the movie theatre. And if you don’t know what to get them but want them to have a small treat, you can always pick a business whose values you align with and get a gift card from there. While the latter won’t stop meaningless consumption, at least you’ll show your family or friends where you like to do mindful shopping. They might also like it and prefer it to other companies, changing their consumption habits.
Now onto children who I trust might be more difficult to please since most of them take the gifts for granted and will probably be disappointed if they’re the only ones in school who were neglected by Santa. Just follow the same line of thought and provide something useful that adds value to their life, that can be fun and lead to family time. For instance, board games or camping gear, dance or karate lessons, craft or science kits, passes for mini-golf or rock climbing.
This advice isn’t perfect. Let’s be real, it’s not easy to be a perfect consumer in today’s society. Yet, I’m a firm believer that if you give your purchases more thought and also talk about the issue with your friends and family, you’re doing your part. Because in the end, we can all try to do small actions, but the major responsibilities still fall on the unethical companies who incite mindless and fast consumption. It’s hard to break from a habit, to break from what’s expected when the world around us with its stores, sales and marketing tricks tells us to “buy buy buy.”
You’re entitled to disagree with this whole article, yet I don’t think a little mindfulness would hurt anyone’s traditions or way of living. So I’ll leave it to your consideration!
P.S. Don’t forget to reuse the wrapping paper from last year or come up with more sustainable wrapping ideas, such as using old newspapers at home!