With Black Friday coming up this weekend and the winter holiday extravaganza on its way next month, it can seem tempting to do some impulse buying with all the deals going on. Whether it’s decorations for the different upcoming holidays, gifts for friends and family, or just a little treat for yourself, companies are getting better and better at targeting all of these goals, make sure you’ll splurge hard during Black Friday, and keep it up all the way until the winter holidays. Instead, I’m going to offer some more sustainable and cheaper alternatives to get in the holiday spirit.
Decorations
I was at the dollar store yesterday, and a little disheartened by seeing all the plastic winter decorations for sale. While it’s an affordable way to decorate, I can’t help but feel like that fragile fake Christmas tree isn’t going to last until next year, much less be a yearly staple when you move out. Instead, there are so many easy paper DIYS you can do with your housemates, from snowflake decorations to star garlands, to get your house ready for the holidays, without the excessive consumption. For something more complicated, gather some friends together to make snow globes with standard craft supplies. As far as outdoor decorations go, nothing beats an old-fashioned snowman, or if you are really talented, maybe some other characters.
Gift-giving
Gift giving has always been something I’ve struggled with, especially in our age of convenience, where the recipient really could buy anything they wanted and have it at their doorstep in a day. Anytime I try to look up gift ideas, all I can find are lists upon lists of sponsored advertisements, instead of meaningful gifts. Homemade gifts are a great way to show people you care when you are on a budget, while still having a personal touch. From a knitted scarf to a photo scrapbook, there are so many ways to show your loved ones how much you care. You could gift a book from your personal collection that you think they would love, bonus points if it’s annotated! If the gift recipient is really passionate about a cause, a donation in their name would probably make their day. If you think they’d enjoy an experience as a gift, a day spent baking, crafting, and reading together would be perfect for the time off during winter break.
Self-care
The holidays are the perfect time for a rest and reset before the winter semester starts. We’re often fed a pretty consumerist lens on self-care and relaxation, telling us that we need the candles and face masks. While everyone needs a little treat every now and then, I think it’s worth considering whether purchases made towards self-care are truly contributing to our wellness, or just to fueling the media’s perception of wellness. Some relaxing activities I enjoy doing during the holidays include bundling up and taking long walks to see the Christmas decorations, or picking up an instrument I don’t play often and working through some easy holiday pieces.
While it’s a bit unreasonable not to buy anything for the upcoming holiday season, I think it’s always important to be mindful and consider whether a purchase is something that will bring long-term value into our lives, or if it has been carefully marketed to make us believe that.