A Guide to Conscious Christmas Gifting

The silly season is here! This period tends to be marked by excess food, drink, cheer and unfortunately… Waste. It’s not news to anyone that a significant amount more waste is produced at Christmas, but the growing awareness around the need to cut back on our waste makes it’s more important than ever to be conscious in how we gift. Read on for some simple tips and tricks for conscious Christmas gifting this year.

Find Out What Your Giftee Needs

Rather than just buying something that is ‘easy‘, gift more sustainably by getting your loved one something they will genuinely like, keep and use. The key to thoughtful, sustainable and conscious Christmas gifting is knowing your giftee well, what they might need at the time, and what they like and enjoy in general. For example, the mummies with young children out there likely need a bit of ‘me’ time so a massage or facial voucher would make a great gift; or for the brother who loves cooking, a knife or other kitchen utensil that they might not splurge on for themselves. A thoughtful gift can be super meaningful and entirely waste-free if you’ve done your homework. For the loved one who has it all, our recipe jar mixes are perfect. Use the mixture in the jar once but then have a lovely jar that can be used for ongoing pantry refills.

Gift Vouchers and Experiences

Material gifts are a great option if you know your giftee will put it to good use, particularly if it is something they have had on their wishlist for a long time. However, experiences are truly irreplaceable as conscious Christmas gift and can provide some great memories for your loved one. People will remember a special experience a lot more than an item. A workshop, a spa day, a trip, concert tickets, dance classes, an excursion or adventure, sharing quality time with loved ones and creating lifelong memories. Can’t beat it!

Change Your Thoughts On Wrapping

It might look pretty but most of the time wrapping paper isn’t really needed. If you think about how long its life is, it really is not worth it for the amount of waste that ends up in landfill, not to mention the trees that it took to make. A lot of gifts come boxed in reusable boxes or fabric bags that can be upcycled in some way after housing the gift. There is also recyclable wrapping paper available in some places, or simple craft paper also works. When you receive a gift wrapped in paper, make sure you carefully unwrap and store this for reuse when you need to wrap something next. When it comes to extra decorations, opt for twine instead of plastic ribbons, or reuse ribbons from old gifts you’ve received. You can also add some extra sparkle by adding a sprig of lavender, rosemary or a fresh picked flower to the outside of your gift.