December workshop: Low-waste parties and gift giving
From first birthdays and Thanksgiving to dinner and graduation parties, learn strategies for hosting low-waste celebrations and giving gifts.
- Saturday, December 12 from 10 to 11 a.m.
- Tuesday, December 15 from 6 to 7 p.m.
Please RSVP on the Facebook event for December 12 or December 15, or by emailing your liaison.
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Winter holiday items have been in stores since mid-October, and now that Thanksgiving has passed, you can hardly avoid it. Are you excited or is this starting to stress out? You might ask yourself, “Who is on our list? What presents do we buy and when? How on earth can it fit in our budget?”
Fortunately, you can both simplify your life and reduce waste by re-examining your gift-giving habits. You can replace your typical gifts with greener alternatives or take the plunge and commit to eliminating the exchange of “stuff.”
Lower-waste gifts
To reduce waste this holiday season, think about the longevity of your gift, rethink buying new items, and reduce the overall number of gifts you give.
Resist the urge to buy cheaply made items and instead spend your money on gifts that will last. For example, plastic toys can break, but traditional materials like metal trucks and wooden blocks stand the test of toddler time. Look in secondhand stores before buying new or even re-gift something you no longer use that’s in good condition.
To cut back on the number of gifts, exchange names and buy gifts for only one person, try the “want, need, wear, read,” rule, or replace some gifts of stuff with gifts of activities. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency has a list of 50 things you can give that create more connections and less stuff to help inspire you. Also, check out the zero waste lifestyle section of the Zero Waste Guide.
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Gift-wrap and tags
Wrapping paper, fancy bows, and gift tags often go straight from your package into the trash. Reconsider how you wrap your presents!
Reuse paper that you already have like old maps, posters, or brown paper bags. Tie your gift with cotton string or reusable ribbon to avoid tape. Get rid of disposable wrap and opt for reusable gift bags, a fancy box, a decorative handkerchief, a scarf or even a small towel or blanket to disguise your gift.
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Check out furoshiki techniques to make your wrapping job special. Think about gift tags and cards, too. You can reuse the front of old cards, make your own with recycled-content paper, choose to buy recycled content (Paper Culture is one option), or even forgo cards and write straight on the packaging. Most children and adults won’t mind a change.
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Reconsider gifts
With all of the shopping holidays like Black Friday and Cyber Monday, it’s easy to get caught up in sale prices and the illusion that presents will make you and everyone you love more fulfilled. But you just might find that simply spending quality time with the people you love makes you just as happy without the waste and stress of shopping!
Consider all that winter has to offer: sledding, skating, skiing, snowshoeing, hiking, staying in and watching a movie under big blankets, baking cookies together, and more! There are so many special holiday traditions that don’t have to involve giving gifts.
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