4 Ideas for Making Holiday Gift Giving a Little Greener

As fun as the holidays can be, anxiety and worry over what to buy can become overwhelming. Spending money on trinkets and tat that may or may not end up shoved to the back of a cupboard, forgotten about, regifted, or donated can feel like a thankless or futile task.

In short, the joy of gift-giving can be lost or dampened by heightened commercialism and our ‘throw-away’ consumer culture. There are, however, some tried and tested ways of giving a loved one a gift without spending a bunch of money or buying stuff that no one wants or needs.

It often means going back to basics with crafting, cooking, thrifting, or repurposing. It also means thinking outside the box and reimagining what a gift is. Maybe you could gift an experience or donation over a material present or offer something homemade or secondhand.

Check out these ways to show someone you love them this holiday season whilst being a little more conscious of the environmental impacts of your gift. Plus, you can help cut down on all that waste, too.

1. Rethink Your Packaging

Source: My Green Closet/YouTube

If you have bought a gift that you know someone wants, perhaps give a thought to how you might want to gift wrap it. Rather than buying rolls of sticky tape and wrapping paper, you can opt for reusable containers or recycle items that you have around the house. Alternatively, you can reuse wrapping paper or gift bags that you received last year!

Make cloth gift bags that can be reused year after year. Take a piece of fabric—this could be a shirt or scrap fabric from crafting— and cut it into a rectangle relative to the size of the gift you want it to hold. Fold it in half and sew around two sides to create a pouch. You can close the gift bag with some festive ribbon or natural twine.

You can make the packaging a gift in itself by making or buying some reusable produce bags. The recipient can take their gift bag to the supermarket in the New Year and fill it with potatoes or onions.

Thrifted baskets also make great, reusable receptacles for holiday gifts. Wrap your gift in old newspaper, recycled packaging paper, or old brown paper shopping bags and pop it into a basket. You can add extra holiday flair with a sprig of holy, some pinecones, or festive ribbon.

2. Think Edible

Source: Homemade Peppermint Patties/One Green Planet

One way to give a gift without creating or buying ‘stuff’ is to lovingly cook or bake something. There are lots of delicious recipes for cakes, cookies, and candies that anyone would love to receive as a holiday gift.

You could even think about how to package your homemade goodies more sustainably and present them in a thrifted, decorative tin or glass jar that can be reused as a storage jar afterward.

A holiday classic across the pond, this Sugar-Free English Fruit Cake will go down a treat as a delicious dessert. A festive tin filled with these Cherry Almond Shortbread Cookies will surely be a hit, and a box of these Homemade Peppermint Patties will be devoured by New Year.

As well, rather than giving one specific edible gift, your gift could be the promise of a home-cooked dinner or picnic at a later date.

3. Give Greenery

Source: ilovejewelyn/YouTube

Another way to offer a gift that will not end up as trash is to give the gift of a plant, a package of bulbs, or seeds. Winter is the perfect time to be thinking about the spring garden to come.

Your plant could come in the form of a house plant that will not be affected by the cold weather outside. It could be something quite festive, such as a poinsettia or amaryllis bulb, to be enjoyed throughout the season. A cool, thrifted plant pot to present it in might be a fun bonus.

You could also buy a few packets of wildflower or veggie seeds ready for winter or spring sowing. If you aren’t sure what to get for your recipient, an e-gift certificate for a sustainable seed company could be a great alternative.

If you are green-thumbed, your gift might be a plant that you raised yourself from a cutting or seed.

4. Shop Secondhand

Source: Katie Dianne/YouTube

Scouring bookshelves at thrift stores can throw out some really good finds. You might find books by your friend’s favorite author,  a rare signed copy, an antique or collectible, or simply a wild card.

Secondhand clothing is a little trickier to get away with as a gift, as sizing and fit can become an issue. However, accessories are always a lot easier to work with. Riffle through the bags and purses for cool vintage pieces, or pull out some winter warmers, such as scarves and gloves.

Remember, check in with what your recipient might need. Secondhand gloves are still just ‘stuff’ if your friend already has two perfectly good pairs.

Related Content:

• DIY Gifts and Stocking Stuffer Ideas for Gen-Z Made with Items at Home!
• Easy Swaps to Help Make Your Holidays Waste Free!
• 12 Easy Tips for Making Your Christmas More Healthy, Eco-Friendly, and Compassionate!
• 10 Last-Minute Anti-Consumerist Holiday Gifts

Easy Ways to Help the Planet:

• Eat Less Meat: Download Food Monster, the largest plant-based Recipe app on the App Store to help reduce your environmental footprint, save animals and get healthy. You can also buy a hard or soft copy of our favorite vegan cookbooks.
• Reduce Your Fast Fashion Footprint: Take the initiative by standing up against fast fashion Pollution and supporting sustainable and circular brands like Tiny Rescue that raise awareness around important issues through recycled zero-waste clothing designed to be returned and remade over and over again.
• Support Independent Media: Being publicly funded gives us a greater chance to continue providing high-quality content. Please consider supporting us by donating!
• Sign a Petition: Your voice matters! Help turn petitions into victories by signing the latest list of must-sign petitions to help people, animals, and the planet.
• Stay Informed: Keep up with the latest news and important stories involving animals, the environment, sustainable living, food, health, and human interest topics by subscribing to our newsletter!
• Do What You Can: Reduce waste, plant trees, eat local, travel responsibly, reuse stuff, say no to single-use plastics, recycle, vote smart, switch to cold water laundry, divest from fossil fuels, save water, shop wisely, Donate if you can, grow your own food, volunteer, conserve energy, compost, and don’t forget about the microplastics and microbeads lurking in common household and personal care products!