I’m dreaming of a Green Christmas…
Christmas is going to look a lot different this year, but you can still support your loved ones by giving useful gifts that they will cherish. For that friend who is trying to be more sustainable but doesn’t know where to start, or that person you never know what to get for. Here’s a guide on how to get every type of person personal gifts that they will truly appreciate, especially during these times. Gifts that keep on giving, for you and the planet.
For the busy one: Self-care basket
Self-care is essential, especially during these times. Get your busy loved ones through the winter by putting together a self-care basket!
Keep friends and family warm during the cold months by adding things like a reusable coffee cup, chai or Golden Milk drink and sustainable candles or a reed diffuser. You could even treat them to a Snippers whisky-, rum- or gin-making set or some Christmas pine soap to make it extra festive. Add some vegan dark chocolate and you’re done! An easier option is getting one of our gift sets, like the Shaving Gift Box, our Relaxing Bath Gift Box, or the Men's Gift Box.
For the nature lover: Potted plants
Photo by Kazden Cattapan on Unsplash
Potted plants are wonderful to give since they don't spoil in a week like a bouquet of flowers. Bring some greenery into the receiver's house, and give them a chance to connect with nature by mindfully taking care of the plants. Potting them in old jars and mugs creates a beautiful effect and makes the gift even more personal and reusable, especially with vintage teacups. If your receiver doesn’t have much of a green thumb, you can choose cacti or other succulents, since those don’t need a lot of water. A tin compost bin is also a great gift for a nature lover, so discarded food scraps can be reused.
For the food fan: Baked goods
Photo by The Creative Exchange on Unsplash
If you want to get something truly personal and from the heart, you can bake something. Cookies, cake, or brownies, all a guaranteed success! Something homemade and from the heart, that you have put time and effort in, is worth so much. Especially now, personal gifts are a way of connecting with someone. An added perk is that edible gifts are immediately enjoyed and won’t be laying around the house like permanent gifts. You can put it in a pretty vintage tin, so people can reuse the tin for gifts for others or for storing things, and decorate festively. Not much of a baker? Support local restaurants and surprise friends and family with some nice food. It’s important to support restaurants in these times, and by picking up the food and bringing your own containers, you can reduce waste.
For the creative one: Snail mail
Perhaps the most personal gift of all is snail mail. Perfect for crafty people! Just pack an envelope with some tea, stickers, washi tape, leftover pretty papers and any other crafty stuff you may have laying around the house. Then write a letter, and decorate everything. You can add some art or poems to make it extra special. A Christmas letter can have touches of gold, leftover rope, and bits of pine. Finish by dripping hot candle wax on the envelope closing. This present is a lot of fun to make and even more fun to receive. It’s unique, timeless, and you can make it completely from stuff you already have.
For the bored one: Give an experience
It can be boring to spend most of your time at home. But there are still safe opportunities for going out! Get someone a moment for themselves, and simultaneously support businesses that have it rough right now, by buying a gift card to a hair salon, spa or sauna. You can change the type of card up depending on what someone likes, like a museum card or a cinema card, or maybe even a library card.
If you want to give someone a physical gift and an experience at the same time, get them a gift card to a thrift shop like Rataplan. There is a Rataplan in most cities in the Netherlands and their stores are huge. Going out to thrift is fun and you can find unique items that are given a second life. Another experience would be to make jewellery together and then give it to each other. This doesn’t have to be face to face, you can also video call while crafting the pieces.
For the impossible-to-shop-for one: Useful (plastic reducing) gifts
Utilitarian gifts reduce waste, save money, will be used often and appreciated a lot. We all know how annoying it is to run out of something and having to buy it again. How nice would it be to not have to constantly buy these single-use products again, by receiving something like beeswax wraps or a water bottle that can be used again and again?
For someone who’s new to sustainable products, the Plastic Free Starter Gift Box is a great place to start.
Another nice plastic reducing gift is the Guppy friend, which not only stops micro plastics from being released into the environment during washing, but also protects clothes by reducing their fibre shedding.
The finishing touch: Packaging
There are so many ways of wrapping a gift without waste! You can wrap your gifts into one of our reusable gift wraps, newspaper, a scarf, a handkerchief, or a tea towel. You can also use a reusable container like a cleaned jelly jar, a basket or a tote bag. Decorate with rope, found pine cones or pine leaves and Christmas decorations for a festive extra touch. In these times a lot of people cannot visit family or friends, so we have the option of sending out the gift wrapped with recycled wrapping paper (just add a gift options ate the product page) and a lovely postcard.
What are you getting your friends and family for Christmas? Let us know in the comments!
Written by Talitha van der Meer
