Every year I face the same Christmas gift dilemma. How do I respect the ritual gift giving and avoid the consumer hype that’s so much a part of the holiday season?
Here are just some of the reasons to put the brakes on Christmas shopping.
- Consumer debt. A third of Canadians spend more than they can afford on Christmas gifts.
- Too much stuff. No one I know needs the latest hot gift, a selfie toaster.
- Producing and transporting ‘stuff ‘puts a strain on the earth’s limited resources.
- Money spent on gifts could help people who are in more need.
If you want to buy something, consider local arts and crafts sales, or shopping online with northern producers at Tłı̨chǫ online or Acho Dene Native Crafts. Buying local benefits the local economy and the people in your community.
It’s increasingly popular to “buy” a goat, drinking water or some other gift from catalogues put out by charities such as Oxfam, Nature Conservancy Canada, Unicef and even the NWT Literacy Council. The David Suzuki Foundation has fun ‘No More Stuff ‘ gift tags that you can download from their website and print. One version fits on top of a mason jar filled with something homemade, such as antipasto or jam.
You can give someone a Canada Helps gift card so they can support a charity of their choice. Some organizations, such as Ten Thousand Villages, have more tangible gifts that benefit community-based organizations or producers in other parts of the world.
You can find lots of ideas for giving your time and skills instead of things on the Internet. Here’s a few ideas.
- Organize a book swap with friends and neighbours. Give a well-chosen used book.
- Check out our bookmaking videos on YouTube and help your child make books for their friends.
- Organize an ‘abundance swap’ of good quality things that people don’t need that others can give as gifts.
- Make a video of a day in the life of your family for your relatives.
- Give experiences - anything from a movie pass to an ice fishing excursion
- Home-made Christmas ornaments make lovely gifts that can be used for many years.
- Give busy parents a card for a week’s worth of meals or a few hours of child care.
- Turn a blank book into a personal journal for a friend. Add inspiring quotes and illustrations that are meaningful to both of you.
What are you doing to make your holiday season more green, merrier and less stressful?
-- Aggie Brockman
