Iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit's...that time of year again...and, not to be a downer...but honestly, it's a tough one for the environment.
All the sustainable habits we've been developing all year round just tend to go out the window, and we're swallowed up by the glitz and lights and tinsel. We're cutting down trees to adorn with plastic decorations because we love that fresh, pine smell in our house over the holiday season. We use masses of non-recyclable papers and plastics to wrap gifts for our loved ones that we bought from the biggest, shiniest, most capitalist brands who, behind the scenes, are exploiting their workforced. And The Grinch knew the truth about where all (if not, many) of those gifts go after the holidays are over...landfill.
It can be a struggle to negotiate doing enough for those you love this time of year, and being eco-friendly and sustainable as possible. That's why we at R.R.Memorandum have decided to create not only our very own gift certificate campaign for the holiday season, but also give you some hints and tips about how to make your frilly holiday season greener! Since we, after all, are trying out very best to be as sustainable as possible...we wanted to share some of our favourite tips and tricks with you, our lovely supporters!
Gifting
1. Handmade/Upcycled Gifts:
Money being tight this year, I'm handmaking the majority of the gifts I am giving to my friends and family...and I'm having so much fun doing it! Now, let's not beat around the bush, here. We here at RRM know that everyone has got different talents, and not everyone's talents lie in arts, craft or general handiness. Can you bake? Make your friends baked goods for Christmas/Chanukah! However, handmade doesn't even need to mean a physical gift. Maybe spending some time curating a list of experiences you want to have with your best friend in 2022, compiling a playlist or even writing a story or poem for your special someone would mean so much more to them than buying them something they don't really need.
Handmaking gifts is a love-language like no other. And for many EGL fanciers out there, it is part of the lifestyle...
2. Gift experiences:
It's kind of hard to know what way the pandemic is going to make things go next week, let along next year. However, gifting experiences to those close to you (especially if you also have a ticket for yourself) is a great way to let that person know you want to spend time with them doing fun things and making great memories beyond the main days. We find the more practical the experience is, the more fun the memories shared are!
3. Friendship group Secret Santa/Gift Swap:
Another incredible way to have a more sustainable holidays season is to do some kind of gift-swap. Especially if you are part of a friendship group (as a lot of frilly people tend to be), it can be a lovely idea to pick the name of a giftee out of a hat at random and just give to that one person in the group a gift from you. You can all get together and enjoy a cute afternoon tea together and exchange Secret Santa gifts - being in each other's presence becomes the main present as you watch the joy on people's faces as they open their gift.
4. Gift Vouchers for Small Businesses
Gift vouchers are a great idea - but only from a small businesses trying their best to be sustainable. If your loved-one's favourite small business sells vouchers this time of year (like, for example, R.R.Memorandum) - it might be a nice idea to pick on up, instead of blindly buying something you think they would like. This is a good way to make sure that there's no environmentally costly returns.
Reuse, Recycle, Compost.
5. Real or Fake? The Great Christmas Tree Debate:
A fascinating study by the Soil Association stated that, although the cutting down of trees has an impact on the habitat of the species who live in them and are lost as carbon capturers, most real Christmas trees on the market are grown ethically for that specific purpose. Sourcing a locally grown tree can be a challenge, however is worth it if this tree can then be reclaimed by nature in your garden compost heap after Christmas is over. Although fake Christmas trees seem like the more sustainable choice to make, this is a bit of a red herring. Most artificial Christmas trees are made from non-recyclable plastics, PVC and metal. The average artificial tree has an average carbon footprint of 40kg. Getting a real tree, especially a potted Christmas tree as can be purchased now, is a better, more environmentally friendly way to celebrate the season.
6. Gift Wrap and Christmas Cards - Switch to an Eco-Friendly option
Did you know that most traditional wrapping paper and occasion cards are not suitable for recycling? This is due to the fact plastic-based glitters are often used to embellish these. Luckily, there are so many businesses now which produce recycle-friendly wrappings and cards. Companies like Eco-Vibe are fabulous places to purchase these from!
Final Notes
All these tips and tricks are designed to easily be followed to help you have a more eco-friendly holiday season. If you would like to buy a voucher from R.R.Memorandum for your loved one to allow them to choose their gift from our online shop, you can do so here.