This year, our goal for Christmas is to find a way to spend less money, produce less waste, reduce our carbon footprint, spread the sustainable living style and most importantly, create a meaningful, joyful and fun Christmas that is not centered around consumption, in short a green Christmas.
Your Opinion about Christmas
First of, we would like to challenge you to think about the true meaning of Christmas and gifting. Here are 10 questions to try to get to the bottom of it:
- What is your opinion about Christmas, and your understanding of Christmas gifting?
- What is the meaning behind this tradition?
- Why do we do that and why we should do that?)
- What is your experience with Christmas gifting?
- Do you like it? Are you always looking forward to it?
- What kind of gifts do you give? how do you choose these gifts?
- What kind of gifts have you received? Do you think they are useful or meaningful?
- Do you tell people what you wish for? Do they tell you what they wish for?
- How much money do you spend on gifts, and how many people do you give gifts to?
- What do you think is the relationship between, economy, people and nature during the Christmas season, or any other holiday seasons such as Easter, Halloween, or also Birthdays?
- What is your expectation towards the Christmas of the future? What is your vision of the future Christmas celebration…
- If you are not happy with what we are doing nowadays on Christmas, do you have any suggestions or ideas for creating a new tradition? A green Christmas?
Green Gifting Ideas
Here are some green Christmas gift ideas across different categories.
- Spend money on objects Books, sustainable products (beeswax paper, Furoshiki), simple objects people wish for, or that you are very certain people need (a scarf, a handkerchief, a pair of mittens), homemade products, products from the markets, beeswax candles, knitted hats, etc.
- Spend money on experience Romantic dinner together, cinema, spa, concert, bungee jumping, parachute jumping, a boat trip, a hike trip, a donation, etc.
- Spend money on nature Buy seed bombs, adopt a vine for wine lovers, bird seeds bombs, bee hotels, etc.
- Spend time instead of money Homemade food (check some recipes online for inspiration), create your own recipe book, invite people for dinner, homemade products, write a poem, paint a piece of art, offer some coupons for love and treat, etc.
- Spend your talent Sing a song (maybe record it), dance, play some tunes with your favorite instrument, perform, entertain, act, etc.
- Spend nothing, give nothing Not everyone is rich enough to support our consumer economy, but due the social pressure of giving, they are forced to buy cheap and low quality products… Time is money, and life is hard. Not everyone can afford to spend money, while themselves are struggling with life. The environment is really suffering on our generosity of giving and trashing during the holiday seasons. So how about giving nothing this year? People need more attention than stuff, they need time and care. Stuff can never replace that. People need models, pioneers, to show that Christmas is not all about the stuff. A model to boycott the participation of the annual gifting exchange competition. If you suck at picking gifts, give nothing. If you don’t need anything and don’t want to receive anything, give nothing. If you know that your friends or family are thinking the same, give nothing. Give them your presence, not just presents. Give them your time, be there for them, with your full heart and all your love. Be there with them, because you want to be there, and not because you are expecting anything from them. Listen to their concerns about their life, offer help, give them your warmth and kindness, share your compassion and happiness, show them your confidence of knowing what you are doing is right. Engage with your family or friends to prepare a dinner, contribute some ingredients, or help to cook. Look after the children of friends, or relatives and play with them to given them a break. Play games with everyone, bring up a good atmosphere. Sing them a song, read them a poem. Maybe even tell them about what you read today and what you think about the true meaning of Christmas.
What to give, and how to give, that is an entire other subject, we will go over another time.
The True Meaning of Christmas
Taking and giving are both very important for engaging with people, showing affection and sharing ideas. Also, the act of giving imparts a certain sense of purpose in life and contribution to the society, sharing is a fundamental human need. But it is better to give, when we see there is an actual need, rather than under social pressure. Ultimately, Christmas is not about giving gifts, it is about showing kindness, helping each other and being together during the long cold nights. Giving without thinking of taking is the true beauty of the Christmas spirit. As the famous saying goes:
To give up one’s very self — to think only of others — how to bring the greatest happiness to others — that is the true meaning of Christmas
Green Christmas Gift Wrapping
If we already bought things, or can satisfy an actual need with our present, or somehow we have to bring gifts, then let’s at least reduce the trash we produce by using reusable gift wrapping. Learn some techniques you can use with a piece of squared towel from Japan, called Furoshiki. We are a huge fan of these towels, and use them every single day.
Wrapping & Knotting Assignments
Here’s your Christmas gift Furoshiki knotting and wrapping assignments to practice some common techniques for wrapping gifts. You will find instructions for these on our website.
- Wrap objects with two basic knots (basic wrap, or long objects wrap)
- Pack up objects with four knots as decoration (four ties wrap)
- Wrap two wine bottles and books (two bottles wrap and two books wrap)
- Make one or two bags for shopping on the farmers market, in the bakery or the supermarket when purchasing your Christmas gifts (basic bag style, water drop style)
Please share you ideas and opinions about a green Christmas in the comments below.
