12 Days of Blogmas: Day 5 📦

On the fifth day of Blogmas, GingerLeafLiving gave to me………………………………….. Thoughtful gifting!

Welcome back for Day 5 friends! Now, we know it’s great to get a surprise at Christmas, or to find something so unexpectedly perfect for someone that you know they will adore it. But what about those tricky ones on the list, that you just never know what to buy for? Christmas can be an extremely wasteful time of year, and one of the problems can come from unwanted/ill-matched gifts, that are either then taking up space at home unused, or unfortunately adding to the demand for materials on the planet. But don’t be consumed with guilt just yet, this year and all that follows will be different. You just have to ask.

A lot of the time we don’t want to ask what someone wants for Christmas because it takes the surprise element out of gifting, but it is so much better for the recipient, the environment and you. If like me, you get to gifting events and suddenly can’t think of anything to ask for, keep a list all year of things you need or would really like. Then at birthdays and Christmas, you can share ideas from the list with friends and family when they ask. It’s always nice to get something you know you will use and that will make life easier, so assume it’s the same for others and ask them if there is anything they’d like. If they don’t give you a specific answer, it’s always good to go for consumables that will get used anyway, like food or toiletries 🍫

Another gift idea that gets unnecessary bad press is the gift voucher. Famed for being impersonal and a cop out for finding a ‘proper’ gift, gift cards get a bag rep at this time of year. But have you ever been disappointed to receive a gift voucher for a place you love? No! Whether it’s a restaurant, local spending card or for an attraction, gift cards are a great way of treating someone to enjoy their favourite things. No need for gift card guilt!

Finally, instead of physical gifts that may not get the use, gifting experiences can be a better way of being less wasteful by making more memories. Especially booking an experience for both yourself and the other person, you also gift them your time to spend together. It could be tickets to a favourite band, train tickets for a weekend away or classes to learn a skill they have always talked about. The experience doesn’t have to be a purchased one either, it could be a ticket of your own making to promise to spend a day hiking with them, or looking after the kids for a night. Something special where you can spend quality time together, which can last a lot longer than the time spent with an unwanted gift.

So there you have it, asking what people want, giving gift vouchers and sharing experiences are some of the best gifting options out there, and aren’t nearly as boring as they have been made out to be. This is your sign to message your friends and get them something you know they will cherish and use this Christmas 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦

Resource & reference: https://www.wwf.org.uk/top-tips-sustainable-christmas