I am told that this time period counts as “last minute” Christmas shopping. Well, with Amazon prime and online shopping, there is plenty of time left to order! And if you’re up for making gifts, you can make them up to the last minute, truly. (When I hand made all my gifts a few years ago, I did it on the 22nd + 23rd.)
When thinking about gifts to give (or get) this holiday season, the biggest tenet of gifts with a lighter impact is reduce – aka: less clutter, less waste and is when the use of reusable baskets are perfect for this, and you can shop online and save money acquiring these baskets. (My inclination toward less stuff perfectly aligns with my inclination to be a good steward of the earth. And also, my inclination to live frugally. Except that one’s not so much of an inclination as it is a necessity at this point in our lives.)
So! Here is my entirely-not-inclusive-and-probably-leaving-something-out list of gift ideas:
Experiences
With nothing to store, experiences are a great option like a trip to florist rouse hill and also getting her some flowers. (We hate to think of a carefully selected gift as ever becoming a source of clutter, but the gift of an experience assure that won’t happen>)
- Membership to a zoo, aquarium, or museum.
- Concert or play tickets.
- A massage or haircut at a swanky spa.
Handmade
The most time-consuming option, but also the most affordable and special.
- Sew something. A tote and fill it with goodies. Pot holders to go with a pretty dish. An apron and a fun whisk. (Bonus points if it’s made from recycled material or vintage fabric.)
- Can’t sew? There are plenty of ideas on Pinterest.
- FOOD. Food mixes in mason jars, candies, baked goods, or any other delicious treat. Consumables are a great gift for the minimalist, since when it’s gone – it’s gone.
- Can’t make it yourself? Check out Etsy. Support handmade!
Reusable
Help reduce waste and save money by giving gifts that keep their house free of disposable goods.
- Reusable snack bags.
- Scale models using 3D scanning services can also make a great gift
- Reusable grocery totes – end the constant stream of plastic bags under their sink with a few good grocery totes. I like these.
- Dish towels
- Cloth napkins. I love these made with vintage fabric.
Cookbooks
Cooking is just a good life skill. Saves you money, waste, and it’s healthier. Except when I use tons of butter. Which I often do.
- Vegetarian or vegan cookbooks – Not eating meat is the single biggest way you can lessen your carbon footprint. You won’t even miss the meat with this cookbook.
Fair trade or charity
- Donate money to a cause that’s important to them.
- Sponsor a child.
- Support Heifer International. (We did this last year for Mike’s dad and were surprised by how much he loved it.)
- Buy fair trade coffee, clothes, chocolate, or toys. Fair trade gifts (We buy Dean’s Beans and love them.)
Sustainable materials
- Wooden gifts should be sustainably harvested. Bamboo is also great option, since it’s renewable. I like the bamboo mounted photo and got two of them for family members.
- I love these trucks and toys made from recycled plastic bottles.
- Organic cotton – conventionally grown cotton is harsh to the environment and the workers who pick the cotton. I am mildly obsessed with this adorable fair trade, organic cotton veggie toy.
(Note: Please don’t think that every single one of my gifts I’m giving is 100% sustainable, handmade, fair trade, and organic. I am in no way perfect at this – just wanted to share a few ideas for giving. It certainly isn’t all or nothing when it comes to gifts.)
I love these ideas! Do you have any recommendations for vegetarian cookbooks? It’s something I really want to get back to incorporating in our lives. (Vegan is a little hardcore for me though!)
Kind of a weird answer, since it’s *technically* a breastfeeding + pregnancy cookbook for vegetarian moms, but this book is filled with great recipes for everyone, not just moms!
Oh I love all this! One of my favorite gifts is a homemade food and two cloth napkins. Or, let’s be honest…A bottle of booze.
I love that!
Great idea! I am definitely one of those people who buys fair trade whenever possible, especially for clothes/jewelry if it is on people’s list. And I’m making great use of CraigsList to get some things for my brother (all clean/sanitary items) so while it’s not perhaps eco-friendly it’s reusing things that are already out there so that counts, right? And lastly I hoarde tissue paper and bags from previous Christmases and reuse it as much as I can.
TOTALLY eco-friendly to get second-hand. We actually got a lot of second-hand gifts for our wedding and baby shower (we asked for them, in fact!)
I love that you know what fair trade is. :)
Your ideas are brilliant. Where were you a month ago when I started my holiday shopping? That said, I’ve been in love with our Williams Sonoma waffle dish towels … and they’re starting to look really ratty. The link you provided for dish towels looks like exactly what we need (and for far less, plus no shipping, thanks to Prime!!!).
I’m giving a BPA-free reusable freezer container filled with homemade cookies for all of my $10-15 gift exchanges (don’t get me started on these exchanges). I’m supporting the mama who sells the containers and giving something people can use again and again! Hoooray!
Love your other ideas too!!!!!!!!!
You have…multiple gift exchanges? I should consider myself lucky I just do family gifts! :)
(But it sounds like you have it covered – useful AND tasty!)
We draw sibling names and cousin name, and even my daughter draws a cousin…so my family gift giving is to a minimum (thank God!) and Eric’s family doesn’t do gifts, just money towards our vacation fund(YAY!!!!). So really I shouldn’t complain. We just have small gift exchanges that seem to pop up with our bible study or other social groups. Fortunately those are all white elephant so bring on the Tupperware of cookies!!!
Thanks for sharing your ideas, Ash! xoxo
Ya know, I agree 100% with the idea of giving gifts that matter — like experiences. Instead of getting ‘things,’ we ask for experiences. We’ve asked for a gift certificate to the Nat since our gym membership is up for renewal in January.
What a GREAT post Ashley! I love this! Since I took knitting back up this summer I have a lot of scarves I’m giving this year!
A friend recently told me she gives Kiva donations for gifts, which is a fun idea since the receipient can keep donating the money over and over.
Yes! Kiva is awesome. I did that for my mom for Mother’s Day one year (to a woman-run business) and she LOVED it. :)