Every year I try to think of a new way to give gifts that are light on their environmental impact and it's exhausting. One year I even tried not giving physical gifts but rather experiences and it totally bombed. Less than half of the recipients used their gift and not because they weren't a good choice for the individual but because they just didn't have the time. I get it, a lot of people probably cursed my name for getting their kid lessons or classes that required them to drive them somewhere once a week. I just couldn't do any more toys. Kids have so many toys, so.many.toys
I normally would jump to Etsy as my solution to find non typical toys or non-toy gifts but the Canadian dollar is so frickin terrible right now that it makes options on Etsy very limited. Even when I search only stores in Canada I still get hit with the high shipping charges, which in most cases totally busted the budget.
Then I had a light bulb moment. What if I just gave people what they wanted instead of looking for the perfect wooden toy made in Canada with solar powered wind mills and fair trade recycled not old growth wood that was harvested and carried through the tundra by unicorns. (If you sell this product please call me).
What if I gave with purpose rather than trying to live up to some guilt ridden ideal that I keep placing on myself? Craft supplies, STEM products and games are all under the tree this year, and yes some of them contain plastic. I was looking for a dream catcher making kit and the one I had my eye on came with a wooden ring as the base for the dream catcher. The problem was that it was twice the price of the kit with the plastic ring. Was I really going to spend an extra $20 just to get a wooden ring? No. No I was not.
Often I find the perfect gift when I am browsing Mom2Mom Facebook groups or thrift stores but that holiday guilt creeps up and I wonder what others will think of a 2nd hand gift. I do it all the time for my own kid, and he thinks its pretty cool, but not everyone is okay with it. And honestly, I bet they would think that I am cheap.
I'm starting to find peace with a non 100% green holiday. My food will still be organic, gifts are wrapped with upcycled paper, and about half of the gifts for B are 2nd hand or homemade. But our gingerbread houses are full of HFCS, our tree isn't real and there is a plastic bow and arrows under the tree.
Do you put pressure on yourself to have that perfectly green holiday?
Related Posts - Check them out
Buying Gifts for an Eco-Conscious Girl
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Oy. Green guilt. You had to go there. Sigh. Holiday season is the worst for green guilt. I dread getting a (fresh) tree every year because of green guilt. It wasn't this hard when I didn't 'know' anything. This year, again, I procrastinated and wouldn't you know it...there was a post about finding ticks in fresh trees! So I immediately declared (and so happily too) that we're not getting a fresh tree this year because of ticks! And that we'll buy a non-toxic fake tree after Christmas when it's on sale. You do what you can do, ya know? For once, I'm glad to learn about ticks in trees.
ReplyDeleteThere seriously is no winning it seems! Where did you find a non-toxic fake tree?
DeleteYes; I hate the whole "Black Friday" / "Cyber Monday" thing. I'm thankful that Small Biz Saturday is catching on with greater strength every year. I try to at least make my presents be organic, FairTrade, or BCorp companies/products, too! But there's just nothing you can do to control the presents and giftwrap that family members choose to use!
ReplyDeleteSo very true. We have no control over what others get for us so I focus on appreciating that they thought of me.
DeleteI'm not sure it's an entirely good thing, but I have started to cut myself more and more slack in the green dept. I've had many health problems this year and honestly can't handle the stress sometimes. I think you are wise to gift items that are wanted and will likely be used. Wish my in-laws would do the same!
ReplyDeleteYour health trumps every Betsy and honestly the stress just isn't worth it. We are doing more than most people are but this idea that we should all be "perfect" is unrealistic and frankly ridiculous.
DeleteI definitely put pressure on myself to buy second hand, buy less and such. It is a hard time of year, so fraught with pressure to consume.
ReplyDeleteHave you successfully be able to get away with giving 2nd hand to others?
DeleteI love this post. Thanks for your honesty Jen. I think we all struggle with this on a daily basis. My advice is to find what works in your life and for your family and then embrace it. We can't be perfectly green!
ReplyDeleteAgreed Lori. It's giving ourselves permission to not be perfectly green that takes some getting used to.
DeleteI put pressure on myself the entire year. Sometimes, I drive myself crazy. I keep reminding myself that I should just try my best. Sounds like you did the same. Happy holidays, Jen.
ReplyDeleteB's favourite line is "Try your best and forget the rest". It applies perfectly to all of us! Happy Holidays to you too Anna!
DeleteI know what you mean Jen. I try to be comfortable with a combination of greener and not-so-green gifts. It's all about being mindful!
ReplyDeleteI feel your pain. It is always a balancing act -- and sometimes the kids really want that plastic toy, don't they?
ReplyDeleteFood is the one thing I don't give in on, especially when he says he wants a KitKat (no Nestle in this house) or McDonalds.
DeleteIt is difficult to make everyone happy, but you have put in so much of effort to do your bit and that really counts. I am drawing inspiration from you.
ReplyDeleteYes, this! I love the idea of mindfulness as a solution.
ReplyDelete