It’s the holiday season! Hanakkah has just wrapped up, Christmas is a few weeks away, and people are celebrating festivus and all the other wonderful holidays that occur this time of year. It should be a time to slow down, spend time with loved ones, do a puzzle or build a snowman.
In reality, this time of year can be very stressful. Balancing family, work, personal care, and the holidays often makes me feel overwhelmed. Sometimes I feel as if I am being pulled in several different directions – wanting to spend time with my family but feeling guilty that I am dedicating sufficient time to one of my passion projects. I have to remember to ease up on myself and enjoy the moments as they come.
Living zero waste can feel like a chore this time of year. Living zero waste takes more effort, more planning, and more awareness than simply going to Amazon and ordering a bunch of physical gifts. I get it. But let me thank you for continuing to live waste-free. You are helping to make the world better for the future.
I hope that this list, comprised of zero waste or low waste gift ideas, helps you stay zero waste this holiday season (and helps you stay sane!).
- Opt out of physical gifts and give the gift of a toy library to the young person in your life, a tool library for the DIY person, a yoga class for the healthy friend, or a night out rock climbing for the adventurer in your life. Experiences are a great alternative to a physical gift wrapped in plastic
- Fill a mason jar with locally roasted small-batch coffee from SK Coffee and include a reusable coffee filter.
- Peruse the bulk section at your co-op for package-free chocolates, coffee, tea, or dried fruit and gift this in a cool vintage container.
- Use reusable gift wrapping materials, such as cloth bags, instead of paper and bows. You can make your own cloth bags from old t-shirts or purchase a reusable tote bag with a mission from The Tote Project.
- Purchase items from companies that are committed to sustainability, like Solgaard. Solgaard makes a backpack, duffel, and travel luggage out of recycled plastics from the ocean.
- Give the gift of zero waste – create your own zero waste gift set with a fun theme, like “travel” or “foodie”. You can also check out pre-made zero waste gift sets at my passion project, Tare Market.
- Host a zero waste party. I did this last year for over fifty guests and was surprised how easy it was. Ask guests to bring only compostable items into your house and have reusable cutlery, plates, glasses, etc. available for guests to use.
- Gift a book on the zero waste lifestyle. Some great zero waste books are Zero Waste Home, The Zero-Waste Lifestyle: Live Well by Throwing Away Less, Minimalism: Live A Meaningful Life, and Zero Waste Life: In Thirty Days. Try to find the book at a used book store or or electronically on a service like Audible.
- Make a donation to a cause on behalf of your giftee. This will make their heart grow three sizes!
- Make seed bombs. Ask your friends or neighbors if they have any extra seeds and make these great (and really affordable) seed bombs.
- Gift a digital subscription to a service such as Audible, Spotify, or a digital newspaper or magazine.
- Gift a State Parks Pass, National Park Pass, or even local dog park pass.
Happy holidays! I am forever grateful for you.
Great blog post on the holidays! So many good ideas!