As we are approaching the holiday season whether it’s Diwali, Thanksgiving, Christmas, or New Year’s, a few of the main highlights of all of them include gifts, decorations, wrappings, gift bags, etc. We go on this spree of buying tons of items to gift our friends and family. We buy tons of gift paper to wrap these items. We buy gift bags and filler paper for bags to make them pretty. We buy lots of plastic in the form of decorative items around the house. For Christmas, we cut down trees just to have them for a few days at our homes. All of this not only creates a lot of waste but drives into the capitalist society which is one of the reasons for our degrading climate future. It might seem hard to fathom but we need to understand that every single action we take in our daily lives has a profound impact on the environment on a collective scale.
So how about we change that? Holidays are all about family and friends, enjoying time with loved ones, celebrating our traditions but how about making them also a means to do better for the environment? So how do we do that? There are a lot of creative ways to do that, we can come up with our own ideas but also look for inspiration around us. Some of the ways you can reduce waste this holiday includes the following:
Instead of buying gift paper, use newspapers that you get every day to wrap your gifts. You
can use creative gift-wrapping techniques to make them look pretty.You can paint newspapers to give a nice touch. You can even use threads and dried leaves to make the wrap look pretty. You can even save the gift wraps you receive by opening them without tearing them and then reuse them. You can save the gift bags you receive and reuse them. You can even use cloths or banana leaves or bigger leaves to wrap your gifts. Even important is the fact that as you do this you set an example for your family and friends, and you can use this moment to encourage them to do the same. This way not only do you still wrap your gift but also do so in a less wasteful way.
Another thing to keep in mind is, do we really need to buy so many materialistic things as gifts. How about a gift something that our family members really need in the house which will come in handy? Or how about we gift experiences, so we drive away from materials but still give a great gift. These could be spa tickets, sports tickets, vacation package, e-gift cards, or food experiences! It is time to put on the creative hats and think deeper into what our family would enjoy rather than just materialistic short-lived temptation.
For decorating your house, reuse what you already have, thrift for what you don’t have and absolutely need and DIY some of the decorations with things around your house. You can use dried autumn leaves for gift fillers, for decorating table settings and even to create a wreath. You can search online on social media to find inspiration on how natural items can be used to decorate. When it comes to Christmas trees, this can be a little controversial but over the long run it makes sense to either thrift or buy fake Christmas tree and reuse it every year during Christmas rather than cutting down actual trees. Unless you know companies that do not cut down forests and farm christmas trees, accept old ones and grow new ones.
As we go through holiday seasons each year, these are just some of the things we can start doing to stop creating a lot of waste at the end of it. You can also come up with more ideas and share with families and friends and inspire them to make better choices. Remember the change starts with you! Share your ideas in the comments.
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