Make the Holidays Greener with these Eco-friendly Gift-giving Tips

Thanksgiving dinner is done, lights are going up all over town, and evergreens are making their journeys on car rooftops – the holiday season is here. Interested in being a greener gift-giver this year? Follow these tips to give presents that loved ones and the environment will appreciate.

1. Virtual gifts are great

Give an e-gift card to a new restaurant, favorite store, or even sites like Airbnb! Just warn the recipient that the email is coming, otherwise the recipient may think it is spam and delete the email. This may be best for those recipients that are more tech-savvy, so use the additional tips below (#4-7) for giving physical gifts.

2. Donate to a charity in their honor

Let’s be honest, after a certain age we really don’t need more stuff to clutter up our houses. Donate to a charity or cause that the giftee is passionate about and encourage others to do the same for you. My husband and sister-in-law trade charitable donations every year and my parents have started doing that for us as well. Last year I participated in the 100 Mile Trail Challenge to support the Keystone Trails Association and asked that all gifts to me instead be donated toward my fundraising goal. Double check if your employer offers a matching gift program to increase your impact.

3. Buy experiences, not stuff

In the same vein as #2, skip the societal push to acquire more things and focus on experiences you can do to expand your knowledge and have fun – gift a wine tasting day, a class for learning a new hobby, or a vacation to a cool place. So the recipient has something to open the day-of – which may be especially important for kids – you can place the details for the experience in an envelope. I gifted a wood working class to my husband several years ago, in the form of a wood burned item along with a sign I made for his workbench. It was a fun addition and it can be composted once he remembers to cash it in!

4. Reuse gift bags and tissue paper 

Store bought paper gift bags tend to be fairly sturdy, so they can be reused for multiple gifts. If the bag is not torn or damaged, fold it up after you receive the gift and use it for the next holiday party or next year’s festivities. Just remember not to write on the gift tag if there is one, or cut the tag off if it was written on.

Used tissue paper is perfectly acceptable to reuse and re-gift. The paper always gets crumpled and usually rips by stuffing it into the bag anyway, so no one will be the wiser! Whenever I receive gift bags, I make sure to lay the tissue paper out flat and fold it up neatly to remove as many wrinkles as possible. I do discard heavily crinkled or ripped paper. I bet if you really cared you could iron the tissue paper flat using a towel … but no one will care or notice! Apparently tissue paper should not be recycled, so all the more reason to re-use or find non-toxic tissue paper that can be composted in the garden.

Challenge your friends and family to see how many holidays you can go without buying a new gift bag! I have a stack of assorted of gift bags and tissue paper from various holidays that I fold up and put away until next season. It also saves money by avoiding buying new bags and tissue paper. I am going on 5 years and have quite the collection (so if you know me personally and need a bag, let me know!). 

5. Reuse bows and ribbon

Growing up, my mother always saved bows from gifts and reused them from year to year. Her favorite decorative bows came out each season and she made sure she got them back before the wrappings ended up in the trash. If the sticker on the bow has worn away, just use a bit of tape. No one will notice or care. 

If you have inquiring young minds who are curious why Mommy’s and Daddy’s bows appear on gifts from Santa, just give them the facts: Santa is interested in going green – his mode of locomotion uses carbon neutral reindeer and magic after all – so he totally supports cutting down on waste and lets his elves know not to put bows on your gifts. 

I also save scraps of ribbon that are placed on gifts. I save all sizes and colors of fabric ribbons, but I will also reuse plastic ribbon if I can untie the knots. Use scissors to re-curl the ribbon and it looks brand new! I have another assortment of used ribbon that can be re-tied for Christmas, birthdays, baby showers, or any number of occasions. 

6. Use recyclable wrapping paper

This first option sounds easy, but most wrapping paper on the market is actually not recyclable. According to Recycle Now, many wrapping papers are too thin to extract useful fibers or are laminated, heavily dyed, and may contain materials like foil and glitter that make it impossible to recycle. If it has foil, glitter, or is plastic coated, it belongs in the trash. Buy only paper that can be recycled (be sure to check with your waste hauler first if they accept wrapping paper) and it’s a bonus if you can find wrapping paper made from recycled materials, which helps cut down on waste. If it passes the scrunch test – ball up the used paper and see if it holds it’s crumpled shape – and doesn’t contain plastic, foil, or glitter, it can go in the recycle bin. Choosing recyclable paper is half the battle – the next challenge is to make sure it actually ends up in the recycling bin after the opening is done and paper is scattered about the house. Recycle all paper gift bags and recyclable paper, first making sure to cut off any non-recyclable parts like fabric handles. 

7. Buy compostable wrapping paper instead of trying to recycle it

You can also find wrapping paper that is compostable. Buy paper free from toxic dyes, foil, glitter, or plastic coatings. Use it, compost it, and reap the benefits in your spring garden. Plain craft paper, often used as packing material for shipments or in art class, is compostable. You can even decorate it with nontoxic ink or pencil and write the recipient a note instead of buying a card.

8. Use alternative wrapping paper or ditch it altogether

Giving to an adult? Skip the fancy wrapping paper and repurpose junk mail or newspapers lying around instead of using fancy paper that has one purpose – to be ripped and discarded within 5 seconds. Save the pretty wrapping paper for kids. Or, give naked gifts and have the recipient close their eyes before receiving. Re-using the delivery box the gift came in is another tactic I use to avoid wrapping paper – it’s not beautiful, but it’s functional, and the box can be recycled after it is opened.

Alternative wrapping paper can also include the gift. One year my mother-in-law wrapped her gift to us from her travels in Amsterdam with a decorative kitchen towel depicting a famous Amsterdam building. Two birds, one stone! Wrapping gifts in cloth is a traditional practice in Japan and is a great way to give a thoughtful, eco-friendly gift. Decorative cloths, called furoshiki, are used in intricate ways to wrap gifts.

9. Skip the card

Some households are card givers and some are not. I come from a pro-card family and get sent cards for almost every holiday. Skip the cards where you can and send holiday cards via email or see #7 and write your heartfelt message directly on the gift. 

10. Buy local

Find a local gift shop in your town and shop there for gifts instead of ordering gifts to be delivered to your house, saving airline and delivery truck fuel. It also boosts the local economy and supports small businesses. 

I hope you find these tips helpful to have a greener, earth-friendly holiday season. Happy Holidays to you all!