Embrace Eco-Friendly Gift-Giving: How to Start a Fun and Meaningful ‘Recycled Holidays’ Tradition
It’s that time of year – holiday parties galore! White Elephants, Secret Santa, and perhaps even the expectation of buying holiday gifts for your whole tribe. Whether you love it or hate it – it’s inevitable.
Back when I was in college and my parents were going through a brutal divorce, I decided that I just wasn’t up for gift-giving. My mother, sister and I were all pinching pennies and really didn’t need anymore “stuff” in our lives. We were adults and if we wanted something, we’d just get it. Thinking back, we might as well have pulled out $50 and circulated it around to one another. Why go through all the “I hope she likes it” dance each season?
At the same time, I love to open a present! And it would have been mega-depressing not to have anything to exchange as a family. That was when the “Recycled Holidays” were born in our household.
The recycled holiday gifts rules were simple:
- You could not spend any money.
- The gift had to come from your own possession.
- It had to be of good quality.
- You can make it, but it can’t cost anything.
- Thought needed to be put into the gift receiver and their interests.
So basically – we were going to become the titans of “re-gifting.” The only difference was it wasn’t necessarily from a gift we had once received. It could have been an impulse buy that never came out of its packaging. A piece of art that doesn’t have a good spot in your home anymore. Or maybe even a partially used gift card with a random balance on it that you haven’t gotten around to cashing in.
Over the years, it has served several pleasant purposes. I can make a small dent in cleaning out my basement while also turning on my creative juices. I get to reflect on what I don’t need in my life anymore and who would really appreciate having it in theirs. Because really, who doesn’t
have a bin of “one day this will be useful” stuff lying around your house?
I’ve since adopted this tradition with my closest group of friends and even made it a reality in a past workplace. Bottom line, it’s been fun!
It’s really entertaining to see what people have squirreled away and their selections for everyone. I’d say 90% of the time, I love the gift, and 10%, I’m pretty sure they just wanted to get rid of it.
Two of my favorite recycled holiday gifts came from the same friend over the years. He’s an amazing cook, and one year, he pulled out all his favorite recipes and put them into an old binder he had. Then, last year, he took my new business card (having just started SparkVision) and stuck it in a frame he had. Two totally different gifts, but extremely thoughtful and cost him nothing! I cherish them both.
And if you want to think outside the box and take a playful jab – a friend once gave another an eviction notice they wrote up after he’d been crashing in their spare bedroom just a few weeks too long. We all died laughing when he read it out loud.
For adults out there who don’t need the latest widget, without hesitation, I’d empower you all to let go of long lines at the mall, holiday budgets, and stressful checklists. Try an eco-friendly, unique, and hilarious new tradition like the “Recycled Holiday Gifts” to make the season more about presence and less about presents!
Please note: I do not recommend this for kiddos. This is a fun twist for us mature folks who don’t send wish lists to magical men at the North Pole!
