The Tribune

By ALICIA WALLACE

The holiday season is here and with it comes the frustrations of increased traffic and difficulty managing limited budgets and unlimited needs. The perfect gift is often elusive, especially as so many people assign value to relationships based on the gifts they receive and the gifts they try to give.

While gift giving is a beautiful act, it can be complicated and create too much pressure at a time of year that is said to be about something else, but is reduced to a certain kind of competition. The mental and financial burden can be quite high. In addition, the holiday season and the related consumerism can be detrimental to the environment.

For this reason, a group of women working toward climate justice, facilitated by Marjahn Finlayson, worked together to develop a resource to guide decision-making and heighten awareness of the real impact of the way we spend our money not just in December, but year-round. The guide makes three big recommendations: buy less, make gifts, and offer donations.

Buying less is easy in theory, but when people are accustomed to gifts as a sign of love, it feels counterintuitive. There is the desire to give loved ones something, even when it would be useless to them.

There are people who need absolutely nothing. Their homes are comfortable and well-stocked. Their wardrobes are complete. They have the means to purchase toiletries and grocery as needed. They would likely tuck away a gift card and forget to use it before its expiration date. Whatever they want, they are able to acquire for themselves. Still, many of us take on the stress of finding the one item that would change it all.

We want to find the one gift that would surprise and delight because it is the thing they did not know they needed and would not have thought to get for themselves. We want to be the ultimate grifter—the one who will be remembered for years to come for this genius moment. What if we released ourselves from the expectation that we could fulfill this fantasy? What if we could accept that they have what they need and we cannot change that? What if we simply accepted the facts and decided to give them nothing? If that seems like going too far, consider one of the other two options: make something, or offer donations.

Get creative! You really want to give a gift, huh? This is a great opportunity to get creative. What are your skills? What can you offer the person that they would not be able to find in any store? You do not even necessarily need to be at the expert level to use your skills to create something unique for someone you know very well. If you are learning to knit, you can make a scarf. A scarf is not just a scarf. It is also the colour and the design. Importantly, it is its origin. It is a reminder of the source, whether it is the place you got the yarn, the time and effort that went into making it, the very intentional choice in colour, or the funny way you wrapped it to look like something else. The gift can be much more than the items itself. You are making a gift, and you are making a memory.

Consumable goods are among the best gifts you can give to someone who has no need for physical products. Bake your best lemon loaf, or a batch of those sea salt caramel brownies they love. Arrange a cookie exchange with your group of friends. Do you make the best fruit punch? Drop off a few gallons ahead of their annual holiday party. If they are try to eat better and have a hard time doing the preparation, you make them a great granola or trail mix.

Does it feel a bit too late to get everything in order to make a gift? Plan ahead for next year. For now, consider the third option: Offer a donation.

Support a cause with your dollars. At this time of year, nongovernmental organizations are often overextending themselves to meet the needs of people in situations of vulnerability as well as trying to make the holiday season a bit more cheerful. Think about the causes that your loved ones care about, talk about, and take action to change. If it is providing meals to those in need, purchase and donate cases of nonperishable items such as rice, pasta, canned vegetable, beans, and sugar, and evaporated milk.

Most of all, non-governmental organisations need money. This is what best helps them to function. Many operate without any funding from the government and with very restrictive grants. This means every dollar has to be spent in a particular way. Receiving donations gives them the flexibility to address emerging needs and longstanding issues that are not covered—often explicitly excluded—from grants. Consider making donations in the names of your loved ones. Think of the less popular organisations that do not have large companies and other groups of people consistently making donations and showing up to engage with the communities served. They may not be in the newspapers or television every day, but they need support too.

Another tip from the holiday shopping guide is to gift experiences and spend quality time with the people you love. Go for a drive together to look at the holiday decorations in neighbourhoods known for going all out. Challenge yourselves to full-body dips in the ocean. Who can get to waist-deep first? Who will make the most outrageous noise as they get deeper? Check out a national park and see who can identify the most plants. Take an art class together at a local gallery. Host a game night, and be sure to encourage everyone to bring a delicious addition to the snack table. Go to an art exhibition. Create a game of your own, like getting your friends to identify sodas by taste only. Find ways to spend time together, laugh together, and have stories to tell for years to come.

If you do decide to make purchases, especially at this late stage, shop locally. Support local artists, and prioritise small businesses. It is difficult to keep the doors of small businesses open, and it is a challenge to work as an artist full time. Get unique gifts while encouraging people to do what they love.

See the climate-conscious holiday shopping guide and learn more about the impact of your spending at tinyurl.com/CCHolidayShopping.