This Christmas, your presence, is present enough... (pass me a bucket). But this sentiment is so true, even if you find the sentence a little vomit inducing. This episode is all about dodging the holiday excess and nailing the art of gifting with a conscience. Chatting how to keep things magical without the environmental baggage. Think less clutter, more memories; less wrapping, more... laughing? We're doing Secret Santa to make life easier, and I'm even going to tell you why your grandma's knitted socks might just be the sweetest thing you'll ever receive. Let's make this holiday season one where our gifts don't cost the earth—literally.
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Transcription:
Kia ora kaitiaki and welcome back to Now That's What I Call Green. I'm Brianne West, your host. You may know me as the girl who rewilds her property or possibly the founder of Ethique. Either way, I use this podcast to bust myths like, is plastic always the best option? No. And give you some help in how to make your impact on the planet a little bit lighter while still living your life. And of course, the holiday season is less than 45 days away, so today we're talking sustainable presents. Now giving gifts is one of the best feelings out there. It's so much cooler. Giving is so much better than receiving. There are loads of ways to give stuff that isn't necessarily stuff or at least has less impact on the planet. I'm not telling you to not celebrate the holidays at the double negative. You get my point. I'm just giving you some helpful tips on how you can stop wasting money on junk that nobody wanted anyway and lessen your impact on the planet. I also asked you about this on Instagram and man, did you deliver.
So we're going to incorporate some of your suggestions too because they were brilliant. Next episode is going to be Everything Sustainable Christmas, which is gonna be a bit meatier. This is just about presents because I don't know about you, but I'm already starting to fret about that impossible person to buy for in my life. And of course, this episode doesn't just apply to Christmas gifts. This applies to any time you ever wanna get anyone a present. Now, number one we're gonna start with is giving by giving back. I know, it sounds trite, doesn't it? But this is my perfect gift, so we're gonna start here, because this is my podcast and we can. What could be more in the spirit of giving than donations? So this year, consider making a charitable donation in someone's name. That person I'm talking about who's a nightmare to buy for, this could be well what they end up with.
Now you can do this easily through organizations like Oxfam. They have something called unwrapped Christmas cards. Now each card has a different cost, which is a donation to Oxfam, and it relates to a different thing. So, things like sending a girl to school, providing fresh water, buying a family of four food, tangible things that you know are making a difference to someone somewhere else. I always gave these as presents at a teak. I don't love cards. I think they're a massive waste of resources. This is the exception because these are doing good. Another option is the Good Registry, which is a company based right here in Aotearoa. You simply buy a gift card from their website, hand it to your recipient and your recipient can log on any point in time and choose who they want to donate that cash to. Easy peasy lemon squeezy and it's thoughtful.
There are heaps of other options to do this if you want to. So try and get a handle on what it is that your recipient loves and wants to support and then have a Google to find out what fits. Do they love sharks? Do they want to support shark conservation? Do they want to reforest an area? Maybe buy them a plant in that case. But make sure that whatever it is you do, do a little research and make sure the charity is legit. Because some of them, well, less so. Second option along the same line is experience is not things. Everyone's heard that saying, experiences are better than things. And I think it's true. I mean, what makes you happier? Being given something material like a new dress or a frank green emotional support water bottle or having the best day out ever. One comes with memories. The other one just sits in the drawer. Having a massage, going rafting down a river, if you're crazy being thrown out of a plane, it's always the experience that lasts the longest. Because the joy of physical things wears off a lot faster than the amazing memories ever will. So give experiences. Things like concert tickets or art classes. I often give my mum art classes. I think I've given her a pottery making class one time. What about a day out hiking if someone is particularly outdoorsy? These are gifts that become cherished memories, not just shit on a shelf. And they're a really lovely way to support local businesses and artisans.
But now if we move on to the physical stuff, where you just want to give someone a thing. It's all about quality, not quantity, because we are not about the Dudley Dursley life here. And yes, that's a Harry Potter reference. I'm sorry, I know I'm a 36 year old woman. You might think this bit spoils the magic of Christmas a little. But ask your recipient what they want. If you don't want to do that, fine. Ask yourself, will this gift meet a real need? It's not about spoiling the surprise so much, but actually giving someone something they'll use, something they need, something they want. For all you know, they could want some kind of tool, like an electric sander. Maybe they need help paying a bill that could genuinely change their life. Or maybe they need something to help them build a business, or an online subscription for something. You have no idea. Whatever it is, gifts can be magical and practical. The best gifts are. Although I highly recommend you never ever get someone an iron, unless, you know, they really want one.
I know that my dad did one time and we still talk about it at family dinners. But in the search for that perfect physical gift, have a think about the environmental footprint as well. So look for gifts that are made from recycled materials, not fucking bioplastics. But I won't get started on that. If you want to know more about bioplastics, the very first episode, I have a chat about it. Look for gifts that encourage a sustainable lifestyle, like a beautiful reusable coffee cup. But only if they don't already have one, because not to start another rant, but don't get me started on goddamn reusable stuff. I don't know, what about a cool toothbrush set? Plug here for a business with Bittermember. Fonky has just launched and they have, instead of changing your entire toothbrush, you just throw out the tiny head. Arguably a smaller footprint than any other toothbrush out there. That's F-O-N-G-K-Y. Link in the show notes. These are the kind of gifts that are giving long after the holidays are over. And they encourage good choices like gateway products, right?
So you have, if you have your reusable cut, you start thinking about other things. Maybe a reusable cutlery set instead of the stuff you get with take-aways. You know, they start to make people think about other things. Or may I suggest a shampoo bar. Next year you'll be able to celebrate with Incredibles too. But my all-time favorite present in this category is books. Now I only know two people in the world who don't like books and yeah, they do exist and yeah, I think it's weird too. But for the rest of the world, books are the best present. They come in all topics, all shapes, all colors, lengths, reading levels. They provide information, inspiration, education, entertainment. They're just brilliant. And if you spend some time in a book store, one of the best places in the world, truly thinking about a book that someone wants, that's a really thoughtful thing to do and that comes across in that present. This is something else I do for the Ethique team. Over the year, you get to know people well, so selecting books like, I mean, I can't give it away because that'll be for this year, but you pick up on things. And I love encouraging team members to start side hustles and start other businesses and eventually go on and perhaps run their own business. And so I've given a lot of business style books to people. This is definitely a tradition I will be carrying on with Incredibles and Business for Better. To any of the team listening, you didn't hear it.
Okay, next is a little bit cheesy. So brace yourself, this is a very gross saying. Sometimes the best gift you can give is your time because your presence is present enough. Gross, I know, I'm sorry. But seriously, this is a very sweet thing to do. Plan a day out with your loved ones, doing something you all enjoy, again. It could be a hike, it could be you cooking a meal, if you're good at cooking. If you're not good at cooking, maybe choose something else. It could be a movie night. There is nothing cooler than making a tent on the ground with a whole bunch of cushions and sheets and making a home movie theater thing. These things are especially good if your job keeps you away from home or if you live far away from your friends and family and time is scarce. People over presents every day. Along that same vein too is gifts of service. Super lovely. This is something that came up a lot on Instagram so it's obviously something a lot of you do which I think is just really sweet.
Offering to do something for someone like babysitting for new parents or gardening for someone who might have bought a new house or has killer thumbs. I have lots of friends who just cannot keep plants alive to save their life. Or maybe a car wash for people like me who treat their car like a portable wardrobe. I had someone in the back of it yesterday and I was so embarrassed at the state of it. But you know what? I won't learn my lesson. These things are super meaningful. It's a personal sacrifice of time and effort, and of course, time being the most valuable thing we have, and it just shows how much you care. Now if you've got time or you're an artist or a creative person, make something. We have some wonderful family friends who are talented carpenters and artists and they spend most of the year after work making things for all the people they're going to give presents to.
So last year I got some home decor that I treasure because it's for my new house and knowing that they knew enough about me to think of something I would love and then spent so much time making it, that's so lovely, so kind. Also a great way of showing off to your gifty that you are as talented as fuck. So if you're a baker or a candlestick maker, stuff like that always goes down an absolute treat. I've made liqueurs and body care products for people, obviously it's my job for a while, and they always go down super well. And hey here's an example, how to make a flavoured liqueur. Step one, buy vodka. Step two, think of a flavour. Raspberry is a crowned favourite and actually what we all drank off the ice sculpture at my engagement party. Because I had a friend who was an ice sculptor and he made it. And there's another example of my made gifts being the best thing. I've also made Skittle vodka. You literally put Skittles in vodka. But make sure you separate the colours otherwise it goes a horrible brown.
I've made Werther's Original, which is delicious. It's like liquid toffee with a bit of a bite. And lemon and coconut. So step three, mix your flavours and your vodka together and let it steep for a month. At the end of that period you can add sugar to taste if you need to and boom, done. Bottle it, homemade sticker, adorable. I actually made homemade liqueurs for my wedding favors. I don't really drink much but they're actually a lot of fun to make and they could make them months out so it wasn't a stress. Someone once made me mint chocolate toffee popcorn which lasted about 20 minutes because those three things are my favorite things on earth and team members are always making me cinnamon flavored things which makes me probably a nicer person, which is probably why they do it. But again, so treasured, so kind, so delicious, because they will do anything for cinnamon.
Giving back, giving experience, giving time, and if we're giving stuff, what about number of presents? Because some of you have large families or large groups where you go to Christmas. So think about Secret Santa. That way everyone gets one gift to give and one gift to receive. It's a lot less stuff, it's a lot less pressure, it's still fun. Often it's funnier and it allows you to spend more thought, more time on one present versus trying to race around Valentine's, trying to think of a hundred different presents. I personally find Secret Santa weirdly stressful because I want it to be perfect and often Secret Santa you don't know the people that well, but that's just me. It definitely helps those of you with big families.
Let's wrap it up, literally. Wrapping can be an art form in itself. I mean, it quite literally is an art form in Japan from way back in the 14th century called Furosuki, which I am trying so hard to say properly because it's not Furoshiki, but when I say it like I think you're supposed to say it, I feel like I'm speaking Russian. I am very sorry. Furosuki. Anyway, they use patterned fabric to wrap gifts. Not only do you have a beautifully wrapped present, you also have a scarf or a napkin or a handkerchief that you can use afterwards. I was lucky enough to spend some time in Japan with Ethique a few years ago and I got a few gifts and they were all wrapped like that and I still have those scarves and those napkins and they're beautiful and they are definitely some of the most beautifully wrapped things I've ever received. If you don't have some fabric lying around though or you can't tie things, ditch the plastic ribbons, the shiny paper, those squeaky bow things, unless you're reusing them, and get creative with stuff that you already have in your house. Newspaper, although in saying that I can't remember the last time I saw a newspaper. Twine. Whatever you have lying around the house.
My mother is the master of this. It's kind of annoying, she's good at all these random things. But she can make everything look amazing, even if it's like food wrapping. This personal touch just makes your gift stand out under the tree. And again, I mean it's not a competition, but you know, and of course our planet will thank you for it, because wrapping paper is such a fucking waste. Well, now that is a wrap. So you can absolutely have the magic of gifts, just without the impact on our planet. And I reckon these options are kind of cooler than something you panic-bought on Christmas Eve anyway. Yes, we've all been there. So as you prepare for the holiday season, just have a think about the impact of your choices and how you can make this festive season a little less detrimental to the planet. But still, shitloads of fun and still a little less detrimental to the planet. But still, shitloads of fun and still magical. Until next time, I'm Brianne West and this has been Now That's What I Call.
