Gift giving is one of the best parts of the festive season. Showing appreciation to loved ones is majorly heart-warming (we’re getting the warm fuzzies just thinking about it!). Extend your appreciation for nature this year by gifting eco-friendly.
Whether you can buy secondhand, make something yourself, or give an experience, there are plenty of ways to give back to nature this time of year. Read on to become the best sustainable Secret Santa.
Tickets for a local experience
What’s that saying? Buy experiences not things? Well however it goes, we agree. Gifting a local experience through a gift card or a joint day out has so many benefits.
Experiences are a great happiness boost for all parties involved because they create a day filled with memories and laughter rather than a thing that will lose its shine. Also, experiences tend to be more eco-friendly than things. A win-win situation!
Homemade or local meal
A home-cooked meal is a lovely way to show your appreciation to those around you. The cold, dark nights of winter can often foster loneliness. Therefore, an evening surrounded by friends and good food is a powerful gift this season. If you’re feeling extra, why not also give a new dish or a plant-based recipe a go?
If you are no Jamie Oliver (and neither are we!), why not use this opportunity to support local? The Sea to Sky region has many wonderful local restaurants and cafes – something for every palate!
Houseplants or flowers
Nothing says Christmas like poinsettias. These festive flowers are exotic to the Sea to Sky, but although tget aren’t native to our area, they aren’t invasive either because they don’t damage native habitats. This is great news, because they can go in the compost bin after they have gone past their best (not all of us can keep houseplants alive, and that’s okay).
Of course, if you are gifting any plants this season, please check that they are non-invasive through our handy species lists. FYI: that means avoiding giving any English Holly or Ivy, among common offenders!
Vintage champagne flutes and bubbly
From the Re-use-It Centre to Pearl’s, the Sea to Sky region is filled with great thrift shops. Let’s make the most of these treasure troves this festive season. Head to the glass section and pick out a couple of quirky champagne flutes or wine glasses that your friends will love! We love to pair this gift with a bottle of your special someone’s favourite beverage (without or without alcohol!).
Not only does this gift divert waste from the landfill, it also supports local stores and community projects. Cheers to that!
Invasive-free wildflower mix
This gift is a perfect stocking stuffer for all your garden-loving friends. Afterall, ‘the best way to spread Christmas cheer is spreading invasive-free seed mixes far and near’, said the Invasive-Free Elf.
Picking out seed mixes is tricky because they may contain invasive species. Sometimes the packets don’t offer details about their contents, or only the plants’ scientific names are used… and clearly not everyone speaks Latin! That is why we have designed our own invasive-free wildflower seed packets. So you can rest assured that your gift is not risking the spread of invasive plants.
If you choose to purchase seed packets from your local garden centre, please check the packet for red flags, like plants that are “pest resistant” or “tough to kill”. These phrases could be an indication that the plants are actually invasive, so look closely at the list of contents!
Homemade goodies
You don’t have to be Bob Ross, Martha Stewart or Paul Hollywood to assemble a homemade gift. We recommend either following a baking recipe to whip up some festive cookies or heading over to our invasive-free craft pages for eco-friendly crafting inspiration.
Secondhand mugs and hot chocolate kit
On a similar thread to the vintage champagne flute idea, we recommend hitting the thrift shops for treasures.
One item second-hand shops have in abundance is quirky mugs. So, why not pick out a couple of outrageous ones? To complete the gift, box up your pal’s new favourite mug with some hot chocolate powder, marshmallows, sprinkles and cream. Easy peasy, the perfect wintry gift!
PS: This gift also works really well for the coffee or tea lover in your group; just swap out the hot chocolate for some coffee beans or loose leaf tea!
Acts of service
Sometimes your time and energy are the best gifts out there. This is especially true for the members of your family or friendship group who are rushed off their feet daily or struggle with fragility.
There are plenty of chores that many would rather skip; this is where you come in. Some examples of acts of service you could offer include offering to clear someone’s drive of snow, doing the groceries (or the dishes!) or taking their vehicle to the car wash.
If you have special skills, utilize them! Mend or tailor some clothes, fix a squeaky windshield wiper or paint some walls. There are so many services we can exchange. Just think of a chore you wish someone would take off your hands to get you started.
This gift not only spreads Christmas cheer but it fosters a sense of community and encourages those around you to reach out in the future if they are in need of help.
Donate on their behalf to a local charity
For the ultimate happiness boost and feel good present, we recommend donating on a loved one’s behalf to a local charity. Humans are simply wired to get a kick out of giving. So giving the present of giving? Wow, that’s a whole lot of happiness!
To maximize the endorphins, we suggest donating to a local charity, that’s close to the recipient’s heart.
Pssttt! If you have nature lovers in your live, consider making a donation to us in their name!
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