Buying presents can be exhausting, time-consuming and really expensive! It also ends up costing the planet dearly as all those things require a lot of resources (energy, water, plastic, wood) to make them. Lastly a large amount of presents end up in the bin as we tend to buy presents without a clear idea of what people may want or need.
So, what is the key to do Christmas with as little impact on the planet as possible? One answer is very, very simple. Write a letter to Santa!! And we do not mean that our kids write it, we mean ALL THE FAMILY should sit down together and write a letter to the big guy!
Why not get a glass of warm milk and a few treats ready for the little ones and a glass of mulled wine for the adults and sit down to write your letter to Santa (you can find some templates here)? Or you could do it at the end of the day, before going to sleep?
Children will of course find this exercise easy as peas. For the adults, have a think. What would actually bring you joy this year? Share it around the table and step out of the consumerist hamster wheel by talking about what you may really want and why that would make you a happier person. It will bring you closer!
Share it around!! Send it to the loved ones you think may be going bananas trying to buy you a decent gift. You may feel a bit ashamed or think it rude, but let’s be honest, there are people in your life who will buy you something, any something. Now think about your own experience, in the middle of John Lewis trying to figure out if your mother-in-law may like a wine decanter or a perfumed candle best. Use your family as cover and share around the whole family’s wish list in one go!