‘Tis the season of gifting (mindfully)
Festive spirit in the air & gift-waste on land
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Welcome to the season of festivals. We just concluded Navratri and Diwali’s almost here. Thanksgiving and Christmas are closer than they appear.
This time of the year is universally the most awaited season for retailers. It is the easiest time to get people to loosen their wallets and splurge in the festive spirit. All I see across social media these days - corporate gifting catalogs, “festive sale upto 50% off + 10% additional”, “The best Diwali gift hamper of the season”. It’s a shopper’s paradise and a consumption mayhem!😵💫 Many thanks to the free rider of these festivities - Gifts!
Gifts are an ubiquitous feature of our existence, the need of which largely remains unquestioned. Have you ever thought about why you indulge in gifting? From my experience and observations, I see the following major reasons:
Compliance with societal norms (or pressure) - “I cannot go empty handed on this occasion. They may feel bad”
Quid pro quo - “They gave me a gift on my birthday, so I need to return the favour”
Genuine fondness with the idea of exchanging gifts to share happiness
Signaling status / wealth through uniqueness or premium-ness of gifts.
Whatever be the force driving us towards gifting, all of us know the fate of gifts. Received tableware we didn’t want or got shoved with clothes that don’t match our fashion style. These either sit untouched in the house to become family heirlooms we never wished for or just serve the same purpose as disguised unemployment. It’s an annual game of “Aww! I love your gift; it's stunning” on the lips and “Ughh! I didn’t want this” in the heart. 🙊
Well, these were just the contents of the gifts, wait for the facade…‘bespoke’ and ‘luxurious’ packaging. In plain words, WASTE. Be it fancy boxes, volume-creating fillers or wrapping papers, all of these are practically shoved into trash bins. And if you’ve read my previous posts, Overconsumption is eating the world and Out of sight, out of mind, you already know about the insane volume of waste, we, as a species are collectively generating each year. More than 90% of it makes its way to the landfills, rots and intoxicates land and air. The gourmet, artisanal, handcrafted, luxury packages don’t get a royal cemetery; they lose their vanity rotting right next to their commoner counterparts.
Now, you must be thinking, “Sure! All of this makes logical sense but I won’t stop gifting..duh!”. I wholeheartedly agree with you here. You don’t need to stop indulging in gifts, you just need to get better at it. At this point, manufacturers and sellers have no incentive to get better at this game. They will continue to brilliantly manipulate you into buying as much as they can sell. But here’s your chance to outdo their psychological tricks and reduce your waste-footprint.
A guide for mindful gifting
Below is a list of 100% practical suggestions for sustainable gifting. The idea, to reiterate, is to get better, not jump into austerity measures.
Buy a gift that the recipient will use
While this may sound very obvious, many of us end up doing the opposite. We generally take educated guesses at what the other person may like. We don’t think about their actual wants and go safe with generic gifts based on the broad interest profiling of the recipient. What’s the point if they don’t use your gift?
The best way out here is to ASK what they want. But if you’re not gutsy enough to do that, engage the Sherlock within you and gauge what’s on their wishlist. If you aren’t good enough in that field too, checkout alternatives below.
Choose thoughtful gifts over commoditized gifts
There’s no better personalization than thoughtful gifting. The more thought you put, the more appreciation & gratitude you receive (and lesser the money you spend). Here are some ideas to get you started:
Instead of buying something new, give something you’ve owned and cherished to indicate that you’re entrusting them with a valuable memory of yours. It could be a perfume that always wins you compliments or a book that shaped your worldly-thinking. It could be ANYTHING with a story to narrate along😉. Witness it turn into a talking point for years as it becomes a shared memory.
Give out handwritten notes telling the recipient about the goodness they have brought to your life or why you value them. Given the rarity of this gift, they will treasure it for life (I’ve preserved all the handwritten notes I’ve ever received). This’ll also be a good test to check if you still remember writing by hand.
Buy gift cards
If you want to gift but don’t want to think, gift cards are THE EASIEST option. Find a gift card that gives access to a multitude of options and you are highly likely to achieve #1 in this list. You can also go the Indian way - just give cash!
Pick gifts made with sustainable materials
Instead of picking that animal leather handbag, choose one made with plant based leather or cork. Instead of buying travel packs made of synthetic fibers, buy those made from plastic waste. Get festive decorations made using fabric scraps. Gift personal & home care kits made with non-toxic ingredients. Listing a few more platforms where you can spoil yourself with better choices - brownliving, cococusto, theswitchfix, netzeroliving, satsuma
Ditch the wrapping paper
Go naked. Let your gift shine in its own beauty. If it’s absolutely necessary, carry it in a reusable bag which either you can take back or give as a complimentary gift. Alternatively, make it look rustic. Pack it in old newspaper or any used material (run your creativity wild) - upcycle!
If you receive a gift enveloped in gift wrap, don’t rip it apart. Open it along its taping so that you can reuse it for packing someone else’s gift (I’ve been doing this since childhood and oh! what a joy)
Create a ‘strictly no gifts’ rule
If you’re one among those who’d be the happiest without gifts but continue to exchange them in peer pressure, create an anti-gift rule. Shane Parrish in his book, Clear Thinking, talks about an interesting psychology quirk. He says “people typically don’t argue with your personal rules. They just accept them as features of who you are. People question decisions, but they respect rules.” This might feel daunting at first but it’s just a matter of braving that first step (which may involve a bit of confrontation) but remember, you’re playing the long game. If you do this now, you’ll be rewarding yourself with a lifetime of relief from recurring stress. Along the way, you will also make life easier for countless others who share the same stress but could never take that first step! Choose to be a trendsetter 💪
Tell me other ways you’re using to get sustainably better at gifting :)
Very pertinent message for all year round actually. The wastage just amplifies and is in your face during the festival season.
Agreed!