Are you struggling with finding Christmas presents that are good for both your wallet and the environment? Here are some eco-friendly gift suggestions to help you on the way.
Starboard is strongly against fast, low-quality shopping. As a follow-up to our Blue Friday article, we want to share some gift ideas for everyone in these crazy-consuming times leading up to Christmas. Some of them might be nicer to your wallet as well. It is also worth noting that replacing gifts with time together may be the best option of them all, as many of us already have everything we need.
Gift Ideas
- Cooking book with your favourite recipes.
- Scrapbook with pictures and memories.
- A playlist with good songs.
- Movie of your favourite memories. Burn it on a CD or send it to them and show it on Christmas night.
- An appreciation letter.
- Bench, table or bike rack from an old board.
- Soap, dishwasher detergent or candles.
- Facemasks, scrubs or hair treatments.
- Cookies, jam, hummus or pasta.
- Christmas decorations.
- Recipe book with all of the above.
Help them get started on a greener lifestyle.
- Buy their first round of natural, refillable products from your local bulk/refill store.
- Shampoo, conditioner, hand soap, and body soap. Soap bars?
- Laundry soaps, detergents, floor and window and wash.
- Toothpaste, coffee, tea, honey.
- A reusable cup, bottle or straw. Stainless steel is eco-friendly and long-lasting:)
- Plants, veggies or herbs that they can grow.
- Get them what they need to set up a recycling station at home.
- Help them start composting.
- Get them a bucket with some soil.
- Teach them how; Put fallen leaves and food waste into the soil, ending up with excellent fertilizers for their in- and outdoor plants.
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Make them a bucket list (that you will do with them) with points and awards. Some examples:
- 3 vegetarian days a week for 3 months – I’ll take you to (a vegetarian) dinner.
- Don’t buy any new clothes for 6 months – I’ll take you on a guided mountain biking trip or snorkelling.
- Say no to single-use plastics; bags, straws and cups – Take more award ideas from the Coupons or Activities.
- The bigger the effort, the bigger the award.
Active:
- Bungee Jump.
- SUP trip; Rent boards if you don’t own them.
- A dancing or workout class.
- Sleep outside & watch the stars.
- Hike to a mountain or waterfall.
- Collect berries or mushrooms and make jam or dinner together.
Cosy:
- Book a cooking, art or dance class.
- Tickets for a concert, theatre, musical, festival or dance performance.
- Go to the cinema or host a movie night at home.
- Make dinner together.
- Any exciting local events?
- Go out for dinner together.
- Host a spa night.
Do they have something they have talked about that they want to start doing? Help them get started.
- Do a run? Sign them up for the run and pay the fee.
- A specific sport? Sign them up for a club membership, training hours or rent equipment for them to try.
- Exercising more? Make a training program for them.
- Knit a sweater? Buy them a gift card for your local yarn store.
- Growing their own vegetables? Get them seeds, soil and compost.
- Sowing? Buy a second-hand sewing machine.
Write coupons on paper scraps and but them in a glass, cup or glass jar.
- Hugs.
- Massages (get them a good massage oil as well.)
- Clean their house or do their laundry.
- Good night story.
- Make them dinner. Their choice, surprise or 3-course.
- 1 hour of listening time: we all need someone to just speak out about everything and nothing sometimes, and don’t always know how to ask for someone to listen.
- Teach them something.
- You don’t have to have the knowledge: a coupon for them to tell you what they want to learn, you need to learn it and teach them. It is always more fun to learn from a friend than from a book or the internet.
- To do knots, about space, to make homemade soaps, to knit, about the stock market, a recipe, geography, a party trick, or others.
- You don’t have to have the knowledge: a coupon for them to tell you what they want to learn, you need to learn it and teach them. It is always more fun to learn from a friend than from a book or the internet.
Some good things to buy second hand
- A good book.
- Cutlery and kitchen tools.
- Sports-equipment.
- Furniture.
Christmas Calendar Ideas
A Christmas Calendar can be nice as a daily, weekly or occasional thing leading up to Christmas. Here are some ideas to use for your family, flatmates, partner or others.
- Words of wisdom.
- Dad jokes.
- Compliments.
- Printed photos to hang on their wall.
- Some pieces in a puzzle every day, ending in a complete puzzle.
- Hosting a fun night.
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- Card or board game, quiz, movie, workout session, or making & decorating gingerbread.
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- A challenge of the day/week with awards;
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- Learn to juggle more than 10 seconds – I will do your next round of laundry.
- Make a funny video of your day – You get to choose dinner.
- Solve this riddle – I will massage you for 1 minute for each riddle you can solve.
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- Good food is never wrong.
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- Breakfast in bed.
- Homemade rolls/pastry for breakfast.
- Desert.
- They choose dinner.
- Tea, cocoa or coffee.
- A new recipe every day.
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Zero/low-waste packaging
- Newspaper.
- Towels, pillow-cases or t-shirts that you take back afterwards.
- Old fabrics.
- Boxes from your home that you take back.
- For children – hide the gift and play “warmer and colder.”
- Recycled & recyclable paper.
- Old paper bags.
The shopping survey
Get at least three yes’s before you buy something:
- Do you (or the one you buy it for) need the product? (or do you just want it)
- Do you save money on this purchase? (or do you spend them)
- Is the product high-quality and long-lasting?
- Is it impossible to get ahold of this product second-hand, still with good quality?
- Is this the best and most ethical way to get ahold of this product? (regarding emissions, waste and negative human impact)
