Translation: Julie Summers

Christmas is fast approaching, bringing not only holiday cheer but also holiday stress – stress over finding gifts for everyone, stress over maybe not being able to afford them, stress and hopelessness over consumer culture and the impending apocalypse... But that’s too heavy for this article. We’re just going to talk about Christmas gifts (with a slight sprinkling of consumer shaming).

This time of year, we often get swept up in the flood of Christmas consumerism and overtaken by some sort of shopping mania, so it’s good to keep the ethical gift-giving pyramid in mind. The Student Paper has put together a few gift ideas that fall into each of the categories on the pyramid.

Give memories

You can buy gift cards for all kinds of activities or experiences, so it’s easy to give someone the gift of lasting memories. For example, you could give a gift card for a massage, a coffee card for Háma (or another café you know the person likes), a gift card for the swimming pool or gym, a Reykjavík Culture Card, or tickets to the theater. You could also give concert tickets or a gift card for a streaming or subscription service for music, movies, e-books, or magazines.

Of course, you can also join in and become part of the memory by inviting someone for an ice cream date, a bike ride, or a dinner out.

Give a gift that keeps on giving

UN Women sells symbolic gifts that change the lives of women around the world. You can support new moms, give Egyptian women the gift of personal identification cards, provide seven female refugees with entrepreneurial training, or secure the future of a shelter where refugee women can find safety, security, and work opportunities.

Unicef sells gifts that help children and families in need. For instance, you can give warm winter clothing, mosquito nets, school supplies, immunizations, or water purification tablets.

Through Icelandic Church Aid, you can send a child to school, give a family the gift of food security with some chickens or goats, or give seeds, trees to be planted, or clean water.

Through the Red Cross, you can send a child to school, purchase emergency blankets, or provide three girls with reusable sanitary pads that will give them more freedom in life.

Give your time, knowledge, or skills

Are you knowledgeable about nature? You could invite people on a nature walk and play the role of guide. Are you a plumber, carpenter, mechanic, or cosmetologist? Do you have some sort of special talent, even if it’s not related to your profession? Do you have amazing artistic abilities, are you a natural born event planner, or do you make unbelievably tasty sourdough bread? If some of your friends or relatives are parents, you could offer to stay in with their kids for an evening so they can have a break and go out. This is just a small sampling of ideas you could use for your Christmas gifts. Just make sure you pick something that you’re good at. The recipient will be very grateful for such a personal gift.

Upcycle or regift

Do you have a green thumb? Maybe you could give a cutting from one of your plants. Do you have a game you only played once and didn’t really like, but you know your cousin Jóna loves it? Give it to her for Christmas! Give that scarf or sweater you never wear and think someone else would enjoy more. Give a platter that you never use; you can spruce it up with some paint and it’ll be just like new. Give that book you have at home that you’re pretty sure you’re never going to read again. Many libraries have carts near the entrance where people can leave books they don’t want any more. A lot of them are in great condition and could be wrapped up as Christmas presents. You can also wrap up some library books and just have people return them after Christmas – then they won’t end up with a big stack of unread books on their shelf. The only downside to this idea is that you might end up paying a fine if the books are returned late (or not at all), so you should only “give” library books to people who you trust to return them – and preferably on time.

Buy second-hand

Pop in to Hertex, the Red Cross shop, Góði Hirðirinn, Extraloppan, Barnaloppan, or a flea market or swap event. Nowhere else is there more truth to the saying that “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.” Furniture, clothing, books, games, and that one painting of the crying boy that everyone and their grandmother seems to own – second-hand shops offer everything you could possibly want or need for home, garden, or Christmas shopping.

Make something

Can you knit? Crochet? Embroider or cross-stich? You could knit a pair of mittens, crochet some little round cosmetic pads to replace disposable cotton ones, or embroider a beautiful saying or design. You could make candles, body scrub, or soap. You could create a drawing, painting, sculpture, or whatever else you can think of. The sky’s the limit! Perform a scene from a play (maybe even from your own original work), give a yoga session, or offer to guide a hike. Sweet and savory homemade treats are always popular too. You could give pickled beets, olive oil, candy, cookies, date bars, hummus, or coconut balls. You can save up jars, cans, and other containers and use them for gift giving instead of throwing them out. If you don’t think you can make anything interesting, YouTube is always a great help. You can also always find someone who can help you get started.

Buy eco/ethical

Shops like Vistvera and Mena sell ethical, eco-friendly products that help people cut back on the single-use lifestyle. You can find bar soap, shampoo bars, bamboo toothbrushes, toothpaste tablets, bath bombs, reusable beeswax food wraps, deodorant, wooden kitchen utensils, organic cotton towels, and period underwear. Vistvera has a bulk bar where you can refill your own container with hand soap, dishwasher detergent, argan oil, and body lotion. At Mena, you can buy refills on beauty products that they sell, like liquid foundation, powder, mascara, and eye shadow.

Buy new

Don’t forget to ask yourself a few questions before buying anything new. How long will this product last? How long will it take to break down in a landfill? Will the recipient really use it? If you don’t know what to give but definitely want to give something from the store, you can also just give a gift card. Then the recipient can buy exactly what they need or want and it’s much less likely that the gift will just collect dust on a shelf until it ends up being thrown out next time they move. E-books are another brilliant gift if you want to give something new without material waste.

Wrapping

Don’t forget to consider more environmentally friendly options when it comes to wrapping your gifts. You can reuse wrapping paper and gift bags, wrap gifts in newspaper or magazine pages, use old shoeboxes, or create gift bags from old articles of clothing or other scraps you no longer use and then ask people to return them after the holidays.

Eco-Friendly Christmas Gifts