Christmas presents: nightmare of nature

Soft or tough gift package? Shirt or candle? Let’s think about whether it is really necessary to give a gift to your friend or family member first. Usually not, but by giving a present to your friend you can show how much you care about them. It doesn’t have to be something in the shop, it can be, for example, cleaning, cooking or shared coffee time at some cosy place. In addition, this can also be a slightly cheaper version of a present, but still just as valuable. that counts”, is more than valid. Your friend probably appreciates homemade pastries more than something that is bought from a store.

One good way to spread the Christmas spirit is to donate money to charity. For example in Macedonia there is an organization called Centre for Social Initiatives NADEZ. This organization supports human rights and helps Roma children to get into school by providing necessary school materials and other support. At this In 2021 people in the moment, NADEZ is raising money United States spent so they can educate up to approximately 900 60 children per year. You dollars for all the Personally, I can also find other Christmas costs and most of the just see a lot of places to donate to on a website called expenses were disposable plastic, GlobalGiving which spent on gifts. The default is fast fashion and is a safe and easy way to find many that the average costs of presents environmental opportunities for charity. will rise this year destruction. because of inflation. If you still want to buy a That means that present, which is hopefully people in the USA and many something that the person other countries will spend several really needs, make sure that you are hundreds just on gifts. The question always trying to choose recyclable is how much of this money goes to materials for its wrapping. Most of the right cause? Because it seems the wrapping paper is not just paper. very likely that hundreds of dollars Usually, the paper is mixed with will be spent on trinkets alone. So, plastic and paper and that may not next time you want to surprise your be possible to recycle. In general, loved ones, think carefully if there there is no right or wrong answer is something that the person really to what kind of wrapping paper needs. The proverb “It’s the thought can be recycled. It is being said that a good rule of thumb is that if you scrunch up the paper into a ball and it stays scrunched then it might be recyclable. But still you can't be sure. So that’s why you should always try to reuse wrapping material before recycling it.

One of the most stressful parts of Christmas is always the same. What Christmas present should I buy? Even though presents are always lovely to receive and and even more lovely to give, there are still some environmental aspects that we should take into consideration.

According to the BBC, people in the UK throw away about 227 000 miles of wrapping paper every year. You can cover the whole Earth at least seven times with that paper. And that’s only in the UK. That’s why we should take into consideration whether there are any other options for how to wrap your packages. Japanese furoshiki gift wrapping is one of the most environmentally friendly of all and at the same time a very functional way of wrapping your gifts. Furoshiki are traditional clothes that wrap the gifts instead of paper. This works also with old fabrics or vintage scarves. When you wrap the present in a piece of cloth then the recipient of the gift can get two gifts in one time.

Little things that you take into consideration when you think of presents can already help nature. For some, Christmas without presents is not Christmas at all. But I still want to say for those who have to constantly explain their values, which include non-present Christmas, just keep going. You are not harming or offending anyone. You just want to make sure that we all have a safe and happy Christmas in the future as well.

Katariina Weijo

Sources: BBC - Can you recycle the wrapping paper? Nadez- Centre for social Initiatives | Donate News Gallub - American Planning to spend generously this holiday season Chatelaine - How to wrap your gift in reusable fabric, Furoshiki style