Offering sustainable gifts for an ecological Christmas

Every year, in December, it's a battle to find the perfect gift, the one that will be beautiful, useful, innovative, and that will illuminate the face of the person to whom it will be offered. Oh, the pretty lamp that changes colour! Ah, the beautiful soft scarf! It's nice, but you have to face the facts: most of the time, the person already has two or three copies of what you are giving him or her. At best, your gift will dethrone the one they already have and make them end up in a flea market, at worst, they will sell it a few months later, when you no longer think to ask them: "And by the way, where did you put my lamp? » In fact, Christmas is becoming more and more like a kind of barter: I give you a perfume, you give me an eau de toilette... If you think about it, all the presents cancel each other out since you get about as much as you give, and you end up with objects that aren't necessarily useful or that you don't like. Not to mention the ecological impact that each object represents: manufacturing, transport, non-recyclable materials... Is the solution to stop giving gifts? Not necessarily! Because Christmas is above all the pleasure of giving.

Nothing beats the experience

So why not focus on immaterial gifts, that is, not objects but rather experiences? These are just as valuable and will create memories for the person to whom you offer them! For example, a paragliding baptism is more likely to stay in the mind than an umpteenth mug that ends up in the back of a cupboard.

Some "immaterial" ideas

For night birds

• A cinema card
• A ticket for a show, a concert or a match
• A bowling subscription

For geeks

• An iTunes card or a subscription to a music website (Deezer type)
• A computer game without CD (Steam type platforms)

For the stressed

• A meal at the restaurant
• A massage session

For those of you with itchy feet

• A wonderbox or smartbox type box (for first flights in a paraglider or a race car, short stays, etc.).
• A subscription to a museum or swimming pool

For the ecologists

• Sponsor a beehive: http://www.untoitpourlesabeilles.fr/
• Sponsor an animal at associations such as OneVoice, WWF or at a zoo near you.
• A course in homemade cosmetics or local cuisine near you

For nature lovers

• A course of discovery of wild plants or animals of the forest
• Seeds to sow

For children

• An entrance to an amusement park
• A show place for children

Other alternatives are possible

If you really want to give a material gift, why not think about buying a used one? Most of the items on offer are still in very good condition and will find a second life! If you have the time, you can also make the gift yourself. We all have a talent that we can offer! You can also offer "consumables" for example: organic food (cakes, special assortments), organic cosmetics or better, homemade (why not a kit?), flowers or other plants,... Books are, in my opinion, the only things that you will never throw away and that remain useful through time; I myself have a lot of pleasure in re-reading a book that I have already read a few years before. And for the more open-minded, why not decide not to give each other any more gifts, but rather to have a good time with family or friends? Whether it's an evening at the bowling alley or a weekend in the green, you'll soon realize that the best gift is to be together.