As the holidays become more commercial each year, they also become more wasteful. Choosing to have “a consumable Christmas” allows you to cut down on the waste, while also possibly increasing the enjoyment.

Cheap, plastic, made-in-China decor aside, gift giving can be one of the biggest creators of waste during the holiday season. People often get so caught up in making sure everyone gets a gift (or several) that they often end up purchasing something the recipient will never use. These unwanted gifts often get returned, or worse, just thrown out.

A Consumable Christmas Involves Practical, Usable Gifts

While physical gifts may be more fun to open, they’re not always the most practical. That’s where “consumables” come in. A consumable Christmas gift would be anything the recipient uses up. Things like food or experiences fall into this category. This can be put into practice for other holidays or birthdays as well.

Not only are these types of gifts more practical, they’re almost always something someone can use. Everyone eats right? So you can’t go wrong with a box of fine chocolate, a jar of locally produced maple syrup, spices, tea, or preserves you made yourself. And this works for kids too, not just adults. (One of my sister’s favorite Christmas gifts as a kid was the jar of canned peaches my grandmother made for her).

Experiences Make Great Consumables

If your friends and relatives aren’t “foodies,” try giving experiences as gifts. Movie tickets are usually a winner with anyone. Or maybe a ticket to something like an art exhibit or a Renaissance festival. It might be something you know they would enjoy, but wouldn’t necessarily spend the money on themselves. And in our high-stress modern world, there aren’t many people who wouldn’t appreciate a gift certificate for a massage or a few yoga classes.

These types of experiences are different than just giving a generic gift certificate. A gift certificate doesn’t require much thought; it can literally be spent on anything in a store. Giving someone a specific experience such as a massage or a movie ticket shows that you took the time to think of something you knew that person would enjoy.

A Charity Gift Keeps on Giving

And then of course there’s always the charity gift. If you have any minimalists on your shopping list, they tend to love these. They’re perfect as a consumable Christmas gift. Not only do they not take up physical space, but they also help someone else in the process. Minimalist perfection!

And such gifts need not be boring. You don’t have to just hand someone a plain envelope with a gift card in it. You can wrap up those festival tickets or those movie certificates in a box just like you would any other gift. That way the recipient still gets to enjoy opening something, while still having it be something they can actually use.

It’s also good to focus on fewer gifts to make the holidays less wasteful. Instead of giving a bunch of inexpensive gifts that will probably be forgotten in a few days, spend a little more on just one or two consumable gifts. There’s less wrapping paper to clean up then too, which also equals less waste. And everyone will be just as happy.

So what will you do then with all that time spent NOT opening gifts? Enjoy a little more time with your family friends, which is what the holidays are really supposed to be about anyway. In my family we spend several hours playing the Harry Potter version of Magic the Gathering every Christmas Eve. It’s such a blast. And I can’t think of a better way to spend the holiday than that!

Written by Amber Reifsteck, The Woodland Elf

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