There are a plethora of lists of “green gifts” out on the web, in magazines and on tv. I believe that the best gifts for the environment are ones that are not tangible at all. I know a did a posting on consumable gifts, but I’d like to take that one step further and talk about intangible gifts.
There is a time and place for tangible gifts, for example, children should receive gifts and there are people who need things. I believe that all children should receive gifts of toys and clothes occasionally, which is why we participate in Giving Tree programs in addition to giving our children things. I have also been teaching my children that toys do not need to be new to be wonderful gifts. Sometimes a “previously loved toy” is just as good as a new toy, and sometimes you can get something you could otherwise not have afforded.
But back to intangibles. If you are giving gifts simply because it is the season for giving, or you want to thank someone with a gift, consider whether they need another knickknack, sweater or water bottle or if there are other things that would express your feelings just as well. Consider giving someone a gift certificate or gift membership. One of our favorite wedding gifts was a gift certificate to a very expensive local restaurant and the gift giver included babysitting as well! (It was about a year after the wedding, so the babysitting was an important bonus!) Some other great gifts we have received include
a year-long membership to our local Children’s Museum and spa gift certificates.
a year-long membership to our local Children’s Museum and spa gift certificates.
Some less common ideas include things for the house like arranging for house cleaning and or an organizer to come help with a problem area – but don’t just pay for it, work out the details too! Another wonderful idea isn’t just for children: consider giving homemade coupons for things you will do when the bearer exchanges them. When our twins were little I used a bunch of the diapers my children had outgrown and put coupons for things in them. The idea is to give coupons for things you might not otherwise do, or things like “skip your turn getting up with the children” or “you get to pick the movie.”
Once my brother “gave” us farm animals as gifts – really, he gave money to Heifer International, that bought poor farmers animals, and we got a card and a nice feeling. The organization he works for, OneWorld has a list of similar “alternative gifts” you can give. Last year Jon’s Aunt gave extra money to the children she was sponsoring in Africa on our behalf, and gave us a solar rechargeable flashlight like the one she sent them. Teach your children the value of giving early. When our kids were three we picked out some things they could relate to and talked to our children about what we were doing. We explained that we were giving “gifts” to the animals at the local zoo they go to, to the firemen, and to their favorite tv shows (PBS) to make more shows. This year my daughter and I went through her sweaters and sweatshirts and picked some out to give to children who didn’t have any warm clothes. My son wants to give his toys to the poor “after they are too small for our baby.”
If you are going to give to charity, I recommend either giving to something you are very close to, like your local zoo or program you are involved with, or check out Charity Navigator for information on what charities are effective with the money you donate.
There are good reasons to give things, but if you are having thoughts like “what do I get the person that has everything” then consider not getting them another thing, but rather giving them something intangible, or giving something in their name to someone who *doesn’t* have everything.
Happy Shopping!
Alicia
Good idea.
Mommy