Conscious Christmas
Last week I vocalized my first gripe over Christmas gift buying. It was a blustery day and I told myself after work I would venture out to the dangers of Princes Street to hunt for gifts and finally start checking people off the list. My friend’s response was not what I expected, “oh I stopped doing that years ago”…I had to ask for clarification, “yeah just one year, enough was enough and I explained to friends and family I would no longer buy Christmas gifts”. Is it possible to find a balance and not over consume during the Christmas period, does a conscious Christmas exist?
Manufactured Desires
I’ve never felt quite so jealous of someone else’s relief from such a trivial conundrum. I don’t think I ever considered the fact that you could just…stop. It made me question why we do it to ourselves? Perhaps it’s like everything in life, the virus of capitalism has leached onto everything. Instead of being content with giving one thoughtful gift we are plagued by thoughts of ‘I didn’t spend enough’, ‘it should be more than one gift’, ‘what if they spent more than me’, ‘what if they think I don’t care’. None of these thoughts are very Christmassy and at the heart of it, your loved ones would never think such things of you.
“It is another of consumerism’s ironies that, although it functions like a mental trap, we often think of it as an escape.” ― J.B. MacKinnon, The Day the World Stops Shopping: How Ending Consumerism Saves the Environment and Ourselves
Over Consuming Christmas
Personally, I don’t think I could take quite a drastic leap, and whilst I wouldn’t label my friend a Bah Humbug, I simply love Christmas too much to not gift give. However, I find myself extremely frustrated over the wasteful and excessive way we consume Christmas and we should definitely become more conscious over the Christmas period. Consumerism and the environment go hand in hand, the more we consume, the more we produce, the more we waste. It’s times of the year, like Christmas, where we should definitely be consuming differently, and not as much.
We’ve all had our fair share of Christmas presents where their only purpose was to generate, at best, a 30 second laugh. They then spend the rest of their life in a junk drawer, or collecting dust on a shelf only to end up in the bin or at a charity shop. I see gift sets from chain retailers in the same light. Ultimately, you are paying for Christmas themed packaging which again…goes in the bin!
So how do we all take steps to reduce wasteful consumption? Gag gifts can be a hoot, but can be sourced responsibly via charity shops or even ebay. No, your friend with a leaky gas pipe does not need a fart button. At all costs, avoid the boring, and frankly sexist, gifts for him or gifts for her sections. There’s a reason these types of gifts and gift sets dramatically fall in price post Christmas (it’s because no one wants them).
Money, Money, Money!
British shoppers are expected to spend £4.4bn less on non-essentials – a fall of 22%.
Without ignoring the elephant in the room, we are of course in the midst of a cost of living crisis. If unanimously we are spending less on Christmas, how can we also allow our money to have a greater impact on our local economy. Easy, spend it locally. And when I say locally I don’t mean Fort Kinnard because it’s down the road. Turn to our independent traders, local shops! Treat our friends and family to smaller gift parcels full of delights. Ultimately, these traders may not make it without our support. You may already be thinking about how these shops are too expensive, but again, perhaps we need to adjust our expectations for gifts. Quality over quantity!
Yes you may be able to get more ‘bang for your buck’ by buying gifts from chain retailers, but think of how much further your money goes when supporting a local business. Not only does your lucky receiver gain a beautiful, thoughtful gift, but you actively supported our local economy. Without sounding ungrateful, I find nothing more frustrating than receiving a gift that I know I won’t use. I’m sure we can all agree that one thoughtful gift is far more wonderful to receive than a big pile of consumer goods that are eventually forgotten about.
Do It Yourself.
There is always the calling that a DIY christmas is the way to go. Undoubtedly, with energy costs on the rise, a vat of homemade chutney may no longer be the answer we’re looking for. We can definitely be a lot craftier in our quest for gifts. Perhaps we also should stop frowning upon the idea of second hand gifts…When it comes down to it, what are the real differences between a charity shop book, and a new book? Or a toy? A scarf? I’d argue that the only difference is our disdain towards giving something that has had a previous life.
In reality, imagine the cost of purchasing a variety of toys, books and games for a child and simply rejuvenating it with thoughtful and crafty wrapping? Who doesn’t love a hamper?! There’s no reason the hamper couldn’t be made up of second hand buys… You can find some more ideas for this here.
“Under capital’s growth imperative, there is no horizon – no future point at which economists and politicians say we will have enough money or enough stuff. There is no end, in the double sense of the term: no maturity and no purpose.”Jason Hickel, Less is More: How Degrowth Will Save the World
I don’t believe there is a right or wrong way around these conundrums. Christmas gift shopping is already hard enough without jumping through extra hoops. Society screams at us to be more eco-conscious, to save local businesses and still please our loved ones. Nevertheless, we should consider what our favorite gifts have been. How and why did they spark joy or find purpose in your life? Consider the journey the gift will go on after it has been received. By applying a few of these thoughts to our gift giving this year, we will ultimately have a more conscious christmas!
A practical guide, things to remember whilst Christmas Shopping:
Quality over quantity.
Reuse, recycle, do not fear second hand and charity shops.
Dedicate some time to look around independent shops.
Want to support some Tribe Members? Check out our Christmas Newsletter which features a gift guide full of ideas and gift cards.
Share your thoughts and keep in touch by signing up to our newsletter below!
Thanks for reading,
Alice.
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Perfect Gifts
Tribe Porty Member Makers
Give the Gift of Juggling for Christmas!
Offer the aspiring juggler in your life all the kit and skills they need to learn to juggle a three ball cascade, as part of an exclusive Learn to Juggle intensive learning experience this January. Our gift set is perfect for any would-be-juggler (we recommended it for ages 8 and upwards). There are Juggling Gift for One and
Juggling Gift for Two.
Adopt a Tool this Christmas!
Each one of our tools plays a part in supporting the local community – from our Tools for Life program which mentors and trains disadvantaged youth, to our most borrowed tools which not only help houses become homes, but help the planet with their carbon footprint too.
Whether it’s your way of giving back, a gift for a tool-loving companion, choose the tool you want to adopt, pick a donation plan that suits you and together, let’s build a shared future. Adopt here.
You can also, Gift the experience of working with your hands and making something new out of everyday materials. This pre-recorded workshop is £5 and will be available from Nov. 28th – Jan 31st.
Last but not least, memberships to the Tool Library make excellent gifts!
Give the Gift of Healing
Would you like to help someone clear away the energies of 2020? Check out root at the link below and get in touch with Molly Shanahan if you would like to gift a shamanic healing or energy healing session to a friend or family member. It is a great way to release this year and step anew into 2021!
Prints from Kirkcudbright
Limited Edition Prints from Kirkcudbright, Portobello and Falkland books are available via Peter’s etsy shop along with the books themselves. peterjoneshouses on Etsy
House Portrait and Book Portrait gift vouchers are also possible, please contact Peter directly with your enquiry here.
Cards worth Talking About
IL Design Studio has designed a series of cards to highlight the subject of men’s mental health and the view that men have greater difficulty talking about their feelings and struggles than women do. The aim is to encourage men to talk, express their true feelings, be there for each other and never feel afraid to speak up or ask for help.
All orders over £10.00 receive a 10% discount. Code: THANKS10
Order HERE
Capturing Dani
On the back of my last #100dayproject drawings, I have created lots of illustrated prints. There are 30×30 prints and three sets of 8 different postcards available. To order, go to Capturingdani.com and use TRIBE for a 20% discount on all purchases.
See more here.
Pilates with The Pilates Studio
Click here or email Sabrina@
- a Private Pilates session at the studio (PPE – Covid restrictions covered) or via Zoom;
- a Private Pre and/or Post-Natal Pilates Private session in person or via Zoom.
- a block of 4 sessions of Online Group Mat Pilates classes (not suitable for beginners)
- a block of 4 sessions of Online Conquer Gravity classes
Find out more here.
Jenny Pope
Jenny Pope, artist and coach, is offering a one off Coaching sessions for £60 – making it an ideal gift to someone who wants to start 2021 with a plan, to review what 2020 has meant and what to take forward into the new year.
Jenny is also offering Collage Kits for £10 each plus p&p, a hand curated collection of beautiful papers to create your own special artworks.
For more info and to purchase go here.
Photography Workshops
Supportive photography workshops led by professional photographer, community collaborator and experienced educator Alicia Bruce. Full-day courses also have complimentary hot drinks from Little Green Van and Civerinos pizza delivered for lunch. There’s also new 90min morning and evening photo walks.
Gift vouchers available here.
Seascapes
Photographer, Jo Tennant’s, fine art seascapes can be bought here – shot from the sea in Porty and off the west coast of Scotland- they make a beautiful present for the sea swimmers, sea lovers and selkies in your life.
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