We all know the holidays can generate a lot of waste and excess, from mounds of ribbon and wrapping to that ugly sweater from Mom you’ll never wear… here are a few tips to make the holidays more memorable and less disposable.

• Have a lot of people to get gifts for? Suggest drawing names from a hat in your family, friend or work group, and set a spending limit – so that everyone gets just one person a gift. This will reduce the cost and stress of obligatory buying for everyone, and allow you more time to prepare something thoughtful. 
• Prioritize NOT buying stuff ultimately destined for the landfill, never to decompose. Consider cooking, baking, crafting fancy jams or syrups, or offering a tangible experience from massage to concert tickets, a ski day, fun outing or comedy night. Look for ways to get kids off screens rather than on. Nurture their creativity or offer them an adventure instead of stuff that will eventually get cast aside or broken.
• Avoid gifts that require batteries, which can leak toxic chemicals into the environment when thrown away. 
• If you really want to shop, buying from local markets and craft fairs generates fewer emissions than things traveling around the world to get to you. In turn you’re supporting your local community of artisans, makers and small businesses. Bonus points for buying things made from recycled materials, like clothing and jewelry upcycled from vintage pieces, or things made from reclaimed wood.
• Consider repurposing fabric, newsprint, old calendars or used wrapping paper instead of using new paper for wrapping. If you do buy paper, look for its post-consumer recycled content, avoid metallic/foil paper and use tape sparingly if at all – these all make recycling harder. After opening gifts, save your bows, ribbons, and larger pieces of unripped paper for reuse.
• If you celebrate with a tree, going with a real one is the more sustainable choice. It purifies the air as it grows, and can be chipped or mulched into compost afterwards. Even better – buy a small live tree in a large pot to re-use for the next few years. Artificial trees are eventually discarded and the plastic-metal combination won’t break down, except into micro-plastics. 

Ultimately, no matter your faith or culture, there’s no need to worship overconsumption and waste. When the nights are longest, invite light into your hearts and homes, and be with loved ones to share food and happy times. Here at the DGC BC, we’ve forgone mailing cards to our associates and donated to children’s charities instead.

We wish you warmth, good cheer and love over this holiday season!

Annabelle Wilczur
Assistant Business Agent and Sustainability Lead