But behind all that joy is a terrifying amount of trash.
Living a low-impact life doesn’t mean you have to give up wrapping gifts and certainly not presents.
However, an eco-friendly lifestyle does ask you to consider the waste you create when you do give gifts.
But don’t despair!
Here are a few of our favorites.
Reuse your old wrapping paper
Many of us save beautiful wrapping paper we’ve received as gifts.
Why not return the generosity and repurpose what you’ve already got to give to someone else?
The best part is that you’re absolutely not limited to wrapping paper to ensconce your gifts.
Just about any material can become an Earth-friendly way to share your love.
Forget yourreusable cotton shopping bagsat the grocery store and have a few brown paper bags on hand?
The final product is a beautiful gift box sure to be remembered as much as the present itself.
That non-recyclable foil plastic bag of potato chips?
The glossy pages of a high-end fashion magazine?
When you repurpose paper, the 1.5 degree temperature rise is the limit!
This boutique wrapping paper will absolutely stand out under a tree or stacked up on a table.
Plus, your recipients can then reuse Giftiply’s gorgeous designs until they’re ready to be properly recycled.
Send a bag of cookies with a video explaining the recipe to your family across the country.
Give swag from a concert with a link to a Spotify playlist to a friend.
The possibilities are endless!
What a fun and simple way to show those you love exactly how you feel and help reduce waste.
As wrapping for presents, furoshiki can also embrace just about any gift you want to give.
There’s no right or wrong way to tie your present.
Simply still your mind and let your hands do the rest.
Practicing furoshiki with fabric whose original form is no longer useful is a truly sustainable act of gift giving.
Those items could easily become furoshiki with true eco-consciousness tied into the gift.
What’s more mindful than that?
Our brains love surprises (viaPopular Science).
When a gift is wrapped, the reward system in the brain triggers a release of dopamine.
