In 2020, responsible consumption is becoming more important than ever before. Earlier this year we touched upon this topic in an article ‘Top 5 planet-friendly actions” (check here), in which you could learn about small actions that have a big impact. This matter becomes even more important at the end of the year when many fall prey to Christmas consumption binge.
It is reflected in the research of Etsy and Pinterest. According to their conclusions, this year shoppers are looking for more meaningful gifts – from personalised to handmade goods. “People are putting more time and effort into making their gifts and smaller celebrations special”, says Swati Sarna, insights manager at Pinterest.*
On the other hand, it turns out the interest in holiday-related searches on social media has started significantly earlier than in previous years. Usually these spike in the month of June, but this year it started back in April, about eight months before Christmas.
As the Verdeat team, we decided to share a few tips on how to avoid the unnecessary Christmas gift clutter and choose what’s really useful.
Put yourself in your loved ones’ shoes
When researching gift ideas we might fall into the trap of looking for what we would like ourselves to receive. And that is natural – our senses will automatically turn our eyes to things that look familiar and suit our taste. The trick is to put ourselves in our loved ones’ shoes and become more observant. Did they mention missing something? Are they struggling with making the first step to start that new hobby they were talking about? Is there any way in which you can help make their life easier and more joyful?
Be practical
If you decide to purchase an object, choose one that’s usable right away. You don’t want it to end up in the attic. Not only because it would be a waste of your money – but it’s also an incentive for businesses to produce more items, which might not be as necessary as it seems when in a consumption binge.
It’s the quality that counts, not the quantity
We are used to seeing countless packages under the Christmas tree, but as consumerism awareness grows, we start to understand the importance of thoughtful gifts. Instead of purchasing many small items of low value, we prefer to invest in a gift that will be more useful and have a higher positive impact on our loved one’s life.
Long-term investment vs. short-term
With higher value often comes higher quality and durability. Such gifts can serve our loved-ones for many years to come and bring joy not only during Christmas but throughout the year. There’s another element to consider when thinking of long-term decisions and it’s… the carbon footprint of the gift. Is it going to help your loved one be more friendly to the environment or will lead to more greenhouse gas emissions?
Some gift categories are safe bets
There is nothing more common among people than their wish to stay in good health. That is why we think that gifts showing your care for a loved one’s health and wellbeing are a safe bet. This holds true even more in 2020, in which we all had to re-learn the value and fragility of health.
We hope this will help you make the right choices and help kick start 2021 with joy & hope!
*https://www.cnbc.com/2020/11/16/holiday-2020-shoppers-seek-out-more-meaningful-gifts-amid-pandemic-.html
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