Winter holidays are a time for family, food … and consumerism.

According to blackfridaydeathcount.com, there have been 10 deaths and 111 injuries nationwide related to Black Friday shopping since 2006. Why are people being trampled, run over, and even shot for these sales? Is 30 percent off a plastic doll — which will inevitably end up in a landfill — really worth risking lives? It is a tradition to exchange gifts during the winter holidays, but those gifts don’t have to be detrimental to our health or to our environment.

Over 90 vendors displayed their wares at the Maine Made Crafts show in Augusta on Nov. 26 at the Civic Center. The two-day show attracted shoppers looking for Christmas decorations and holiday gifts from throughout the region. Photo by Elise Klysa

The best gifts are those that benefit others and don’t wind up in landfills. Buying locally is a great way to ethically purchase one-of-a-kind gifts for your loved ones. Farmers’ markets and craft fairs can be ideal venues to support the small businesses in your community while finding the perfect meaningful present. Even better, the most heartfelt gifts are ones that you create yourself. Knitting a scarf, crafting pottery, or painting a picture would show the recipient the time and effort you dedicated to creating the perfect gift. Baked goods are a quick and easy way to show appreciation for the special people in your life.

After gifts are opened, trash bags are usually filled with shiny, non-recyclable wrapping paper. According to Stanford University, “Americans throw away 25 percent more trash during the Thanksgiving to New Year’s holiday period than any other time of year. The extra waste amounts to 25 million tons of garbage, or about 1 million extra tons per week.”

There are multiple easy ways to cut down on this waste. As a quick fix, you can purchase reusable gift bags, tins, jars, or decorative boxes instead of wrapping paper. If you are feeling more creative, you can wrap the gift in a garment of clothing, like a scarf, that is part of the gift. If you have young kids, it can be especially fun to purchase plain brown craft paper and have each person decorate their own wrapping paper.

Some of the most memorable gifts don’t require wrapping at all. Rather than paying for a gift that someone will use up, break, or get tired of, you can give the gift of life experiences. For adults, gifting cooking classes, fitness classes, and sport events tickets could be the perfect break from routine they really wanted, much more so than another extra kitchen gadget or another knick-knack to dust.

For people of all ages, a museum membership, zoo admission, and concert or show tickets can be much more exciting than a figurine of a movie character that will end up under a couch somewhere. Gifts like these will never go out of fashion, be outgrown, or end up broken in the garbage.

An essential activity for the holiday season is driving around to see the houses with their lawns decorated with joyful reindeer and gutters lined with twinkling lights. Adding additional lights will inevitably cause your lighting bill to rise, but using LED lights can drastically reduce the cost. According to Christmas Lights Etc, “The cost to power an incandescent can be up to 90 times greater than powering an LED … LED lights consume 80 to 90 percent less energy than incandescent bulbs, and last up to 100,000 hours, versus 3,000 hours for an incandescent. Combine this with the durable construction of LEDs, and savings extend beyond electricity.”

In addition to LED lights, you can save money and reduce waste by choosing not to purchase new plastic wreaths, ornaments, or centerpieces. Instead, you can make it a family activity or friend group project to go out to a park to gather branches, pinecones, and other decorations from nature to create custom decor for your home and workplace.

The holidays are a time for family, food, and love. You do not have to get swept up in consumeristic ideals to have a successful holiday with your loved ones. Gifts, lights, and decorations are all holiday traditions that can only bring more joy when you go the extra mile to ensure that they are sustainable.

Have a happy and mindful holiday season!

Amber Churchwell is a second-year Colby student from Georgia. She is majoring in sociology with a minor in environmental studies. She handles most of Sustain Mid Maine Coalition’s media needs.

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