I have a confession: this year I didn’t buy almost any Christmas present.
Don’t get me wrong, my Sikh ass loves this brilliant Christian holiday, so I gave people good gifts. I gave my sister some pretty earrings, my childhood friend a scented candle, and my boyfriend’s mother’s boyfriend a copy of a photo book. But I didn’t actually buy any of these things. I regift them.
Re-gifts are widely considered disgusting. A second-hand gift is supposed to mean less than a new one, and if a gift is not recently purchased, it should not be considered. But I’m here to say it’s stupid. We offer gifts to bring our joy to our loved ones, not to show our spending skills (usually at least). And there’s no reason why a previously loved thing can’t make someone happy while easing the burden. that overproduction puts on the planet.
It’s not like I gave gifts that were vacuumed. The earrings I received as a gift from my housewife last year and I loved, so I kept them around, but I didn’t have my ears pierced and I probably never will. The scented candle was given to me too, but I don’t feel its powdery scent. And the photo book was mine and I liked it, but I don’t need it anymore, so I pass it on to someone else who can appreciate it.
Sending unwanted or already loved gifts is also a more sustainable option. At the very least, it is much better than keeping unnecessary garbage in our apartments until we finally decide to separate and throw it in the trash, sending it to a landfill or landfill where it is intended to contribute. to pollution by global warming.
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Re-gifts – or any other personal choices when it comes to Christmas gifts – will not fundamentally address the political issues that led to our global waste and overproduction crises. In our global economy, things – clothes, candles, anything – are made not to cover a certain amount of need, but to get the most profit, and the transmission of a few lost products will not change the whole system. The big problem is not the gifts, but the reason for the profit, baby.
But given the choice, I’d rather not just throw something away if I know someone else might want it. I also donate my lightly used items, but it’s nice to make someone you like smile.
For what it is worth, I feel good not only with offering previously presented gifts, but also with receiving them. Some of the best gifts I had ever received — jewelry, pottery, a table, a guitar pedal — were things the giver had already used.
Most people who celebrate Christmas have certainly opened their presents by now. But you can maintain the spirit of the holidays by continuing to pass things on. Offer the cup your mother gave you that you don’t need because your closet is too crowded or the sweater that doesn’t fit you. Hell, give the things that do what It suits you too, once you’re done. Not to be all of Marie Kondo, but are you really going to read that book again or continue to wear the dress behind the closet you’re tired of? Give it to a friend you know will enjoy it and who may be cold enough to allow you to borrow it for a night when we can go out in a safe group again. You will free up space in your home and save space in the garbage flow. And it might make someone feel good.