Physical Gifts

There are SO MANY amazing videos on YouTube about the various physical gifts that we can give one another. So, rather than relate what they’re saying on this post, I thought I’d just compile a playlist which you can watch here. Some gifts are every day things, produced in better ways, from better materials, whilst others seek to help the recipient reduce their environmental impact.

In addition to the above videos, I thought I’d make a very brief list of some of the physical gifts that I plan to give, and how I’ve sourced them.

1. Socks – I don’t care what anyone says. Socks are exciting gifts. You can get so many wonderful ones these days, and the Green Shopper has compiled a list of those which are totally plastic free. Personally, I opted for pairs from The West Yorkshire Spinners. These are made in the UK, from UK wool.
2. Books – When my children were little, I used to check books out of the library, wrap them and read them, then return them after the novelty wore off. If any became a favourite, then I would source a copy online, second-hand. And for a recent birthday, my husband ‘gifted’ me a library book a month too – he would choose one for me and it was a fabulous way for me to expand my reading beyond the topics I would normally pick.
   For new books, rather than use The Company Named After a River, I use Hive. Hive give a percentage of profit from their sales to an independent bookshop of your choice. Waterstones and Blackwells, also both have online stores and are solid choices – the former in particular is a cornerstone of many high streets and it would be a shame to see physical retailers go under due to the pandemic.
3. Sweets/Chocolate – I’ve been buying gummi sweets from my local refillery and packing them in pretty Christmas DIY drawstring bags, but you can also buy them from the Beamish online store and help to support an amazing open-air museum. Great options for chocolate include Tony’s Chocolonely, and Divine. In the past, I’ve seen some supermarkets offer Fair Trade chocolate coins, but I haven’t seen any this year.
4. Toys – Last year, I spoke about DIY Lego Kits, and I think that it’s worth reposting this as Lego is so often at the top of wish-lists. Otherwise, charity shops and eBay are great places to find second-hand options. And why children are little, they honestly don’t care. This year, I bought most the gifs for my two from Myriad Toys. I chose carefully – some tools for woodworking and a pocket knife – because I know these will last and be treasured. I know that they’ll nurture skills for the future.

There are other physical gifts I’m giving, amongst family and friends. I’ll be handing out some hampers of homemade, homegrown goodies – camomile tea, chutney, apple butter, and bread, amongst other things. And I’ll also be giving away objects my children no longer have any interest in, and which I think their friends will love. I’ve spoken about it with my children and we’ve selected things in exceptionally good condition. I honestly don’t see the need to dispose of these via charity shops, only to replace them to pass on. We need to remove this sense of taboo that we seem to feel when it comes to giving/getting used items as gifts.

I’ve spoken before about gift wrapping, and about the campaign to #CutTheWrap, and I do honestly believe that if you do nothing else this holiday to reduce waste, taking on board some of these ideas will be hugely impactful. Wrapping paper literally exists only to be thrown away. It creates so much extra waste and work, and just isn’t necessary.

By switching to fabric drawstring bags, I’ve saved myself the time I would spend wrapping for my children, and because I will use these year, after year, after year, I’m saving myself money too. And these bags will, potentially, last a lifetime. They’re easy to DIY – those I’ve made were constructed with a combination of quilting fabric from my mother-in-laws stash, and some my mum found in a charity shop – but even if you don’t want to sew your own, you can order them from places like Etsy for a reasonably price. I searched for ‘Christmas Cloth Bag UK’ and found a huge selection.

I hope this has given you some ideas. I plan to have another post up with some of the books I’ve read and loved this year, but in the meantime, you can check out my last round-up here, in case you need some inspiration.

As ever, I’d love to hear your ideas and what your plans are for the holidays. Whatever you’re doing, I hope you stay safe ❤

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