Creative Christmas Gifts & Buying Local

Hey everyone!

The silly season is right on our doorstep (again?!), and in the chaos of this year you may not have gotten around to sorting out Xmas gifts just yet, so I thought I’d pop together a listicle to help get those creative juices flowing!

Experiences vs. Items

I talked about the beauty of gifting experiences in last years Avoiding Waste at Christmas Time article, and included some top gift experiences for Perth, so if you are scratching your head about what fun things there are to do, be sure to check it out as they are all still relevant! As it has been a bit harder this year to get out and about and do a lot of activities due to the pandemic, I’ll list some further ideas below of low-key gift activities that will incorporate quality time together;

• Go for a picnic by the beach, by the river or in a beautiful park. You can hand-pack a basket with fresh cheese, crackers, dips and a bottle of bubbly, and you’re done! Enjoy some quality time in a lush location with your bestie, partner or family member.
• Take someone snorkelling at Mettams Pool or Omeo Wreck, or go for a hike in the hills and then head out for a hearty lunch
• Make a voucher or write in a Christmas card that you’d like to take your recipient for a lunch at a local brewery, winery or cafe. We tend to do this for our grandparents now and it’s a great way to spend some quality time with them and make a day of it.
• Buy a Fringe voucher or ticket to a show and support a local artist (whilst having a fabulous time!)

Memories can hold so much more value than physical presents, are the greener way to gift, support local businesses and makes the Christmas joy last all that much longer, so it’s a great avenue to go down for this years gifting.

This isn’t to say that you have to gift someone an experience to be eco friendly and creative, as there is of course value and joy in giving someone an item that they love and will use, but there are ways to ensure that those gifts support local businesses and artists. There are many places you can source items that are unique, local and ethical, with some examples found below;

• Go to your local Christmas Market, farmers market or weekend market event, and check out the stalls- these are often teeming with locally made goodies that are beautiful and unique!
• The next time you are at a funky local cafe, check out what they are selling aside from coffee and brunch, because they will often have small locally made items like keep cups, eco-friendly household wares and other things that could make a great little package of gifts for someone.
• Another thing you could try is browsing around your town or city like a tourist, and picking up a range of locally made foods, preserves, and items to make a little ‘Tastes of *insert your city name*’ basket to gift to someone. It’s a great reminder that you have a lot of goodness right on your doorstep, and will allow the recipient to enjoy funky local finds at a picnic or in their home.
• Plants have gone off in recent years as the best thing to deck out your home or apartment with, so if you know someone who enjoys indoor or outdoor greenery, you could source a funky, locally made pot and get a new plant to pop in, and boom, you’re done.

There really are so many ways to gift that span across experiences to items, but the key ingredient is that you are giving something with joy and with soul, to someone that you care about. If you can avoid the lure of mainstream cookie-cutter gifts from large chain-stores, you will be able to give something unique that will definitely last a lot longer.

So all in all, I hope that was helpful and has given you a few last-minute ideas of how to gift creatively and ethically. If you have more ideas to add please feel free to comment, and as always any likes or shares are greatly appreciated!

Happy Christmas everyone!

Big love,

Kirsty