Twelve Days of Conscious Christmas: Day 6, Second Hand Gifts and Decorations

(courtesy of greenpeace.org article)

When you think of second-hand gifts, you may think of half-used presents, the re-gifted unwanted or white elephant present, or of items that might be dirty or broken. 

This is where we need to shift our thinking:

Unless it's a collectible, how many times are you going to read that book, or assemble that puzzle? Does a book become unusable after a couple reads? Do you not borrow books from friends or the library? 

For parents of young children, do you not love when you get a bagful of hand-me-down clothes from your friend or neighbor? After all, those clothes only got 3 months of wear before they were outgrown. 

So why, for gifting, does second-hand become taboo? 

Now, don't get me wrong: items from thrift stores or pulled out of storage should definitely be washed before re-use, especially during COVID. But the need for that quick extra step shouldn't eliminate it from the options. 

Here are just a few of the quality, gently used items I've found recently while thrifting:

Assorted holiday tins, average $0.99 each. Perfect for mailing or wrapping any gift, but my eye is on these for fudge or peppermint bark!

These ceramic ($2.99) and melamine ($0.99) treat dishes. Pile these with cookies, and do a porch drop off to your friends as a socially-distant version of a cookie swap.

Mugs galore (average $1.99, compare to $8 new). Fill these with your favorite hot-cocoa mix and gourmet toppings.

This festive doll ($6.99, compare to $25 new), for the kid on your list.

Or this porcelain doll ($9.99, compare to $50 new) for the older kid or collector.

Or these wooden Peace and Joy signs ($0.99 each), for your home or your friend who needs a bit of holiday cheer this season.

For more specific selection, expand beyond the thrift store: 

• Antique stores: Great for collectibles and jewelry, and perhaps carries a classier image than Macklemore poppin' tags?
  
• Game Stop takes trade-ins and carries used video games, consoles, and accessories. 
• Half Priced Books carries not only books, but also movies and music. 
• PoshMark, ThredUp, and Swap.com carry clothing and accessories, including brand names, and filterable by "like new" condition. 
• Even Amazon: select Used condition when looking at a particular item, or choose "Amazon Warehouse" from the categories list to see a wide range of used selection.

You won't be alone in the second-hand gifting market (an Accenture survey showed 56% of participants would welcome used gifts) but you also wouldn't be alone in worrying if it was acceptable (a lower 48% said they would give used gifts). However, since over half said they would be happy to receive them, let's erase the stigma and normalize secondhand gifting! 

Need more convincing? 

CNBC Article: I love this one. Key takeaways were the Accenture study referenced above, and that Macy's and JC Penney have partnered with ThredUp to offer second-hand apparel at select stores. 

Yahoo Finance article: love that this is from the point of view of a mom and her sons' perspectives.