Seasons Greenings

It's all over the news these days: inflation, the economy, cost of gas, and more. While the holidays are still a couple months away, you see companies like Amazon doing early access sales to get shoppers to think about shopping earlier than Black Friday this year. And it makes sense... with wallets feeling a bit thinner these days, you might want to plan ahead, and spread out the spending over a longer period of time.

In this article, a consumer poll states that 84% of shoppers will have their holiday shopping impacted in some way by inflation, with 58% of shoppers starting their shopping before November, and 37% interested in purchasing second-hand gifts. 

The great news is there are amazing gifts to be found in second-hand stores, some of which are second-hand but in very good condition, and some of which are actually brand new but are discounted overstock. 

1. Start shopping early to find what you want second-hand. Let's be honest: sometimes it takes a couple extra rounds to find what you want at second hand stores, as you're looking through individual items instead of a traditional retail store ordering multiple pieces of inventory of multiple sizes and varieties. 

2. Do check out online. There are more and more online options for resale, such as thredUP and Poshmark for clothing. Goodwill can be found on Ebay for assorted items ranging from musical equipment to toys and tools. On Amazon, you can filter your results for "Used" condition. 

3. Hop on the designer resale trend. More and more premium brands are launching resale programs on their websites. Just a couple examples are Preloved by Michael Kors and The North Face Renewed. Here you can get steep discounts (ex 50%) off of top brands. Many of the items I browsed on these sites were new or used just a few times. Imagine the ski jacket that was used for just one season before the teen outgrew it, or the beautiful handbag used for a special event and then sat in the back of the closet. These items are definitely in fantastic condition and ready for the next giftee to enjoy!

4. Don't forget your local gifting group. While I usually am giving items on my local Buy Nothing group, you're also allowed to ask for items. Again, you'll want to start early, but often a neighbor will have an item you are looking for, and will happily pass it on.

5. Move up your spring cleaning. Many of these sites, shops, and programs allow you to sell your own items. Clean out your bookshelf and closet, starting the new year off fresh, and gaining some extra funds for your gifting budget.

Twelve Days of Conscious Christmas: Day 12, Recycle Your Christmas Tree

It's getting to be that time where you're thinking of taking down your Christmas tree (I do plan on keeping our lights up though January!). If you have a real tree, there are some considerations for disposing of it: 

• Check your local yard waste guidelines. In King County, WA you can only put branches less than 4" in diameter in your curbside bin. Many tree trunks will exceed this. If you have a slender tree, simply chop it us and put it in your regular curbside yard waste pickup. 

• Give your tree new life as wood chips. Check this flier for free or discounted disposal at various events and transfer stations.

• If you have room, let it decompose naturally in your yard. "The tree branches and trunk can provide habitat, shelter wildflowers, hold moisture and help build the soil, mimicking what happens with dead trees and branches in a forest." More information from the Nature Conservancy of Canada here. 

• If you have a fireplace or firepit, use it as firewood. You need to let it dry out first, so you may be prepping it for summer campfires or next winter's fireplace. 

• Support a local scouting group, who make be offering tree disposal as a service and fundraiser. This is the flier for Burien and surrounding areas. 
  

 

 This concludes our 12 Days of Conscious Christmas. I hope you all had a delightful holiday season!

 

Waste Free Gift Wrap, Japanese Style

There are a number of different ways to reduce waste in gift wrapping, from as simple to reusing gift bags until they are well-worn to more elaborate methods.

Today, let's explore a traditional Japanese method of wrapping with fabric, called Furoshiki. Wikipedia states that this practice started back in the 1600s as an early equivalent of the gym bag: bathers at the public baths would wrap their clothes to distinguish them from other bather's belongings. It has since extended to wrapping bento boxes and then as gift wrap. The practice declined with the emergence of plastic bags, but is on the rise again with environmentalism.

The different wrapping techniques are varied in how elaborate they are and how much skill is needed. Being brand new to this practice, I needed some help and used this basic YouTube tutorial. There are hundreds of videos and how-to guides out there for different techniques.

You have a lot of options for fabric choice: from a square of festive holiday fabric that is specifically for wrapping, or a fabric item that is part of the gift itself, like a scarf. For my friend Allison, who is a fan of biking, I found this cute tea towel, that doubles as part of the gift.

Start with your fabric and whatever needs to be wrapped.

Center the book in the middle of the fabric, on a diagonal.

Roll two of the sides around the book, like you're rolling up a burrito.

Take the two remaining corners, pull them to the center, and tie a knot. Voilá! Cute little bundle with "bow". 

Result: no disposable wrapping materials needed for a festive birthday gift.

I'm Dreaming of a Green Christmas

Well, it's officially time: the pumpkin spice lattes have been swapped for eggnog, the preview ads for Black Friday are beginning, and it's getting dark at 4pm. I guess that means we're starting to think of holiday gift shopping!

There are lots of ways to think about reducing your footprint this holiday season:

• choose quality items that will have a long life
• choose gifts with reduced packaging
• buy experiences, such as tickets to a concert or gift card to a favorite restaurant
• do a swap: each person in the gift exchange chooses a loved book or movie to pass on
• shop local

Shopping local not only stimulates the local economy, but also reduces the fuel to move goods from place to place. One of my favorite shops is The Handmade Showroom, located at Pacific Place Mall in downtown Seattle. Open 8am-9pm on Black Friday, they are right in the heart of other conventional retail that you may be visiting on Black Friday, and feature dozens of artisans and crafters from the Pacific Northwest. In addition to the shop itself being a small local business, all of the products within are from small local businesses.

They have a bit of something for everyone on your shopping list: sauces and confections for the foodie, cat beds and toys for your fur-babies, jewelry and accessories, kids dress-up costumes, screen-printed t-shirts, housewares... Want to level-up your conscious shopping? Some of the artisans use reclaimed or recycled materials! Top it all off with a letterpress greeting card.

A glimpse into the kids's section: 

Some of your local small businesses may be participating in Black Friday, but keep in mind that many of these business will taking the day to spend with their families. Small Business Saturday was started by American Express in 2010 to encourage shopping small and local and is observed on the day after Black Friday. Search social media for #‎SmallBusinessSaturday or ‪#‎SmallBizSat‬ to find participating businesses.

Finally, if you are crowd-shy and avoid shops this time of the year, consider checking out online marketplaces like Etsy and Amazon Handmade. These marketplaces feature small businesses and artisans, and highlight where the artisan is based from.

Happy holiday shopping, everyone, and may you discover a cool small business near you!