Christmas Present ideas and resource list

Christmas Gifts

Alcohol
Always comes in glass bottles.  Always appreciated.  Available everywhere.

Beauty
We have been trialing the Veg- Up range of cosmetics and cannot recommend them enough.  They work really well and come in cardboard and corn starch plastic. The mascara is not waterproof but unless you are a synchronised swimmer or prone to crying a lot, it works just fine.


Lush has oodles of Christmas beauty gifts. We like their great metallic eye shadows in glass bottles. All their products come in either recycled plastic (which they take back after use), paper or they have a new range of naked solid products. I have never bought from them online so I don’t know if they send stuff without plastic packaging (I would assume so) but their shops are everywhere.
If you are buying for someone who likes to get right back to basics then this beauty gift set should suit them. They use only cardboard or glass packaging.

If you prefer going back to basics this range looks very good with all natural products and no plastic packaging.


Likewise this company sell a great shaving kit that comes in good card packaging.


  
Bags
Whether it is big bags, wash bags or hand bags this company recommended by Daphne make theirs from old fire hoses. They look great and long lasting.


Personally I am a great fan of these bags (and soon purses) made from old bouncy castles available in lots of funky colours from Surfers Against Sewage. Shopping from them directly benefits their anti-plastic campaign. What’s not to like.


I also bought these groovy bicycle paniers from the New internationalist  online shop. They are made from old Indian plastic sacks  and they arrived in paper packaging – hoorah.I’d recommend this online shop for lots of other non -plastic gifts too- have a look round.

www.ethicalshop.org/recycled-bicycle-panniers.html 

And these bags are just great environmentally, ethically and aesthetically. Remember all those life jackets discarded on the beaches by the poor refugees fleeing to Europe? Well these girls had the bright idea of upcycling them  and with the money they raise they are helping the refugees. A great double whammy of an idea

http://dirtygirlsoflesvos.com/upcycle


Books
Yes to Books. They are still made of paper and cardboard.   From someone who lives with a bookaholic I have come to realise that the best present for them is a book token so that they can quietly indulge themselves in a decent bookshop for a few hours whilst the rest of us battle through the sales.  It makes them very happy so it isn’t a dull present.

Bottles
If someone in your family still has not switched over to a permanent drinking bottle now is the time. I prefer the wider neck version as it is easier to clean. Again I recommend the ones from SAS.


Candles
They say you can never have too many candles so they do make a safe gift to give to those who you know use them a lot.  Don’t buy normal wax though as this comes from petroleum which is the source of plastic. Instead look for bees wax or plant based wax such as soya. There are many makes out there but the company I like to support for the bees are Bee Fayre.

You can buy online but again I don’t know if they use plastic to pack their products in, but there is a stockists list on their  site for more local suppliers.


Cups
A china mug always makes a good present as if you are like my family we are always breaking them.

And if you have not got a eco bamboo travel cup yet look no further than these colourful beauties


Clothes
It may not seem obvious to some but most of our clothes are made of plastic. And I don’t just  mean your PVC cat suit. All polyester, nylon, viscose and other synthetic materials are in fact a type of plastic fibre and like hard plastics do not disappear but just get smaller and smaller until they become microfibers and get everywhere including into worms, shellfish and other small creatures. They are a huge pollution problem.

So, please avoid buying new clothing unless it is made from all natural materials. This will limit your choices but you can always shop guilt free in vintage and charity shops as at least you are not adding to the plastic stockpile. You will however eventually have to find a safe way to dispose of them once they are worn out.

Garden
If you are buying garden tools, always make sure they are made from just wood and/or metal. This means actually getting your hands on one in a shop and not relying on photos online.

Luckily seeds still come in paper bags and I would only recommend buying native wildflowers anyway.  The Landlife charity sell a good range suitable for most gardens.


Likewise there are many good online eco shops selling various types of wildlife homes. I like these bee hotels available from


Which also stocks lots of other good looking non plastic gifts so it is worth looking around the rest of their online shop.

Jewellery
From junk jewellery to metal jewellery there is lots to choose from.  When there are so many local craft workers making hand made jewellery there is no excuse to buy the mass produced and over packaged stuff from the High Street. Trawl your local craft markets first and if you have no luck then try Etsy as most makers on there are hand made. But be vigilant. If you want to guarantee your item does not come packaged in plastic I suggest email the makers direct.


Kitchenalia
We will be exploring kitchens properly in the New Year but if you are buying kitchen things for Christmas look out for unnecessary plastic details like handles and lid fixings.

Always try to buy metal only pots and pans, wood or metal implements and wood, pottery or glass plates and bowls. And glasses of course.

Avoid buying these online unless they guarantee cardboard and paper packaging which is only likely from ethical online shops.
Personally when I can afford it I like to buy from Manufactum as they stock such robust and simple things. It has been a while since I ordered from them so I can’t remember about the packaging  that their stuff came in but being German I am sure it was OK.


Perfumes

Most perfume comes in glass bottles or there are solid options around too. I am not going to even attempt to recommend any as perfume is such a matter of taste but it is a good plastic free option for those who like it.

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