Eco-Friendly gifts ideas

Christmas shopping for gifts is around the corner now! What are you going to buy for you Secret Santa?

I thought it would be a good idea to make a list of some gifts you can get your family and friends if you want to stay in the eco-friendly mode. As you know, I took the plastic free challenge last July. It opened my mind to the fact that I wanted to really reduce plastic from my life.

I still struggle with some things like traveling and eating in planes without plastic or buying from Amazon. For example, my roommate and I bought ourselves a nice new computer for Christmas, you know, the kind you build yourself (even though we need to figure out how to build it now ahah). We bought the parts from different websites but packaging is nuts. So much plastic every where… I know it is not good for environment but how else can you get a computer or a cellphone ?

Anyway, the following list will be based on amazon products but if you can find them in a local store next to your place it is better! When I can I will indicate where I bought them in Montréal.

Secret Santa usually have a maximum amount around 10$ or 20$ so I did a list with items around that price.

Bamboo & Wood Stuff

Replace everything by bamboo accessories! They are my favorite! Eco-friendly but not only, they also look good in your bathroom or at a picnic.

I had a bamboo tooth brush and cutlery for a while now, I have them with me at every picnic and every travel. It can replace easily those plastic forks and knives in planes or salads you buy. And for the toothbrush, well, you use it every day (I hope) and it works the same as your plastic brush. The travel box is very useful too. And if you buy them they usually come in pairs, so you can keep one for you :). They sell it at Jean Coutu or Uniprix for 4$ each toothbrush (for the Canadians)

Other useful things

Other useful stuff would be like a reusable coffee cup or paper wrap that you can use again.

For the coffee cup I fell in love with Tervis, which is a brand from the US that I discovered when I was in Tampa Bay two years ago. I bought two of them then, one that says “Adventure Awaits” and one with the Hockey team of Tampa (The Lightnings). In two years, they never moved, they are still perfectly clean and in shape. I am quite impressed. Though I really wanted a Montréal Hockey team cup so this year when I was in Dallas, I bought a Canadians cup (and strangely enough they don’t sell those in Canada even though we have Hockey teams!). They have tons of different ones and you can even customize yours on their website. For me the perfect cup is the 12oz.

There are also some very good sustainable make up removal products out there. I know, I KNOW, everyone is talking about those “reusable cotton pads”. Hum, well I never tried because I had the cloth for over 3 years now. My step mother bought it to me when I moved to New Zealand for a year in 2016. It is one of the best thing I own. I never used make up removal ever again since. It works even for waterproof make up. You don’t need any products, just water! And it washes with your clothes. I put a link to one here but they sell it at Jean Coutu (for Canadians). It’s 15$ for 3 on Amazon so you can keep one for you, one for your roommate, and one for your Secret Santa gift 🙂

Conclusion

This is a small list of gifts but there are plenty others like making your own cookie mix and putting it in a mason jar to offer, making your own candle, making your own soap (or buying an artisanal one)… If you wander in the local Christmas fairs you should be able to find some of the gifts ideas quoted here or even more.

If you have other ideas I could add to this list, please let me know and I will!

Happy Holidays every one!

Photo by: @superkitina