A sustainable Christmas

How will we be spending our Christmas with family this time? The pandemic is over, we are faced with a new world order but what has not changed is that we should celebrate Christmas.

For many people, it is the only time when the family gets together or makes it a point to have a reunion. For some, it may mean traveling with family to some faraway destination to be free from visitors and aguinaldo seekers, or to have the best private time possible.

For most of us, Christmas is about gift-giving and receiving all sorts of thoughtful presents – from special food to something as functional as coffee. Though it is not the time to preach about sustainability, healthy habits start with what you give each other during Christmas time.

Buy local. Thankfully, consumers now prefer local products to buying cheap imports engraved with the company’s name or logo. Corporations choose locally-made and curated gift sets as part of their corporate social responsibility (CSR) efforts and also their commitment to ESG. Individual consumers buy more of reusable materials and containers, too. There has been a “help your farmer” wave of campaigns where every other jam or chocolate is helping a farmer. And we hope these really reach the producers and make them want to plant cacao and coconut again.

No more plastics. Though online sellers still use a lot of bubble plastic wrap due to handling risks, many retailers now choose paper over plastic, and others demand you bring your own eco or reusable bag when shopping. There also is a rise in purchase, use and giving of reusable water bottles – both branded ones that really keep cold/hot and copies of brands which serve their purpose of being water containers.

Eating local and organic. There is more consciousness about food miles now. People shop at farmers’ markets, weekend markets and even supermarkets are devoting space for organic produce and local produce like fruits and vegetables. Make sure your Christmas table has local fruits and not just the imported ones. Try to dig up local and heirloom recipes to serve for Christmas lunch and dinner.

Look for sustainable clothing. Even clothes are much in demand during Christmas. This time, choose linen or cotton instead of polyester or poly blends, which is like wearing a plastic shirt. Natural fabrics breathe and with today’s increased ambient temperature due to the climate crisis, one should look for clothes that breathe and are comfortable to wear all day.

Buy food gifts. Please spare us from the canned goods and processed choices. Instead, look for locally-made products that help our MSMEs and with enough consumer trials, they can then be given a break to produce more and finally have access to more customers online and in pop up stores. Food gifts must also be the healthier choices – think of helping others avoid lifestyle diseases caused by higher intake of sugar and salt. Maybe you can give herbal teas, organically-grown coffee or local chocolate drinks.

Wrap them in natural weaves. I am so happy we are using more banig, pandan, bariw, coconut, abaca and other locally-sourced grass and leaves as packaging. Others use cotton or jute sacks which are reusable rather than single-use paper wrappers and bubble wrap. We also reuse old magazines to make them paper bags instead of using fresh paper which consumes more trees and more water. Reusable, eco or any microfiber bag will last longer than single-use paper or plastic bags.

Give a gift of service. Instead of useless tokens like plastic knick knacks, why not give a gift of service? Give a certificate for a spa or massage, a babysitting or tutoring session, a learning session on Udemy or Masterclass. Recently, we took an online class at UP Open University while our supervisors took classes at UP-Institute for Small Scale Industries (ISSI). The gift of learning can always be appreciated instead of yet another token gift that ends up in the trash bin in no time. Creative family members can give gifts like a “job jar” where you commit to doing household chores for each other.

Give inspiration. You can give a book, a real hard copy as there is nothing that compares to the smell and feel of a real book. It can be a prayer book, a spiritual tome or a children’s book for the younger set. But give books that inspire people to be better versions of themselves. There are so many by Filipino authors as well as foreign ones which are even on sale, if you are lucky. These gifts can be read and passed on to other family members, too.

So, this Christmas, let us do something different. Let us be mindful of habits we need to keep doing and share them with our loved ones. If we all think of how gift-giving can affect Mother Nature, we would be more careful in choosing them. If we are mindful of what good eating habits we can share, we would give healthier choices of food.

Make this season a Green Christmas and think of imbibing new habits for the new year. Be more conscious of what you buy, wear, eat – in other words, live a sustainable lifestyle. As the New Year comes, we will get started on new habits and a new consciousness that we can share with family, community and even in our place of work.

May your Christmas celebration be filled with meaning and new discoveries. And may we not forget the reason for the season.

Happy Birthday Jesus! And Merry Christmas to all our readers. May you inspire others with your lives.