When I started this experiment of a “buy nothing new year” by joining The Compact on January 1st, my biggest concern was what I would do about gifts. I sort of figured I’ve got plenty of stuff, but I don’t want to give up buying gifts for friends and relatives. Also, I’m something of a “card queen,” and give and send them for almost any occasion. I’m especially big on thank you cards, because I believe in that simple act of taking a moment to acknowledge people when they do something nice for us.
So far, I’ve had three birthdays for friends and relatives come up. My grandpa is easy, I always send him baked goods. I made him Toll House cookies for his 91st birthday. For the card, I sent a World Wildlife Fund card with a picture of a male lion on the front- perfect. For another friend that’s moved out of town, there’s a loaf of his favorite pumpkin bread on its way to him now. And for one of my very best friends, I spent all day cooking a delicious vegetarian dinner and then gave her a “used” copy of Dreams From My Father by Barack Obama, which she loved. I bought the book on amazon used, and sometimes you can get remainders that are as good as new. My understanding is that they’re headed to a landfill, so you’re saving them from that sorry fate. I love buying used books and going to the library, but longterm I’ll go back to buying some books new because I believe in financially supporting the authors. I particularly make a point of buying a copy when I go to a reading.
I’m actually trying to go the entire year without purchasing new cards. It probably won’t be a problem because I have a drawerful already, and I’ll just have to be more creative about using blank cards for other occasions, and sometimes making cards. Homemade cards are actually some of my absolute favorite gifts to receive. I also love cards made from photos of friends, not just babies.
What do you think about trying to give gifts without buying anything new? Any ideas?
Leave a Reply