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Conscious Christmas Gift Guide

By Loving Earth, 5 Dec 2018.

Christmas and consumption go hand in hand, last year Australians spent over $22billion on Christmas, with the average person spending $492 on presents alone. And further research revealed that 20 million gifts were unwanted in 2015 with that number expected to grow year on year.

So, what is it that makes us lose our senses when it comes to gifts at Christmas?

A study conducted in 2014 found that our sentimentality is what sends us off on a tangent, trying to be original and demonstrate how well we really ‘know’ the person over and above practicality and something that they’d find useful or more likely to use. It’s a time where even though we’re spending money on gifts, we aren’t consciously thinking if the person actually needs it.

Here are our top picks on gifts that will show you care about the person, and the planet!

Experiences
No wrapping needed on these gifts. Give the gift of learning something new, whether that’s about themselves or a skill they will use again and again.

Workshops - Work Shop Classes

Personal investment - The School of Life

Memberships - NGV Gallery Membership

Donate to charity for the year - OXFAM - WILDERNESS SOCIETY - RED CROSS

Gifts that keep giving
Practical gifts that last longer. Choose from practical gifts like offsetting their carbon, to art, to subscriptions that mean they get a little surprise each month.

Offset someone’s carbon for a year - Chooose

Socks - Soxy Beast

Art - AJP Studio

Books - Bookabuy

Plants - Hello Botanical Melbourne
Leaf Supply Sydney

Make your own
Spend time making something for the loved ones in your life. Setting aside an afternoon in silly season will give you a chance to have some time to yourself too!

DIY candle

Chutney

Cookie Dough & Superfood Balls

Ethical Buys
If you want to buy an actual gift, go for one that gives back – whether to the makers directly, a cause that is doing important work, or reducing its impact on the environment.

Bamboo bodywear - Boody