Every Christmas, I try to challenge myself with how I can be more mindful with gift giving. When we think of giving gifts, we often think of big presents wrapped up in red bows. Here our some other ‘out of the box’ options.
Giving Back
As many of you know, I am not great with technology, but with the advent of Zoom, I have begun a new tradition. As a gift to my cousins, I have offered to teach their kids about what I do! Doing a demo of acupuncture on my son will no doubt captivate their interest. And if it comes to it, I won’t back down from singing or dancing to them either! My gift? To my cousins, an hour of breathing time. To their kids, it’s an into to natural medicine or some other health-related topics.
Consider giving the gift of you this Christmas.
Clean Cosmetics
Since the price of EVERYTHING is going up, I like to focus on what I think people need with a healthy twist of course. For example, my mom loves trying new shampoos and conditioners. In drug stores it is often hard to find the SLS and phthalate-free options, so I purchase many types from health food stores that don’t contain these harmful ingredients. Druide, Weleda, Green Beaver are good hair care options. Shampoo and Conditioner may seem like odd gifts but I know this is something my mom needs and they are products better for her health. If hair-care products are not a fit, opt for cleaner make-up. Lipsticks can be full of carcinogens so do your research. A website I refer to is www.ewg.org which has a cosmetic database that lists better cosmetic lines. Gift the gift of healthier make-up to a friend or family member and they will pass on this important message too.
Gift Card? Yes!
I used to be on the fence with this but now I am a believer! My husband has always encouraged me to pick up gift cards. My response in the past has been, ‘That person may think I did not have time to get them a real gift!’ and now I am convinced that it is a real gift. A gift card takes out the guesswork and reduces waste. After the holidays the gift cards can be used to purchase items likely at even better pricing. Bonus.
I hope these gift ideas inspire you and turn this often challenging part of the season into one met with creativity and consciousness.