Christmas is just around the corner! And so close to Christmas Eve, it is not unusual for many people to rush into shopping malls and buy whatever they can get their hands on. For some, the simple motto applies: as expensive and as classy as possible.
Nevertheless, even those who decide at the last minute should choose their gifts carefully. Instead of expensive impulse buys, you could simply give something homemade – and there are several good reasons for this.
Waste prevention at Christmas
In the wake of many climate policy discussions, consumption at Christmas is often criticized. From an ecological point of view, this is also very understandable. Now, we certainly don't want to take away anyone's joy at Christmas. Giving and receiving gifts is, after all, a beautiful thing. Nevertheless, one can act a little more sustainably in this area as well, if one considers the following two points of criticism regarding waste prevention:
- Many Christmas gifts cause significantly more waste than is already produced. Be it through product packaging or packaging material caused by mail-order business – after the holidays, the volume of waste increases by 20 to 30 percent.
- Estimates suggest that every fifth Christmas gift is regifted. Most people can probably understand the reason: It is simply useless for the recipient. Unfortunately, many gifts also mean that a lot of junk is bought that first wastes space and sooner or later has to be disposed of as well.
Ideas and tips for homemade Christmas gifts
When it comes to Christmas gifts, less can sometimes be more. It is better to think about the recipient and be a little creative. Therefore, we have put together a few inspiring ideas for DIY gifts:
DIY gifts for foodies
People who love to cook and pay attention to a balanced diet will certainly be thrilled with these gift ideas:
- Homemade herb oils: You don't have to be a chef yourself to produce various aromatic oils. Garlic oil or chili oil can be prepared quickly with basic ingredients and can be individually refined with many other spices, such as rosemary or marjoram.
- Designing your own meal kits: Meal kits with all the ingredients and the matching recipe are trendy. Especially for amateur cooks, such a meal kit for a nice dish with the appropriate ingredients can be wonderfully designed yourself. For this, you can simply be inspired by the current offers of supermarkets. For example, you can browse through the Coop offers and pick some basic ingredients. Then you can enter the ingredients into a recipe portal like Chefkoch and look for a nice recipe idea for the recipient.
Homemade gifts for beauty fans
Fine cosmetics are popular Christmas gifts. But even this sensible gift idea is a bit nicer and more individual if it is homemade.
- Homemade scrubs: What do coffee, rice, and coconut oil have in common? Simple, they are among the most popular ingredients for natural and homemade scrubs! On YouTube you can find plenty of recipes for DIY cosmetics, which can be mixed together quickly and easily. Such cosmetic products are not only gentler on the skin than most commercial products, they are even significantly more environmentally friendly.
- DIY bath bombs: Bath bombs are a nice gift idea; after all, you combine an already relaxing bath with soothing aromas and gentle care. And this product doesn't have to be bought expensively either, but can be made yourself with a few ingredients from the organic section. Tip: You can also use different food colorings for this to make the bath bombs a bit more colorful and cheerful.
Tip: Further information on the topic and helpful tips regarding waste prevention at Christmas can also be found in the following article on focus.de.
Read also:Â Finding a gift for your best friend
