The Christmas holiday season is prime time for Secret Santa gift exchanges with family, friends or colleagues. This tradition is fun but often results in people buying small trinkets and cheap generic gifts that end up unused and create needless waste. This year, give Secret Santa a sustainable makeover by organizing a gift swap instead of shopping spree. Here's how it works!
A more sustainable secret Santa
The rules of the swap are very simple:
Set a price range for gifts, like £5-10 - this range serves as estimate to make sure presents are roughly of the same value.
Participants randomly draw names to know who they will be gifting their item to.
Knowing who they are gifting to, have each participant bring 1-2 quality items from their home that they want to gift. The items' value must roughly fit within the set price range. The presents can be lightly used clothes, books, small electronics, home goods, accessories, small homeware items (e.g. candles) etc. Importantly, items should be in good condition and must not have been purchased for the occasion.
At the gift exchange, participants gift their pre-loved items to the person they picked at step 2.
The benefits of swapping instead of buying
Circular giving
Rather than consuming new items, a gift swap circulates previously owned goods. Your trash becomes someone's treasure!
Memorable moments
Swapping used goods creates opportunities to share stories and memories about the items exchanged.
Cost and time savings
No need to shop since you'll use existing belongings.
Less waste
Quality second-hand gifts get reused rather than tossed.
Meaningful gifts
Participants often put more thought into swapping a beloved item versus buying a generic gift.
Fun surprises
The swap format adds an element of surprise and serendipity.
This season, gather your teammates, family or friends for a Secret Santa gift swap party. Enjoy the social spirit of giving while also keeping sustainability top of mind!
To get more sustainable living tips and find thousands of second hand shops, check out Ganddee - the Google Maps of sustainable shops.
Ganddee - live sustainably, effortlessly.
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