When I think of the holidays, it can be one of the most exciting, yet simultaneously one of the most wasteful times of the year. 

Gift wrap, food waste, parties, endless decor, its overwhelming. 

Don’t worry, I have recommendations to minimize and become more sustainable this holiday season. 

After polling my social media audience, I found several focus areas that are problematic: decor, gifting, photos/holiday cards, and waste at parties. 

Create a vision 

My first recommendation, which is central to everything we teach in the konmari method, is setting a vision for the season. 

What do you want to see change this year? 

Focus on a feeling or a specific goal you have in mind. Maybe your vision is to have a zero waste holiday, or reducing your holiday clutter. Once you set your vision, everything else will follow.

A few recommendations to guide your vision: celebrate within your means and choose simplicity.

Decor

My recommendation: stop buying it. Americans get so caught up in holiday related clutter that we store all year, just to bring out for a short time. Get creative with what you have or DIY it yourself with items around the house. 

Keep the items that truly spark joy, and that you can use every year. 

Be intentional with every item you decide to bring into your home, if you decide to purchase new decor. And get creative with items you already have. Remember, its quality over quantity. 

Gifting

When asked what they dislike most about the holidays, Americans top three dislikes are: materialism, financial worry, and shopping crowds. 

Why don’t we take the materialism out of the holidays altogether? The holidays should be about community, and celebrating together, not about the gifting. 

7 out of 10 Americans said they’d skip exchanging gifts altogether if friends and family agreed to it. 

So let's do it. Propose the idea to your family and friends, see what ideas you can come up with. One of my favorites alternatives to physical gifts, is the idea of  

Experiences not things. 

Maybe it’s my inner millennial talking, but I’m personally a fan of buying an experience instead of a physical object. Give the gift of experience. This could be an airbnb stay, or a cooking class, anything that allows you to experience something new, and arguably more meaningful. Plus, no added waste.

The true purpose of a gift is to be given. After the gift is received, its purpose is fulfilled. There is no shame in repurposing or donating a gift that isn’t sparking joy for you. Let it go on to be with someone else who will fully appreciate it.

Be intentional with gifts. With all the waste that is already in the world, its our duty to be intentional when we decide to give a gift. Make it meaningful. Don’t buy something just for the sake of buying it.

Sustainable gift wrap 

A huge area of concern, and waste around the holidays is gift wrap waste. I remember growing up, having at least two large trash bags full of wrapping paper, that was only used once. 

One option: skip the wrapping altogether. Personally, wrapping gifts sparks no joy, so I’d prefer to give a gift sans wrap. 

For those more attached to the idea of wrapping gifts, an alternative to traditional paper gift wrap is the Japanese art of furoshiki. 

Furoshiki is a method of using fabric to wrap gifts, thereby eliminating single use waste. Look up tutorials on pinterest, there’s a plethora of options. You can use fabric you have around the home, and after the gift is opened, return the fabric, or keep it for the next gift you need to wrap. Sustainable and zero waste, its the perfect solution. 

Holiday cards

Here I have another millennial solution: go digital. 

The best way to avoid waste with holiday letters, cards, photos both economically and sustainably, is to stop producing them altogether. You can still share photos with your loved ones, just take it online. 

People end up feeling guilty throwing them away at the end of the year, so again we can avoid all those feelings by digitizing. 

Parties 

When it comes to waste at parties, I love the idea of BYOF. Bring your own flatware, bring your own cup, plate, you could take this idea wherever you want! Avoid the single use plastics, tableware etc by encouraging your guests to bring their own items. 

Buy glass and metal over plastics whenever possible. Shop local, and get intentional about foods you buy and the packaging they are contained in. 

When you focus less time and energy on the things, you have more time to enjoy the people. Embrace gratitude for the humans in your sphere, after all thats what the holidays are really about. 

Happy Holidays! 

for more minimalism inspo: digital minimalism money minimalism