CREDO Mobile – Holiday Gift Guide

The holidays are a tough time for the environment.  Household waste increases 25% between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day⁽¹⁾.  A big part of this increased waste is gifts, many that are unwanted, that end up in landfills.

If you are looking for the perfect gift this year, consider an experience instead of a physical gift. Even the most responsibly made sweater has an impact on the environment.  Packaging and shipping all have a carbon footprint.  Anything plastic will be around for hundreds of years.  An experience can be more environmentally friendly and provide memories that last a lifetime. Although that is not as long as that plastic poop emoji you bought for your friend as a gag gift will be around.

There are experiences for every price range – a handwritten personal letter costs just 73 cents to private tours that can be in the thousands of dollars.  Some suggestions include:

• Theater tickets – live theater has struggled since the pandemic. This is a great chance to support the arts. You may even find great options at local high schools and colleges for a less expensive option. You may be able to see High School Musical at the local high school.
• Wine/Cheese/Beer/Chocolate tastings/classes – many communities have great options for all types of fun classes for foodies or wannabe foodies. For example, the San Francisco Wine School offers classes (https://sanfranciscowineschool.com/collections/individual-wine-classes), although many other shops and schools may offer them near you.
• Art classes – from painting to pottery to dance, you may be able to find a fun class. Even more fun if you can take a class together.
• A tour – you can find local guides who can provide tours for all kinds of interests (History tours, Food tours, Architectural tours).
• Museum Memberships are a gift that gives all year long. With a membership, your recipient can visit multiple times and see many different shows. Many museum memberships let the member bring a friend, so you may get something out of it as well. Memberships help support museums and these cultural institutions need our support.
• A subscription to a newspaper, magazine or even newsletters – Support quality news in times when quality news is in short supply.  For newsletters, we enjoy Judd Legum’s Popular Information:  https://popular.info/, but there are hundreds of options out there.
• A donation to a nonprofit that you know they would support. We have a list of organizations we’ve supported in the past at credodonations.com.
• Perhaps the best gift of all is time. Cook a meal together, go for a walk, spend time talking.  There is nothing more precious than time spent with loved ones.

If you have other ideas, please let us know in the linked survey. We will compile the results and send them out later in the year.   https://credomobile.typeform.com/Gifts2024

If you are looking for a physical gift this year, check out some articles on our blog about how to be a more conscious consumer.

• https://blog.credo.com/2024/11/07/conscious-consuming-for-the-holidays-try-these-alternatives-to-amazon/
• https://blog.credo.com/2023/12/27/5-ways-to-be-a-more-conscious-consumer-in-2024/

If you know someone who loves books and can’t resist getting them a book as a gift, may we suggest the CREDO Mobile affiliate store on Bookshop.org. Not only do you avoid using Amazon, but every purchase on Bookshop.org helps independent bookstores. You can find almost any book at the CREDO Mobile affiliate on Bookshop.org.

(1) https://abcnews.go.com/Technology/hidden-ways-holidays-harm-environment-reduce-waste/story?id=93487258