Only 10 days until Christmas. It’s the final sprint of preparations for the big party. Have you finished your shopping? Me, no. Not started yet. I still have all the gifts to buy. Hey boy! Family, loved ones, those not close, but who we love the same, colleagues. Anguish. I have to hurry! I’m suspending my column and going.
Published at 5:00 a.m.
Just at the moment when, discouraged, I resign myself to joining the pack of rabid shoppers in the shopping centers, my environmental conscience intervenes in me:
“Where are you going like this, my self?
— At the stores, buy Christmas presents.
– For what ?
— Well, because it’s Christmas.
— Do you know that Christmas presents are very bad for the planet? »
I have to admit, when my environmental conscience intervenes in me, I don’t always listen to it, especially when I’m in a hurry, but at the moment, it suits me. I stop putting on my coat:
” Oh yes ? How so ?
— The manufacturing of the majority of gifts does not respect environmental standards. Transporting gifts to stores or homes contributes to the carbon footprint. Plastic gift packaging generates significant non-recyclable waste. Donated gadgets quickly become obsolete. Do you want me to continue?
— No, no, it’s clear, very clear. And convincing. »
My environmental conscience smiles. It’s rare that I agree with him so easily. What I don’t tell him is that it’s rare that saving the planet also saves money.
That way, I could not give gifts to anyone, and instead of coming across as Scrooge, for the Grumpy, I could come across as an eco-friendly, like Greta Thunberg, like a hero. Not for nothing that the Grumpy is green.
It’s not crazy. That said, it’s not so much to save money, it’s more to save me the hassle of going out to buy. To find the right deal. We give Christmas presents to the same people, year after year. At some point, you don’t know what to give anymore. A sweater, a pen, a fondue set, a foot cream, arrive one day when you’ve done the trick.
When you choose an item that matches the person’s tastes, most of the time, they already have it. When you choose an object to introduce the person to another universe, most of the time, it’s not tempting.
Come on, I’ll listen to my environmental conscience. It’s 2024, almost 2025, the gifts are over.
Okay, how do I do that, astheure? I arrive at New Year’s Eve, everyone puts their presents under the tree, and I tie a banner around the tree that reads: “NO GIFTS THIS YEAR!” FUTURE GENERATIONS WILL THANK YOU! »
The problem is, precisely, future generations. The adults who I will not spoil will, perhaps, understand the significance of my gesture, but the children, certainly not. Even if I tell my great-nephew that if I don’t give anything, it’s for his own good, he might prefer something to unwrap.
What’s going to be awkward is when I get gifts. A one-way exchange makes Donald Trump. I take everything and I give nothing. I must refuse any offering. But it will be such a disappointment to those who spent time and money to please me.
A Christmas without gifts shouldn’t be decided at the last minute, just to avoid the rush of shopping. We need to have a G7 as a family, agree on a joint declaration for the holiday season: “This year, rather than exchanging gifts, we will make a donation to a cause that is close to our hearts…” Like. Even if one does not prevent the other.
Because holiday shopping may exhaust us, it allows us to make a few days of the year special. And the whole meaning of Christmas is there. Give yourself love. The gift is the representation of this action. The decorations, the lights, the music, the beautiful table, the good food, too. It’s always love, love and love. Let us give ourselves. Finally, make loved ones our priority before the end of the year.
The holiday season is a time for love caught up.
With that, I’m going shopping. My environmental conscience can come with me. She will help me find local and sustainable gifts. Maybe even intangible gifts, like activities or services.
Above all, let’s not forget that it’s the intention that counts. And the intention behind a gift is to make the person who receives it smile. To put a little warmth in his heart.
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