Let’s face it, gift giving is fun. Every year leading up to the gifting season I promise I won’t give in to materialism, but once I see wrapping paper it’s all over for me.

I LOVE wrapping gifts, giving gifts, watching them be opened. It’s basically my favorite part.

I am that person who buys more small items versus one big present just so I can wrap more things to put under the tree or ship or hand out.

So here are some of my solutions to give some balance to my love of sharing presents and my strong desire to lessen my impact on the environment:

• Shop small and local as much as possible
• Buy recycled and re purposed whenever possible. Etsy is great!
• Buy things the recipient will actually use!
• When shopping online consolidate shipping as much as possible (for example, Amazon lets you choose one day a week for delivery)
• Support small businesses by getting gift certificates too. Helps get others to discover my favorite small businesses. Then get creative with fun ways to decorate for presentation!
• Buy hand made over mass produced. And choose items NOT made from plastic when there is an option. Amazon even has a hand made area to shop.
• Try to make something myself if I have the time and inspiration
• Think outside the box and look for unique items that support good causes.

Today I’m highlighting my local Habitat for Humanity Re-Store of the Greater Los Angeles area. They are having a Black Friday all November and inspired this post! Repurposed items and supporting a great cause! Consider supporting your local Re-Store this holiday season! (and all the time really).

And if you have one of those people on your list who are truly impossible to buy for because they have everything, I have one last suggestion. Make a donation to a cause in their name. Make it personal of something meaningful to them. And get creative with how you present it if you are like me and love the whole wrapping and unwrapping process!!