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In the UK, an incredible 13 million tonnes of waste is sent to landfill every year. It’s therefore unsurprising that people are becoming more socially conscious about what they buy. Nothing highlights the amount of material blessing we have in the UK quite like Christmas. But it can also lead to uncomfortable amounts of excess. Instead of enjoying the abundance of Jesus, the Greatest Gift of all, we can sometimes feel like we’re drowning in stuff.
This year, let’s consider how we can celebrate in ways that don’t exploit people or have a negative influence on God’s creation – both of which push people deeper into poverty. We’re being mindful this year with our brand-new Gifts of Compassion – helping you bless loved ones in your life, and children and families experiencing poverty.
We’ve got three further ideas to help you do your bit for the environment.
Get creative!
Try your hand at art, baking, knitting, or perhaps even carpentry! In today’s fast-paced world, handmade gifts not only minimise your consumer impact but also produce much more personal gifts!
You can create your own wrapping paper, gift your loved ones a latte chocolate cake or have a go at knitting! If knitting isn’t your thing, you could fill a gift bag with wool and knitting needles to give as a wonderful gift set for a craft-loving friend?
Plant seeds
Plants can make lovely sustainable gifts, so why not go for something less mainstream and give a gift you’ve grown yourself, or a box of poppy seeds to scatter in a flowerbed? Spider plants and other succulents grow plantlets that are easy to detach and repot, making them even more personal; or you could cultivate seeds (tomatoes, sunflowers etc) and give new shoots in hand-decorated pots. Friends and family members can plant your gift and watch it grow over time.
Give the gift of time
God gave us Jesus Christ, the Greatest Gift of all, to be ‘Immanuel- God with us’. As we’ve freely received, Jesus tells us to freely give (Matthew 10:8). Christmas is a wonderful time to celebrate God’s profound generosity to us.
What would it look like for the attitude of radical generosity to permeate every aspect of our festive celebrations?
Could you open your home and your celebrations to those who might be alone? Or maybe you could volunteer at a community lunch as a family, or gather donations for your local food bank? These acts of hospitality don’t have to be financially costly – many people invited would be delighted to contribute to the food required, and they simply appreciate being included.
We hope you will be blessed this Christmas as you seek to honour Jesus in the way you celebrate and show love and generosity to those around you.
Check out the Compassion blog for more ways to give ethically this Christmas.
