Vancouver Low Waste Christmas Gifts
Relaxing after a full day of snowshoeing at Cypress mountain
As we all know, Christmas is the season of giving. Unfortunately, that can come with a lot of waste and negative environmental impacts.
I have found myself affected by the consumerism of the season more than ever this year. Malls have been stressing me out big time and a lot of my family and friends have shared that sentiment with me. To combat these overwhelming feelings, I have put my energy into creating little to no waste gifts for my family and friends. This has materialized in the form of experience-based gifts for my loved ones and I to share together.
While these gifts aren’t perfectly zero waste or no carbon, they are low cost and meant to bring joy to you and the person you’re giving to.
Gift Ideas
The ingredient basket we gave to my Dad on Christmas day
Snowshoeing
Cost (for two adults): $22 - 58
My sister and I have turned this into an annual present for my Mom. We love going up to Cypress or Seymour, spending the day trekking through the snow together and then sharing hot chocolate at one of the mountain cafes after (in our reusable mugs of course). Depending on if you have to rent snowshoes or not, this can be a very low cost but lovely memory making present.
Master Chef
Cost: $20 - 50
My Dad loves to cook and it has always been something we have enjoyed doing together. A few Christmases ago, my sister and I decided to turn this into an experience present for him. We picked a cuisine and found recipes online for an appetizer, main and dessert. Our present on Christmas day ends up being a basket of ingredients with the printed-out recipes. This can be as high or low cost as you make it depending on what ingredients you’re buying and how many people you’re cooking for. The best part of this present is spending the evening cooking together and then sharing a meal with dishes we’ve never tried.
Date Day
The result of our Master Chef cooking efforts with Tahitian dishes
This year I have decided to change from buying or making physical gifts for my other family members to taking them out on a date for the day. The holidays can be so busy and while we’re often spending lots of time with family, it is usually in large group settings and may not provide the chance to really connect with the people around us. I have always preferred to spend quality time with others in one on one settings. This gift usually takes some planning out together prior to Christmas Day but if you’re ok with losing that surprise factor from unwrapping a physical present, I find that this gift is so much more memorable than anything I could ever buy for my loved ones.
Hike or Scenic Walk
Cost: Free
My family is big on the outdoors (are you surprised?) so while this activity might not seem like a “gift” it combines enjoying the outdoors and quality time with another. I always like to take this opportunity to explore a trail or mountain we haven’t visited before. I use alltrails.com to find new hikes and it offers great reviews so that you can match the difficulty of the trail to the skill level of your gift recipient.
Winter walk through Heritage Mountain trails
Second Hand Book Shopping
Cost: Free - $10
This activity will usually turn into making some purchases but can be the perfect activity for the bookworm in your life. You can support local businesses while stocking up on reading material for these seemingly never-ending rainy days. Culture Trip offers a list of some of the best bookshops in Vancouver.
Aquarium
Cost (for two adults): $76
I love the Vancouver Aquarium for a lot of reasons but mostly because their sustainability education is top notch. This is such a fun experience for all ages and offers the opportunity to connect with the wildlife of our region up close.
Ice Skating
Cost (for two people): $10
The Robson Square Ice Rink is open until February 29th and is free to enjoy! Renting skates costs only $5.00 per person and can be such a fun activity no matter your skill level. It does get very busy around the holidays so this can be a great gift for someone that isn’t free for your date until the new year.
I hope this post gave you some inspiration for low waste/cost experiences you can share with your family and friends over the holidays. Comment below with ideas of your own for showing love without waste this Christmas season.