By Megan Guerrero 

Every Christmas season, social media, television ads, and billboards all compete with each other to catch our attention and buy their products. Influencers pressure us to buy massive hauls of presents. Christmas-season sales push us to buy more to complete our shopping list. And wish lists detail expensive gifts we hope to be blessed with this year. We’re bombarded with the idea of purchasing and giving  “perfect gifts” for our loved ones, insisting that tangible material items are the only way we can display our love and appreciation to them. 

This gifting expectation is an accurate reflection of our culture’s extreme dependence on material gifts, with the average American spending $998 every year on Christmas gifts, according to Bank Rate. It’s no surprise that this mass consumerism that arises every December is accompanied by a rise in waste. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, during the holiday season, household waste increases to about 25 percent, equating to about 1,000 extra pounds of trash, with much of this waste being from gift wrapping paper and unwanted presents. Our consumerist mindset exacerbates the USA’s massive waste problem. 

Therefore, as both gift givers and receivers alike, we need to embrace presents that may not be quantifiable by their cost and material value such as acts of service, quality time and bonding, or cheaper but meaningful items. We should give gifts that hold more sentimental value and meaning than an Amazon gift card (which I guiltily confess, I’ve given many times). 

As much as the gifter gives into the expectation that we need to go out and spend money on gifts, the receiver is equally responsible. No one wants to bear the shame of not gifting their friend or family member a present of monetary value, contributing to a cycle of materialistic gift-giving. Knowing this, to argue that we should stop giving gifts entirely would be untrue and unproductive. While Christmas is rooted in religion, giving and opening gifts are staples of the holiday. Completely shifting away from the tradition may be impossible. 

How can we give gifts that shift away from our culture’s consumerist expectations, while still satisfying our holiday traditions? We need to think about new, innovative ways to give gifts of experiences that those on our Christmas shopping list would enjoy, then break the ice by actually giving it to them. 

This holiday season, I encourage you to give your loved ones something meaningful beyond its objectifiable value, and for you to utilize more creativity when it comes to gift-giving. Whether it may be a present that doesn’t cost much, like making their favorite dish or a piece of art dedicated to them, or something that does cost money like a necklace partnered with a handwritten note or tickets to a museum to go to together. 

What all of these gifts have in common is that they all have a deeper, more tender, meaning to them. They require more than just clicking on the “order” button, but time, effort, and love. They’re not only a shift away from our consumerist, often wasteful, gift-giving culture, but they can also signify our deeper, personal connection with our loved ones.