Let's Make the Holiday Season a Little More Sustainable

A video on the internet recently influenced me to buy 2 pairs of neon sweatpants from the Gap. I am not immune to overconsumption. But becoming aware of it was the biggest game changer.

Everything changed for me the day I walked into a big box store and realized that nearly everything on the shelves would eventually be garbage. And every day new inventory refills the shelves. And every city has multiple stores doing the exact same thing. Throw in a holiday and watch this all grow x1000 🤪

It just didn’t add up in my mind. Where was it all going. And why don’t we talk about it that more?

We’re really good at “out of sight, out of mind!” Like REALLY good at it. Because if we were consciously aware of how much we’re throwing way, we wouldn’t consume as much, wouldn’t buy as much stuff and it kinda feels like buying stuff is like what makes the economy work or something…? Is that how any of this works?

It became my mission to use what we have instead of sourcing new wherever possible. (And sometimes it’s not possible.) And to inspire others to start thinking the same way.

But awareness is the first step. So if nothing else I hope you just notice the amount of packaging in stores, how often you reach for the trash can or think about adding to cart instead of shopping your own closet.

Here are 5 ways you can make your holiday season just a little bit more sustainable.

What I love even more than giving a gift card is creating a "build your own experience" coupon! We do this every year for the kids in our family and let them choose (from a list of pre-approved options) of what they'd like to do. Then we get to do it together. It's not just a gift, but memories, too.

Ever walk down the toy aisle in Savers? I have. A lot. It's overwhelming. And I imagine this is only a small fraction of what they get donated. I want the best for my child, but I also know she doesn't care if some other kid had it first (lots of kids have previously played with everything she touches at preschool 🙂).

File this one under another trait I inherited from my mother 😆 Any gift bag or tissue you receive from me is definitely on its second (or third or sixth) leg.

Shamless plug? Yes. But here are some of my other favorites:

Hey Lola Art Co. - Jewelry made from trash

Picnic Wear - Slow fashion made from vintage textiles

Little Lawless - THE cutest upcycled kids clothes

Hey, it's a viable option! The number one item on my wish list this year is for my husband to hang up some shelves me made me.

Did I miss something? Have you tried one of these with smashing success? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

More than "Happy Pants"- a metaphor

Let's talk about these pants for a moment, shall we? I am wearing these pants in nearly every social media photo. I am wearing them nearly every day in real life. They are my favorite pants that started as my least favorite pants. 

Just some no name jeans I thrifted during the height of changing rooms not existing and rather than returning them (you know, like a normal human might) I tailored them to fit better and adorned them with smile patches to divert attention away from my not-so-great tailoring. A story I tell nearly every human who continues to comment on my pants after the initial inevitable compliment (they really are a conversation starter) including my eye doctor this past month.

"So you took your favorite pants and made them even better," an intrigued Dr. B replied as we were chatting about said clothing item.

"Actually quite the opposite!" I bantered as a spewed off my spiel.

"This feels like a metaphor for a new way to look at life." The words nonchalantly rolled off his tongue as my mind was just beginning to blow.

My mind actually blew when I got in the car and realized HE IS SO RIGHT. I love these pants not only because keeping them saved me an awkward social interaction and added a little nostalgia to my wardrobe, but these pants are a METAPHOR.

Deep to my core I am looking at the things myself and others deem as trash, trying to find the potential and the beauty they hold. Trying to polish the turd of an ill-fitting pair of jeans or give a musty sleeping bag a better life than death in a dusty basement.

And what an accomplishment it is to turn one person's crap into something you truly give a crap about.

(This post is not at all sponsored by Zen Eye Care. But they truly are the best.)

A long winded story about string that's not really about string

I love that I get to breathe new life in to old stuff, that their stories get to live on and that we get to add our own stories on top of the ones that were already there. The stories that come with the making of the thing and the stories that come with the wearing of it. I don't care if you can't see it, you can feel it. And you'll never get that with things that have been heartlessly manufactured for the masses.

I just finished turning a sleeping bag I found in the basement of an estate sale into a jacket and there are so many stories that came along with the creating. Sometimes they're just for my own personal growth and sometimes they feel like they're worth telling. This one is about some string and a string of traits I acquired from my mom. The little quirks that we lovingly poked fun of behind her back have become some of the most prominent things I notice myself haphazardly adopting. A sense of resourcefulness being at the top of the list.

My mom was always great at making do with what she had. She could come up with a crafty solution to nearly any problem. She'd save shoe boxes for organization bins or an empty cereal bag to crush croutons for a batch of meatloaf. Digging through her craft supplies earlier this month I found a collection of magazine clippings that served as her archaic Pinterest board.

This week I was reminded why I hold onto things (namely, craft supplies) because you never know when the right moment will come along when you need a very specific shade of royal blue cording that you bought in 2018 for a very different, very specific project. Although this time around you'll need it to finish off a jacket in January of 2024. A very specific royal blue cord that I gifted (read: lended to) my husband for some other very specific man project.

The aforementioned very specific project circa 2018

When the coat was near completion I knew it needed something more. Specifically a drawstring. And being a near facsimile of my mother I knew in my bones that I already had something somewhere that would work. And it's amazing how the Rolodex of textiles and supplies I've ever seen or touched my lifetime spins around as I scrounge through every draw, nook and cranny to figure out what it is.

Lo and behold, as I reached into my drawer of various ropes and trims from projects past I realized my inventory was off- that I did indeed purchase the very shade of royal blue some years ago and I vaguely remember instructing my dear husband to scrounge through this drawer when he was in need of the exact diameter of said royal blue cord for some oddly specific chainsaw milling tool (this is a whole other story). Upon further interrogation (but more realistically a quick phone call) the exact location of this infamous blue cord was secured some mere 20 footsteps from it's original home (why can they not just put it back where it belongs? Yet another dilemma for another time).

Of course what was left was nearly the exact amount I needed thus successfully completing the circle that is the string story. I can see my mom smiling about it all. And whether or not she's the one who actually orchestrated it all I may never know. But perhaps it's what I'll tell myself for now.