The Christmas season will soon be upon us and with it the pre-Christmas stress. With a few tips for sustainable gifts, you can avoid this hassle and enjoy the wonderful season in a relaxed way.
The Christmas season will soon be upon us and with it the pre-Christmas stress. With a few tips for sustainable gifts, you can avoid this hassle and enjoy the wonderful season in a relaxed way.
The calm before the storm. It's still a few months away, but Christmas is getting closer and closer and everyone knows that the Christmas season is not exactly the most relaxing time of the year. There are what feels like ten Christmas dinners coming up, the Guezli won't bake themselves and the tree (sustainably grown, of course!) still has to be decorated. Have you mounted the winter tyres yet? It wouldn't hurt to have your skis and snowboards serviced before the holidays. And somewhere in between, you still have to get the obligatory presents for your mother, uncle and godfather. A miserable stress this contemplative Christmas season.
To get through all this without having a nervous breakdown, we have a few tips for you:
1. start organising early enough
There are still a few weeks before the Christmas rush begins - so make the most of the time. Think about what you can already do now, what you don't have to worry about in December. Certain things are unavoidable, the Guezli are best fresh and the tree should be put up just before the holidays. However, you can take your skis in for servicing now, as it's cheaper out of season anyway. The winter tyres can also wait, but better too early than too late.
2. spare yourself the stress of getting Christmas presents
Christmas presents, a thing in itself. The Christmas season is becoming more and more materialised, it's often no longer about giving someone something because you want to - but because you HAVE to. Start thinking now about what you WANT to give to whom. Sometimes a small honest gesture is worth much more than anything material.
An alternative to all those "last minute" gifts that you only give that you have given something is a simple game that you surely remember from school days: Secret Santa. Whether in the family, among friends or in the shop - all participants draw a name from a pot, which must be kept secret. Now you have enough time to organise just one gift. In return, you can take much more time to think of a really appropriate gift. This way, everyone gets a personal gift that pleases you much more than piles of junk that you can't use anyway and give away at the next best opportunity next .
Gifts don't always have to be bought, but can easily be homemade - this is often cheaper and in most cases also very well received. Below we show you a few gifts that are super easy to make yourself:
- Jute bag: Fabric bags are the perfect alternative to plastic bags and accompany you through everyday life without leaving any waste behind. To make one yourself, you don't need much more than fabric (e.g. old curtain), thread and a sewing machine. You can customise the bag with waterproof colours. You can find various instructions on the internet.
- Photo albumThousands of photos gathering dust on your smartphone and hardly ever looked at again. This doesn't have to be the case! Create a photo book for your best friend to relive the beautiful memories. Especially after a trip together, this idea is a great way to capture unforgettable moments forever. You can find various tools on the internet.
- Agenda: A personalised agenda for your office buddy? Totally cool and super easy to make. All you need is a blank notebook that you can design yourself with your creativity. You can embellish the agenda with photos, quotes or drawings, for example, which gives the personalised agenda an extra personal touch.
- Homemade jamHomemade tastes best. Get regional and seasonal fruits like strawberries or apricots and the few ingredients you have at home anyway and create your own jam. With the right instructions (you can also find them on the internet) you can make a homemade and always popular gift for your loved ones.
Of course, there are many more such gadgets that are very easy and inexpensive to make. It doesn't matter whether the gifts are works of art or not. But the recipient will notice that you have taken time and thought about a suitable gift. If you don't have any crafting skills at all, then simply give the gift of time together in the form of vouchers for various joint activities.
3. sustainable corporate and customer gifts
Are you responsible for organising the gifts that your company would like to offer to customers and employees for Christmas, an anniversary or any other occasion? We can help you find a suitable gift.
In today's world, sustainability is an increasingly important aspect in many areas of life, including the selection of customer gifts and employee gifts. But sustainability is a complex concept. What are sustainable gifts anyway?
As mentioned above, people often give gifts simply because something is given and not because serious thought is given to what the recipient will really like. The need for sustainability is always growing and that is why you should also consider what you can do for it in the area of customer and employee gifts. Sustainable gifts are not only good for the environment, but also create a positive image of the company, which is not too shy to work for more sustainability and thus meets the needs of the clientele.
Sustainable gifts are of course not only things that are made from environmentally friendly materials, but also those that take social and economic aspects into account. To do this, support local businesses or foundations that make a living from precisely such orders. Source customer and employee gifts from brands that are committed to sustainable products. By choosing regional producers of gifts, you not only support the local economy, but also avoid importing foreign products that involve long transport routes and high emissions.
With sustainable corporate and customer gifts, you make your employees and customers aware of the sustainable use of resources and motivate them to also deal with the issue.
4. the most important facts in brief
Think carefully in advance whether the gift makes sense for your customers, your employees or your loved ones and also brings a benefit with it - so that it doesn't lie unused somewhere and is given away at the next best opportunity and dies there just as uselessly. Don't just give a gift that you have given something, but take the time to find a gift that really fits.
When choosing a gift, consider its origin and the materials used. Avoid "cheap" gifts from far away countries that have to travel a long way to reach you and instead support local foundations or brands with a sustainable background. Or let your creativity run free and design your gifts yourself.
5. a sustainable gift from NIKIN?
NIKIN is committed to sustainable and fair products. You can buy trendy, useful and sustainable products at affordable prices that will delight any customer, employee or friend. The recipient becomes a tree sponsor and receives a tree certificate to prove it. By arrangement, some of our products can even be personalised and, if required, we also offer direct shipping to the recipient.
Would you like to give your customers, employees or friends a cool NIKIN product and have a tree planted in their name? - Then contact us directly at team@nikin.ch.
