My Top 5 Sustainable Stocking Stuffers
The holidays are right around the corner and looking for last minute gifts and stocking stuffers is likely on your mind. If you’re anything like me, you are learning to live more mindfully and eco-friendly and want to spread the environmentally friendly vibes to your friends and loved ones. (And you also wait until the last minute to purchase and ship your gifts across the country.)
The holidays are the perfect time to give sustainable gifts as gift-giving is natural this time of year, and our less-than-eco-conscious family members might not feel like we’re guilting them about using single-use plastic when we hand them an adorable re-usable water bottle. (Enter big cheesy-smile here).
The great thing about stocking stuffers is they’re small and compact. They’re not a big gift but can certainly have a big impact. They’re inexpensive to ship and easy to travel with if you travel for the holidays. And I don’t know about you, but I personally love digging into my stocking on Christmas morning to see what great tiny gifts I’ve received.
Traditionally, I feel that stocking stuffers are little kitschy things and often just a compilation of random junk that happens to be small enough to fit in a stocking. As someone who is constantly making an effort to move toward a more eco-conscious lifestyle, I try to take this into account with my gift-giving as well. That is why this Christmas, I’m providing a list of my top 5 sustainable stocking stuffers that even your most climate-change denying relative will love!
1. Metal Straws - Particularly these from Eco at Heart. Eco at Heart is a brand that graciously allows me to test out any of their new products, but this is not a paid ad. I am genuinely in love with this brand and their products. They offer a wide variety of metal straws, in all shapes and sizes, which is something you don’t see with a lot of other metal straw brands. They also ship in responsible packaging which is another plus and each package comes with a cleaning brush.
2. Reusable K-Cups - I don’t know the statistics of how many people own a Keurig, but I know it’s A LOT. And k-cups are unfortunately not that environmentally friendly. Which is why I’ve switched to using reusable K-Cups. You can buy them almost anywhere nowadays and they come in a variety of reusable materials. This particular video shows the 6 Best Reusable K-Cups for an idea. While the video is from 2017, it still holds up.
3. Biodegradable Floss and Refillable Container - While a hygiene product like floss might not seem like the coolest Christmas gift, I think these reusable floss containers from Tree Bird are super cute. They’re made of glass and metal which makes them sustainable and eco-friendly. Plus they offer a variety of floss options, all of which are biodegradable.
4. Reusable Water Bottle - Reusable water bottles come in all shapes, sizes, and materials these days. I have quite the collection myself. But one of my favorite water bottles is this Healthy Human stainless steel insulated water bottle. What I like about it most is that it’s insulated so it does a great job of keeping cold beverages cold and hot beverages hot. It’s also an ideal size for those who are using it on the go and don’t want to lug around a huge water bottle.
5. Reusable Travel Mug - These Simple Modern Travel Mugs are great for several reasons. One of my favorite features is that they come with 2 lids - a flip lid and a straw lid with BPA-free straws - so you can sip or slurp to your liking. They’re made of insulated stainless steel to keep beverages hot or cold. And they come in a variety of color and size variations so there’s something for everyone.
Thoughtful gift giving means gifting things your intended gift receiver wants and will use, but also giving gifts that give back to Mother Earth by being eco-friendly and sustainable. Hopefully this list provided something to help you out in a pinch and have a very merry and sustainable holiday. There are of course so many other gifts you can give that can provide meaning. In fact, the most eco-friendly gifts of all are not things, they’re experiences and simply spending time with loved ones.