As we wind down 2025, I’m excited to bring back one of my most-loved annual traditions: ✨ A year-end holiday sale on custom merch and creative services!
From Black Friday through New Year’s Eve, enjoy 15% off products and services, including:
Whether you’re ordering appreciation gifts for your customers or employees, planning ahead for 2026 or using up the last of your 2025 budget, this sale is meant to make your life easier, your funds stretch further, and your ideas come alive.
“Save Now, Start Later” on Websites & Graphic Design
If you’re not ready to start your website or design project yet, you can still take advantage of the sale, and 2025 pricing!
I can’t wait to help you wrap 2025 with something fun, smart, and uniquely yours.
FAQ
Your invoice must be paid by 11:59pm Pacific Time on 12/31/25. In order to receive your invoice in time, please reach out ASAP!
What types of projects are eligible for the discount?
A new website for your 2026 relaunch
Updated product catalog or menu
Stickers, labels, or patches for your event
Team hoodies or shirts
New merch for festivals or club nights
A new logo or brand refresh
Website tune-up or SEO improvements
Reprints for your best-selling merch
If you’re not sure whether your idea qualifies… it probably does. Just ask 🙂
Ongoing website hosting and maintenance packages are not eligible for the discount.
“Save now, start later” for all website, online store, and graphic design projects. See more details here!
⚠️ Fine Print & Terms
Please read these Terms & Conditions carefully! Click to expand.
To receive the sale price, invoices must be fully paid by 11:59pm Pacific Time on December 31, 2025. Timely invoice creation depends on receiving your project details — please contact me early, as all inquiries are answered in the order received. Additional response time may apply around major holidays (check here for holiday closures). Refunds are not provided for client delays, non-communication, or failure to participate in the project.
Merch Projects
Once payment is received, merch orders move immediately into production. Your invoice and attached order summary serve as final approval. Refunds, reprints, and replacements are not available for any errors approved in that summary or for any reason after production has begun.
Website & Graphic Design Projects
Payment secures your discounted rate and 2025 pricing for the scope of work documented on your invoice. If additional complexity is discovered later, added work will be priced according to the most up-to-date rates at the time of billing.
A paid invoice does not reserve a project slot or completion date. Scheduling occurs after your initial consultation and once full project scope is confirmed. Projects are booked on a first-come, first-served basis.
“Save Now, Start Later” projects must begin in Q1 (January–March) 2026. Projects not started by April 1, 2026 will require updated pricing.
If a design or website project is canceled (by either party), refunds are issued only for work not yet completed. Credit card processing fees are non-refundable. Refunds are not provided for client delays, non-communication, or failure to participate in the project.
Exclusions
The sale does not apply to: • Website hosting & maintenance plans • Rush fees/expedited shipping • 3rd-party costs
Keep your holiday season joyful by ordering early! From now through the new year, shipping companies stop guaranteeing delivery times, factories extend production times, and products run low on inventory. The more you can plan ahead, the better.
Below are the safe 2025 holiday order deadlines. These will get your orders to you before Christmas or New Year’s with standard ground shipping (included in your quote).
If you’d like your order sooner, expedited shipping and production are available for an additional fee and can shave one to two weeks off production and delivery time.
⚠️ We are not responsible for carrier-related shipping delays.
🎁 Holiday Deadlines (Christmas & New Year’s 2025)
Screen Printing & Paper Products: Order by December 2, 2025 This includes vinyl transfers, sublimation, DTF, and digital printing.
Embroidery: Order by November 25, 2025
Non-Apparel Promotional Products: Order by November 13, 2025 I.e. pens, keychains, lanyards, patches, stickers.
These are conservative “safe” cutoffs for guaranteed delivery before the holidays. If you’re running behind, contact us — we’ll do our best to make it happen! Rush fees or expedited shipping charges may apply.
Take advantage of this discount for holiday gifts or to get any last-minute expenses purchased before the end of the fiscal year.
Discount applies to all products offered by Kwindie; merch, graphic design, websites, and online stores. If you’ve been sitting on an idea, now might be the time to make it happen!
Be sure to check out the Holiday Deadlines post if you have an event. Early ordering reduces holiday stress.
Excludes projects priced by price match and items already on sale. Independent Kwindie subdomain stores may or may not participate in the sale.
Plan ahead to ensure your orders arrive on time for Christmas and New Year’s!
Below are the safe deadlines for guaranteed delivery using our local courier shipping service (available for an additional charge). The usual included standard shipping is still an option, but you’ll need to add 1-2 weeks to account for holiday shipping delays.
⚠️ Note: We are not responsible for any shipping delays caused by carriers.
Christmas Deadlines:
Screen Printing & Vinyl: Order by December 9th
Embroidery: Order by December 2nd
Miscellaneous Merch Items (pens, keychains, etc.): Order by November 20th
Paper Products (cards, posters, etc.): Order by December 11th
Print-on-Demand: Add 1 extra week to the time listed on the product page.
New Year’s Deadlines:
Screen Printing & Vinyl Printing: Order by December 11th
Embroidery: Order by December 4th
Miscellaneous Merch Items: Order by November 24th
Paper Products: Order by December 18th
Print-on-Demand: Add 1 extra week to the time listed on the product page for production delays.
Last-Minute Orders?
The deadlines listed are “safe” deadlines to guarantee timely delivery, but if you’d like to place an order closer to the holiday, please reach out! Rush fees may apply, but we’ll do our best to make it happen.
To keep your holidays on schedule this year, see below for the final ordering dates. Please note you must have your order finalized and paid for on this date to make the required timeline. Shorter timelines may be available on a case-by-case basis with additional fees (rush production, rush shipping, etc.).
If I missed any holidays you’re shopping for, let me know at trini@kwindie.com and I’ll add dates for you.
Screen Printed Apparel (including vinyl and DTF)
Christmas Deliver by December 22nd Oregon delivery: order by December 5th US delivery (other than Oregon): order by November 30th
New Year’s Eve Deliver by December 29th Oregon delivery: order by December 12th US delivery (other than Oregon): order by December 7th
Embroidered Apparel (including tackle twill and chenille)
Christmas Deliver by December 22nd Oregon delivery: order by November 28th. US delivery (other than Oregon): order by November 24th.
New Year’s Eve Deliver by December 29th Oregon delivery: order by December 5th US delivery (other than Oregon): order by November 30th
Promotional Products (pens, lanyards, patches, decals, and other hard goods)
Christmas Deliver by December 22nd Order by November 22nd.
New Year’s Eve Deliver by December 29th Order by November 29th.
Paper Products (business cards, flyers, cards, etc.)
Christmas Deliver by December 22nd Order by December 8th.
New Year’s Eve Deliver by December 29th Order by December 15th.
Print on Demand (online store purchases and individual orders)
Christmas Products fulfilled in the United States: order by December 8, 2023 for all-over print clothing and accessories / December 10, 2023 for everything else. Products fulfilled outside the United States: order by Nov 24, 2023.
New Year’s Eve TBD (this post will be updated when these dates are available).
Websites and Virtual Products
Please reach out ASAP with any time-sensitive website orders; each project takes varying amounts of time to complete based on complexity. The below dates are for straightforward projects on existing sites only. New sites will need a custom timeline.
Christmas Landing pages and site edits: order by December 15th New store products (existing designs): order by December 8th
New Year’s Eve Landing pages and site edits: order by December 22nd New store products (existing designs): order by December 15th
As in most other industries, the promotional products and decorated apparel industries’ busiest times are during the holidays. Mainly the rush is leading up to Christmas (December 25th) and New Years (January 1st). Once things start rolling there can be delays across the supply chain, from inventory shortages to decorator overscheduling and shipping delays. This may be especially prevalent this year due to labor shortages and difficulties sourcing raw materials.
That being said, there are a few steps that can be taken to make your order one of the least stressful parts of your holiday.
Order Early
For bulk orders, I recommend ordering before Halloween if at all possible. This avoids the busiest times of the year, and will make sure that you receive your order in time for all of the major holidays.
If that’s not possible, allowing at least a month before your event will give you the best chance of receiving your order on time. In the case of ordering late, a shorter timeline may be achieved through added rush fees (if the decorator has time in their schedule to accommodate).
Another thing to keep in mind is that prices usually increase in January, so it’s a good idea to order before then if you know you have an order coming up (even if you don’t need them for the holidays). If your company has allotted a marketing or merch budget for the year, now is also a good time to use it up before it is reset in 2023.
Get Organized
Map out your the holiday season events so you know what’s coming and can place orders in plenty of time. Here are some common holiday events you may want to watch out for:
Holiday gifts
Holiday party favors
End-of-year budget clearing
Higher sales rates during the holidays (especially Black Friday and Cyber Monday)
Be Flexible
Oftentimes, especially during the holidays, your first choice of garment won’t be in stock in the ideal color, or things may cost a bit more to make happen on time. In some cases you may need to place a smaller order for your event and then a larger order later to replenish your stock.
Meet Deadlines
To receive by Christmas, have bulk orders paid for by December 2nd.
To receive by New Years Eve, have bulk orders paid for by December 9th.
For collections and gifts (orders under 6 items), place orders by December 11th.
Tens of thousands of women in the US and hundreds of thousands of women worldwide die from breast cancer each year. While advancements in treatments and early detection are improving these statistics, more research is needed to find a cure.
All month long I will be donating 10% of profits from sales of my Breast Cancer Collection to the Care Bears, my family’s Race for the Cure team! In support of my Grandmother and all others who have fought or are fighting this awful disease, please consider buying one of these items or making a donation to help find a cure.
Breast cancer is the most diagnosed type of cancer for women worldwide.
An estimated 43,780 deaths will occur from breast cancer this year, just in the US.
Worldwide, female breast cancer is the fifth leading cause of death.
An estimated 684,996 women died from breast cancer worldwide in 2020.
Breast cancer does not only affect women; approximately 2710 men will be diagnosed in 2022.
Early detection and advancements in treatments have decreased deaths of women to decrease by 42% from 1989 to 2019! That means 431,800 deaths were prevented in that time.
Breast Cancer Prevention
While nothing can entirely prevent someone from getting breast cancer, there are some things you can do to reduce your risk.
Use non-hormonal methods of birth control.
Among other issues not often mentioned prior to prescribing hormonal birth control options, these types of contraceptives can increase breast cancer risk up to 7%. Hormonal birth control options include the pill, shot, implant, and IUD’s other than the ParaGard copper IUD.
Keep yourself healthy.
A generally healthy lifestyle can decrease your risk of breast cancer, as well as other cancers. Drinking in moderation or not at all, staying active, and maintaining a healthy bodyweight can all reduce your risk. This can also improve your chances of survival if cancer occurs.
Talk to your doctor about genetic factors.
If you have a family history of cancer or certain genetic markers, there may be other more specific things you can do to lower your risk.
While breast cancer is still a devastating disease, there have been advancements in technology and treatments have greatly helped reduce the mortality of breast cancer patients.
Immunotherapy – using the body’s immune system to recognize and kill tumors. This was previously not thought possible with breast cancer like it is with other cancers, but recent research has shown it to be promising.
Tumor Profiling – determining the genes within a tumor to choose the best treatment.
3-D Mammography – x-ray imaging to create 3D breast images, rather than 2D imaging examined only in layers in a single direction.
The Susan G Komen foundation was started by Nancy G Brinker in 1982 in memory of her sister Susan who died of breast cancer. Since then it has grown into the largest non-profit source of funding for breast cancer research, community and advocacy programs.
The Race for the Cure is a method by which the Susan G Komen foundation brings people together to raise money for their programs and donations. Donors pledge to donate based on laps walked (or run). My family is part of a team called the Care Bears which participates yearly at their local Race for the Cure event, in honor and support of my Grandmother and other survivors in our family.
10% of profits from sales of the Breast Cancer Awareness Collection will be donated to the Komen Foundation, by way of the Care Bears RFTC team. Please check out the items below!
Ah, the holidays. A time for pumpkin spice lattes, apple pie, and rampant consumerism.
Over the last few years as I’ve learned more about humanity’s impact on the environment (and the abnormally scorching summers we’ve had where there should not be), I’ve become increasingly upset by holidays, especially consumerist ones like Christmas (don’t even get me started on Mardi Gras). Plastic seems to be everywhere these days, especially when companies try to make their products look festive with shiny ribbons and iridescent cellophane.
My aim with this post is to remove some of the environmental impact of our favorite festivities, so we can keep the magic of the holiday season going for years to come.
Most Wasteful Holiday Activities
The reason the holiday season is so wasteful is because of the over-consumption of resources and tons of new plastic being manufactured. While there are a multitude of reasons for this, this article will focus on the following:
Gift giving
Travel
Feasts
These seem to be the most consumptive parts of the holiday season, and with them in check we should be able to continue our holiday traditions for years to come.
Giving presents is so rewarding, and yet so wasteful when done conventionally. Don’t worry though, there are a lot of ways to reduce its impact! I wrote a more extensive article on this here, but will summarize below.
Give non-physical presents
Take the “material” completely out of gift giving by giving something that doesn’t add anything to our environment directly. These can include gifting someone an experience (i.e. tickets to something, or a gift certificate for a massage), your time and effort (going for a hike or helping them with a project), or sending them some digital money.
This category can also include digital gifts like ecards, digital artwork, and software subscriptions such as Audible or Adobe. While online activity does use energy, many online platforms have started offsetting their carbon emissions and using green energy. It definitely makes a much smaller impact than physical products.
Sustainable physical presents
Sometimes giving someone a non-physical gift just doesn’t hold the same appeal as handing them a wrapped box with a surprise inside. If this is the case for you, there are still ways to lessen your impact!
Pay attention to the materials used in the item, including the packaging. When it comes to clothing (my specialty), you’ll want to stay away from synthetic fibers like polyester and acrylic, and go for organic natural fibers instead. If you do need to include some synthetic fibers (like in the case of sweatshirt fleece), look for recycled options. If you’re not sure where to start, check out my shop. All of the synthetic fibers shown there are recycled, and the rest are sustainable natural materials.
My shop does currently end up using some plastic packaging but I’m in the process of finding a POD supplier who is plastic free! If you know of one please let me know.
Do some research on the company that produces the item. Are they making efforts to offset their carbon emissions? Are they known for dumping toxic waste in our waterways? Do they treat their employees well?
Sustainable Gift Wrap
Make sure if you decide to wrap your gift that you wrap it in something recyclable, and preferrably recycled. Old newspaper is a good start. Stay away from shiny or glossy wrapping paper, as while those are sometimes recyclable, they still add new plastic to our ecosystem. For sealing packages, use things like cotton yarn instead of tape or plastic ribbons.
EcoCult mentions using the shiny inside of old chip bags as wrapping paper (see their article here for more ideas). Your giftee may be more excited about something wrapped in your trash than you can imagine!
A lot of people travel for the holidays, myself included. Transportation can have a big impact on the environment, but there are some ways to mitigate it without backing out of Thanksgiving dinner.
Take public transportation
There are a lot of different public transport options available in the US, and depending on where you live they may be even more abundant. Some are more sustainable than others, but anytime you’re traveling as a group in a single vehicle it will be more sustainable than traveling alone. Most people are familiar with the short distance public transit system in their city, but here are a couple of longer distance options you may or may not have thought about:
Long distance busses. Greyhound services most, if not all parts of the US, and there may be more than just Greyhound as well. I would recommend this for any trips less than a full day, as sleeping on a bus is really rough.
Passenger trains. Train workers are striking right now, but as soon as they are paid what they are due, trains should return to normal operation. I’ve personally taken the train on both short and very very long distances and love it. It’s my favorite way to travel. The longer you’re going though, the more delays there will be, so make sure to account for that. When I went from the US east coast to west coast and back, I ended up a full day or two later than expected in each direction. Sleeping on a train in coach is somewhat difficult, but doable for a night or two. I don’t recommend going across the entire US (5 days) like I did unless you get a sleeper car!
Everyone knows about flying already, so I’ll leave that be.
Organize a carpool
Similar to public transit, anytime you ride together you save on fossil fuels. Get together with a group of friends or family and travel together if you’re all going in the same direction. There are also ways to find carpools on Craigslist and other sites or apps if you feel comfortable with that. Bonus points if your carpool buddy has an electric car!
Stay closer to home
If you’re traveling for fun or for vacation (versus going to see relatives), consider a staycation, or at least somewhere closer to where you live. The less you travel the better, and you may find some hidden gems closer to you that you never would have known about otherwise.
If you are traveling to see family, organize the get-together at someone’s house who lives near the bulk of family, or if everyone is spread out, in the most central location. That way everyone travels the shortest distance to where you’re all meeting. Aunt Lucy can still make her fancy seven course dinner at Grandma’s house.
This can be a tricky one, because traditions can be hard to break. That being said, there are ways to lessen the impact of your Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner, without upsetting anyone.
Better organize your potluck
A bit food waste issue can be when too many people bring way too much food to a potluck, and even more so, when they leave all the leftovers at the host’s house. Better potluck organization can help a lot with this.
Ask people to state in advance what they will be bringing so there aren’t duplicates. This can be done via a social media event, an online spreadsheet, or word of mouth. If some folks don’t want to bother with an online form but others do, have one person be the point person to fill in the details for them. You can even list on the spreadsheet how many of each kind of food you will allow so you don’t end up with an entirely salad meal. If people don’t want to specify because it will be a surprise, they can add “surprise meat dish” or something. Yay for communication! Can you tell I like spreadsheets?
Let people know it’s okay not to bring anything if they don’t want to. I can’t tell you how many potlucks I’ve been to that there are 10 different kinds of store-bought pie because everyone felt obligated to contribute. Most potlucks end up with way too much food in general! It’s okay if some people just come for the company.
Ask people not to bring single use items. A lot of people end up bringing things like plastic cups, paper plates, and napkins because they think it will help save on the host’s time doing dishes. A polite mention that you’d rather they not bring them will suffice.
Ask everyone to bring a food storage container or two with them for leftovers. If everyone takes home a little bit of their favorites, it’s all bound to be eaten.
Compost
Even if you don’t have a compost bin, there are ways you can compost your holiday leftovers.
There are apps you can use to find neighbors with compost bins and piles which they appreciate people donating their scraps to (check out sharewaste.com). Pay attention to the stipulations of your chosen pile as each is different.
A lot of neighborhoods and cities allow people to put food waste into their yard debris bin, and a lot of residents don’t even know it! Look up you local disposal company for details.
Switch out conventional ingredients
Without completely changing the dishes you serve, you can switch out conventional ingredients for more natural and sustainable options within those dishes. Switching out your grocery store turkey for a pasture raised turkey from a local farm may be a bit more expensive, but helps decrease your footprint by a lot, and is healthier for you as a bonus. Plan ahead and make sure you can get everything you need locally, organic, grass fed, and pasture raised. It can even turn into a game! Supporting your local farmers helps prices go down in your local area as well.
Use smaller plates and serving utensils
This may seem weird, but using smaller plates really works to help stop food waste. How many times have you filled up your huge thanksgiving plate with a second helping, only to get halfway through and realize you can’t finish? If your plate was half that size, you’d have cleared it off. People reassess how much food they need each time they go back, and your second serving eyes may be much smaller than your first serving eyes, especially if you haven’t eaten all day in anticipation of Nana’s famous corn bread casserole.
On a similar note, using smaller serving utensils can also help. Using a giant ladle to serve up each dish encourages people to take the entire ladle full onto their plate. If you have a smaller serving spoon, they will likely only take that much onto their plate. We would all love for our family to think this through fully while filling their plates, but alas, they will likely be distracted by the excitement of the day.
I hope this helps!
I wish you luck on your sustainability journey, and hope you are able to use these ideas to have a more sustainable holiday season than the one before. Small steps can make a huge difference, so do what you can and leave the rest for another time.
As I’ve been moving toward a more minimal and sustainable lifestyle, I’ve found one of the hardest things to navigate is holidays; specifically, gift giving holidays.
For a while I’ve told people not to get me gifts for holidays, but my friends and family don’t like that. In some cases it genuinely hurts them not to. People love giving presents. It makes them feel all warm and fuzzy on the inside when they see joy light up the recipient’s face, or when they feel they’ve provided them with something nice.
I completely understand, as I also love giving gifts! I think some context may help.
The aim of asking people not to get gifts is to avoid a few specific things:
The environmental impact of consumerism
Supporting companies and products that don’t fit my values
Adding more clutter to my space, especially with things I don’t need, even if they’re nice
Guilt over decisions of what to do with a gift I can’t find room for or no longer use
If you’re in the position of wanting to give a gift to a sustainable minimalist, it can be difficult to figure out how to navigate these issues, but there is hope! I’ve come up with several ideas for gifts they will be thrilled to receive.
*If you’re a sustainable minimalist and like these ideas, share them with your friends and family, and let me know in the comments!*
Experiences can mean so much to a person. If you are near each other, you can go somewhere together, but you can also send them on adventures alone. Someone gifted me an hour long massage once, and you better believe I enjoyed the heck out of that. You can go all out and take them on an all expense paid vacation to Vegas if you want but that might not be the most practical. Tickets to a basketball game, museum, or concert work well, or even just taking them out to a nice dinner or wine tasting. Think of what they like, but don’t get to do very often.
One of the best things you can give someone is quality time. Give them a call or video chat if they’re far away, arrange a hike or just stop by. Rent some of their favorite movies, or ones they’ve been wanting to see, and make a day of watching them. Take them to the tree lighting in your city’s center, or take them out caroling.
Even better, if they have something they’re working on, help them out for an afternoon! Offer to help them finish painting their bedroom or weed their garden. Help them move, clear out their garage, or wash their car. Doing something like this can mean so much more than a traditional gift could, and is much less expensive. Doing things like this together can make some real lasting memories.
I know, I know. It may not be the most glamorous, but money really is the safest and most practical gift to get someone. Especially for environmentally conscious minimalists, it can be one of the most appreciated gifts as well. Most people have things in their lives they’re saving up for but can’t afford quite yet, or things that they want to do that don’t fit into their current income. Having a little bit extra can make a big difference.
This doesn’t have to be a wad of cash handed to them either. You can combine it with an experience gift or a “time and effort” gift for maximum benefit. I’m also fond of the out-of-the-blue Zelle notification that there’s $30 being deposited to my bank account.
When sending money, digital payments are preferred. Be sure to use something that doesn’t charge fees like PayPal (friends and family payments), Cashapp, or Zelle. Checks are second best because they are recyclable and renewable, but still waste trees. Cash isn’t great because it uses non-renewable materials in its manufacture. Gift cards are plastic (and limit where you can spend the money), so those are a no-go.
Also falling into this category would be making a donation in their name to a charity or cause they support, or naming a star after someone (yes that’s a real thing).
Digital Gifts
The fractal my brother sent me
Digital gifts can come in many different forms depending on what kind of person you’re working with.
Ecards
Ecards are the simplest option and come in a ton of different forms. They can be funny, meaningful, or just plain weird. If you had thought about getting them a physical card, get them an ecard instead.
Digital Artwork
If you’re an artist yourself, you can create a piece of digital artwork for them to use as they wish. My brother sent me a “fractal” for my birthday one year and I still have it as my desktop background to this day!
Software Subscriptions
Another option is a subscription to a service they use, or want to use. If they watch a lot of YouTube you could get them a subscription to their Premium service. If they listen to a lot of music, a subscription to Pandora One or Spotify Premium would work. Those interested in literature or self help may enjoy an Audible subscription. Software and software subscriptions, like Adobe Creative Cloud for graphic designers and Davinci Resolve for video editors, are also great ideas, though expensive.
Physical Gifts
If you do decide to buy something physical, be sure to take into account their values around things they own. What do they care about specifically? Some people who are waste conscious may have a strong distaste for anything that comes in plastic packaging, and others may be okay with it as long as the plastic is recycled and recyclable.
Generally, here are some guidelines to follow:
Pay attention to the materials used in the item. Most environmentally conscious people will want to stay away from plastic and plastic derivatives, including in the packaging of the item.
Do some research on the company that produces the item. Are they making efforts to offset their carbon emissions? Are they known for dumping toxic waste in our waterways? Do they treat their employees well?
If the person in question lives in a small space, think of the size of the item. Will they be able to fit it in their space? For minimalists this is especially important. When you walk into their space, how cluttered is it? Do they have many decorations? If not, make sure to choose something low profile that won’t impede on their need for open spaces.
Keeping those things in mind, here are some ideas of physical things they may enjoy!
The most obvious thing in this category is food (and drinks). Everyone likes to eat! Take them out to dinner, or get them a (recyclable) gift box of their favorite candy. One of my favorites is one of those giant multi-section tins of different flavors of popcorn.
Hobby Supplies
If your giftee is a gardener, seeds for their garden are a great addition. If your gift will be during the winter months, stick to seeds versus starts. To be a true consumable gift, make sure the plants are annuals (will not come back year after year).
NOTE: Houseplants are not consumables because they will be around for a long time. Gifting a houseplant can be like gifting a pet, so be careful with this. If you do choose to gift a houseplant, pay special attention to the growing instructions. Make sure it’s manageable! Probably don’t gift them an orchid (unless they’ve specifically been talking about wanting one).
If your giftee is an artist, you can get them things like sketchbooks, colored pencils, paint, canvases, and anything else they would use to explore their craft. Stick to things you already know they use, including the brand. I can tell you as an artist myself that Prismacolor colored pencils are not the same as any other brand, and it can really mess with your flow to try to switch.
For this you’ll have to do some sleuthing. Did their favorite spatula just get demolished in the dishwasher? Did their roommate’s dog chew up the remote to their electric blanket and they can’t seem to get a moment to replace it? Have they been talking about needing a new sweatshirt but haven’t wanted to spend the money?
A lot of things in this category may be expensive, and may tend not to end up on their wish list because of that. Minimalists, environmentalists, and waste conscious people all tend to consume less, but consume very high quality when they do choose to. Consider getting together with a group of their friends or family and all pitching in to get them what they really need.
Clothing in general falls into this category, but be careful! Ideally, they’ve shown you a specific item online or in a store they want, and you know the exact size to get them. If you’re choosing yourself, make absolutely sure what you’re getting fits with their style and values. Check out the materials used in the fabric especially. Think renewable organic fabrics, or recycled fabrics if going for something synthetic. If you’re not sure where to start, you can check out my shop here. All of the items there fit the above description, and are printed on demand to reduce overproduction.
Make sure if you decide to wrap your gift that you wrap it in something recyclable, and preferrably recycled. Old newspaper is a good start. Stay away from shiny or glossy wrapping paper, as while those are sometimes recyclable, they still add new plastic to our ecosystem. For sealing packages, use things like cotton yarn instead of tape or plastic ribbons.
EcoCult mentions using the shiny inside of old chip bags as wrapping paper (see their article here for more ideas). Your giftee may be more excited about something wrapped in your trash than you can imagine!
In Conclusion…
From my perspective, if you are out shopping and see something that screams the name of your minimalist friend, get it for them, and save it for the holidays if you want to. They will most likely love and appreciate it! What I think most are trying to avoid is the consumerist nature of being on a Christmas list and people feeling obligated to buy them something.
Hopefully this post has given you some ideas of what to get your loved one. Did I miss anything? Did the person you’re shopping for appreciate the thought you put into their gift? Let me know what you think in the comments!
Fall is here and Halloween is closer than you think!
I love Halloween. The anticipation of cooler weather, cozying up with a cup of cider watching the rain and leaves fall, baking butternut squash and yams, the smell of cinnamon and the crispness of the air… lovely.
New styles and designs are coming out every few days, with halloween-ie designs all being launched by the end of the first week of October.
Production takes a bit for these, so order early if you want to wear them before the holiday.
The deadline to order for delivery before Halloween is…
