We are a family of readers. One of us has an advanced degree in library sciences + has worked in a library for ten years. We don't have to own a lot of books, but we know that they can be truly good gifts.
I was trying to find a book to give each of my people for Christmas...knowing that it's hard to find a book we will want to keep...that the librarian hasn't already read or couldn't grab during any ol' work day. A few titles surfaced that I can't wait to share. I can't purchase all of them, so an alternative gift came to mind that is perfect for this last week before Christmas. I'm making a (short) list of books I find just for each person. I'm writing a little bit about why they might like each book + including money to purchase one they think they'd like to keep. If they'd like to use the money to buy a few warm drinks to accompany library books, that would warm my heart as well. :) Thoughtful gifts are my favorites to give + to receive. Things are just things, but thoughtful gifts are something more. They are a true offering of connection. A recent white elephant gift exchange sparked conversations + deepened a sense of connection + shared interest over as varied topics as the benefits of Japanese hot springs, the inspired writings of Rick Rubin + the life giving magic of eating colorful salads in winter months. Beautiful. May all your gifts, given + received, be recognized as offerings of connection...and appreciated to their fullest potential. Much love, Jane The hardliners make each other stronger.
Is it possible for the peacemakers to do the same? ~Ezra Klein Internet minimalism comes with a lot of talk about the purging of stuff. True minimalism will have a decreased emphasis on letting things go over time, because it will emphasize diminishing the acquisition of things. Even still, periodic inventory taking is necessary, and maybe this is the time of year to use it to peak advantage.
Things are resources. They require resources to make + take up space as waste. These days, brand new things don't necessarily have more life in them than previously used things. New things are the more culturally acceptable category of gifts, but we can imagine a different way. Here are a few ways I can imagine our ready-to-pass-on things becoming good gifts:
Many of us find frustration in having too much. Maybe we found value in that book at one or many time(s), but we have many other books too. Maybe our child loved that toy for a year, but now has a new interest. Maybe we always reach for a different sweater. At the same time, many of us are going to shop for books, toys + sweaters. Again, gifting has so much to do with expectations. This sort of gifting may only work with a handful of like-minded friends + family. Then again, maybe one conversation is all that it takes. Best wishes for a comfortable gifting season full of generosity + connection! Love, Jane One way our family has fun with gifts is to gift personal favorites. We often set very specific terms like gifting everyone the same gift that costs $5 or less. We have fun hearing why the giver loves this item + why they think we have to try it. These are things we might not usually talk about...a favorite pen, new snack discovery, a cherished ritual...and it always prompts a variety of connecting feels.
I have a feeling this is becoming an annual sort of post. It's just that time of year again, and I love this sort of thing! It ticks all the boxes for a simple, gratitude-inducing, inexpensive, thoughtful, low waste sort of celebration in my book. It really is a fun way to gift, and prompts us to rediscover reasons we love what we already have too! I thought I'd share a few of my favorite things...simple things that I use over + over again with pleasure. I hope they are a little different this year, but I can't guarantee it! :)
I really feel like I could go on + on with ideas, because they come as easy as looking around me. Gifting is so much about expectation + agreeing to something like this makes those expectations very clear + simple to meet! Happy simple gifting, friends! Jane An invitation to an evening, holiday party has me thinking about what I have in my closet that could look appropriate + a bit festive too. While I think it could be lovely to have a dress or two that get pulled out for such merriment, I don't. Instead, I have what I now recognize as clothes for the daytime. Since I'd rather not shop for a single event, I'm going to try to look creatively at what I have. I have a few more days to decide what I'll wear, but my thinking is going like this so far:
I love this sort of creative exercise. Minimalism offers us so many opportunities to stretch our imaginations toward different ways of being + that makes me so happy! Wishing you all the most fun + festive of holiday seasons! All lovely photos via links. Love, Jane The chaos of life has a way of clouding out the simple way sometimes. How did I end up standing in the grocery store moving from lavender to eucalyptus trying to cross "greens for the table" off my list thinking, "No, I'm allergic to that one too"? I felt like the light came back on in my dusty mind, when I suddenly remembered the still lively green sage in our back yard...free, beautiful + already mine! It will look lovely + lush on our Thanksgiving table!
When I let the majority of my time, focus +/or energy go to my job, I can end up surrendering to a skewed view of convenience. I find it comical to realize that our society is designed to make us think convenience is driving to the store hoping it will have what we think we need rather than looking out the window first. Thanksgiving really is a wonderful time to tune in to simplicity + to let it set the tone for the holiday season to come. The best Thanksgiving decor is grown in the natural world + is compostable...pumpkins, dried foliage, edible persimmons, fresh herbs + beeswax candles placed in jars already in the kitchen. The best food is grown in soil + doesn't need fancy, new recipes to make it worthy of sharing. The memory of bringing the piano bench, desk chairs + stools from around the house to the table in my childhood home doesn't make me think we needed more matching dining chairs. The pile of coats on my parents bed didn't make me wish we had a fancier coat rack. A house filled with family, friends, laughter, warmth + food was the whole thing! And the memories still make me smile. Wishing you simple joy and the will to take it in + savor it this holiday season! Much love, Jane In Japan, there is a fairly steep fee to dispose of trash,
which is a good system because it really makes you think about throwing things away- or buying them in the first place! ~Yumiko Sekine Sewing our own clothing gives us a clear view of how much fabric waste is involved in clothing making. Large pieces of fabric are most often leftover after cutting out pattern pieces. These pieces are too small to cut another sleeve or pant leg, but they might be ample enough to cut another pocket or provide bits to contribute to a quilt. It's easy to see that clothing brands end up with lots of small pieces of premium fabric after their cutting process as well. It's exciting to see brands make an effort to use these pieces for scrunchies, belts, quilts + patch kits. It's also easy to understand that the demand for scrunchies cannot keep up with the supply of fabric...and that the amount of effort needed to patchwork a quilt or garment is significantly greater than cutting into fresh fabric. All that to say...I love that WRN FRSH is taking "waste" + making it functional + beautiful. Each piece is made by Gene + Michael in their San Francisco studio from disassembled vintage clothing or brand offcuts. I'm especially loving this colorful collaboration with Gravel & Gold.
As a sewist, I enjoy brands like this as much for inspiration as for shopping. There is so, so much opportunity + need for zero-waste creativity! All inspiring photos via links. |
on a journey toward zero-waste, simplicity, + compassion :: daring to choose fair one choice at a time
|