Wildsteading: Gift Giving

This winter, as we approach Winter Solstice, Christmas, and so many other of the winter celebrations, and as personally many of the extended families and my own birthday creep closer in the Wolf Moon (January), gifts are on my mind.  As a Goth, a Rewilder, and as one who seeks to live in harmony with the shadowlands and the other than human creatures, I would like my gifts to reflect my values, while still honoring those whom I am gift-giving.

As personally, I am trying to live as locally as possible, and online shopping is last on my list.  Thusly, the following is where I first look:

• Homemade:  Homemade gifts are personalized, made by ones own hands personally for the person one is giving the gift to.  
  
• Local Crafters/Craft Fairs: Getting into connection with local artisans for personally made items, while both supporting others with similar values who live locally.
• Local Farms/Farmer's Markets: For food gifts, often I will look at farmer's markets and contact my known wildsteads, farms, and homesteads within the community for those unique tasty treats!
• Antique/Vintage/Thrift Stores: Older hard-to-find pieces, items from older trade crafts, baskets, clothing to repurpose, fancy gloves, older fur pieces, all of these and more are often found in these types of stores, and even better if they are local businesses (goodwill is nationwide...look for mom and pop thrift stores whenever possible). Antiquing is also good furnishing practice, as it keeps old real wood pieces out of landfills.
• Local Businesses: While these may not be as rewilded as other options, it is still supporting the local community and lessening impact on the earth.
• Online Crafter Markets:  For those unique handcrafted gifts, that might be harder to find locally.

But what gifts am I hunting for, as I consider this the following ideas come to me:

• All-Natural, Eco-Friendly:  Things made naturally, in an eco-friendly manner.  This could be natural fabrics like linen, hemp, cotton (unbleached), jute, wool, smoke or vegetable-tanned leather, bamboo, down, cashmere, or silk.    This could be recycled wood, bamboo, stoneware pottery, terra cotta, recycled metal (smiths & jewelers), and other earth-friendly supplies.
• Handcrafted:  Made by my own or local crafters.  This allows a great deal of knowing how an item is made, what it is made with, and the personalizations for whom it is made.
• Second-hand/Repurposed: While some might think this is a bit taboo, I love especially going to antique/vintage stores and getting those unique personal gifts for people.  It could be something they remember from childhood, something that is unique to their style and taste, or that hard-to-find item.  
• Experiences:  A day class in a trade skill one is interested in, a six-month course in a trade, a guided plant tour, and many other, low impact-high value experience gifts leave little to zero waste, and
• Local:  Again if at all possible, I keep items locally gotten, as it cuts emissions, flue usage, while supporting local artistizens, crafters, farmers, and rewilders.  It also makes everyone more connected with their gifts.

Once gifts are gathered, it comes time for the gift-giving itself. Here I have started getting creative with the wrapping methods:

• Fabric: All Natural Fabrics and Bags offer multi-use wrapping options, and can even be part of the gift its self in many ways.
• Recycled Paper: Either old newspapers or recycled brown or black paper rolls (some printed with earth-friendly inks) offer creative-old school options.  Plain paper can be hand stamped with earth-friendly paints to personalize the gift to the person it is being given to.
• Baskets:  Gift baskets have been a thing off and on for years, and they can make a great natural/handcrafted way to gift a gift, with the packaging being part of the gift too.  It can be paired with both Fabric and Recycled Paper for a mixed presentation.
• Natural Bows & Ribbons:  Burlap, Twine, Jute, Hemp, and other Natural Fabric ribbons and bows make awesome reusable items for multi-use decor.
• Feathers, Flowers, Pinecones:  Naturally found items like feathers, dried flowers, pinecones, and the likes, add spark and fun to gifts.  I have even used the small pinecones

How are you rewilding your gift-giving, wrapping, and decorating?
Are there any ideas I missed?
I would love to see and hear your rewilded gift ideas!

In Umbra Terras,

Lady Morria