• When giving gifts, consider a Buy It for Life item or an experience. For example, a park or museum membership, tickets to an event, a yearly donation, or a useful or high-quality energy-saving tool. This is your chance to influence someone in a genuinely positive way.

• Relatively low-impact consumables like special fun food and drink also make great gifts. We all need to eat and imbibe some time!

• If you are receiving a gift from someone who is not into the climate and environmental movements and who might be offended if you say that you do not need anything, then use this opportunity to fill a gap in your path. Perhaps respond by saying you have a preference for a gift from a particular green company. For instance, certain sectors like textiles are typically bad for the environment — but we do need to wear something, so asking for something specific from a company that offsets their carbon impact will satisfy everyone.

• If it is too late and you have already received the gift, a) use the gift for someone else and b) set up the gift potential for next year. For instance, announce to your family and friends that you prefer donations to your favorite non-profit this year and/or you are going minimalist for the sake of our shared future.

• If that does not work with a particularly notorious gift giver, in advance of the occasion, ask for advice on a particular subject they are interested in that is environmentally friendly, such as edible gardening, and hint that you want gifts in that area.

• For special occasions, such as anniversaries, join the family together to buy a family member a solar oven, or even a solar hot water heater, or a membership in community-supported agriculture (CSA) group.

• Alternatively, some families de-escalate gift-giving altogether and mutually agree to keep presents under a certain limit. Not only does this limit stuff we do not need, it reduces the time needed to intensely shop for others. Perhaps that energy can be channeled into a nice family meal instead!