Wrapping paper has recently””and rightly””acquired a bad rap. Between Thanksgiving and Christmas, “˜tis the season to generate an additional one million tons of trash weekly. That fact has weighed on me ever since I read it in Elizabeth Royte’s landmark landfill exposé, Garbage Land: On the Secret Trail of Trash; it cured me forever of the wrapping paper habit.
Now, I try to wrap gifts in reusable items like dishtowels or cloth napkins or scarves, or, when that’s not possible, with some sort of recyclable material like the funny pages or potato print-enhanced craft paper. And a lot of folks are doing the same thing, according to a story in today’s CS Monitor, “Time To Call It A Wrap For Wrapping Paper?”
But not everyone applauds the trend towards exchanging undressed presents. Emily Post, America’s grand arbiter of etiquette, is long gone, but her spirit lives on in her great-great-granddaughter Anna Post, who’s not ready to accept that wrapping paper is so last century:
“We need to respect this tradition. Christmas isn’t just about the presents on that one day; it’s about the anticipation and sense of momentum. People don’t know what they’re getting for a reason: It creates a special moment between the giver and receiver. If the gift is sitting right out there, then there’s no ‘moment.’ “
The notion that we can’t have a “˜moment’ unless it comes wrapped in shiny Santa-festooned foil is really sad. Post could learn a thing or two from Colin Beavan, aka No Impact Man, who became a high-profile advocate for low-impact living when he and his family swore off such creature comforts as electricity, fossil-fueled modes of travel, and, most famously, toilet paper, for an entire year. As Beavan told the Monitor:
“For gifts this year, we’re giving experiences that we’ll do together rather than things, which means no wrapping paper is necessary. Plus, spending more time together makes us happier as a family.”
Beavan expressed his desire for a low-impact holiday in a letter to Santa, excerpted here:
Dear Santa,
I was thinking about how much I love playing with my little girl Isabella and talking to my wife Michelle and joking around with my best friend Tanner. You know what I realized? There is nothing more fun than just laughing with the people I love. There isn’t a gadget or a game or a toy or any sort of thing you and the reindeer could possibly bring me that I would rather have than a couple of hours of laughter”¦
“¦What I’m asking for is gifts that, instead of causing me and mine to separate from each other, instead cause us to bond together and enjoy each other. Experiences we can share that have the effect not only of giving us a good time but, say, supporting the arts and helping to build and strengthen community. They have the benefit, too, of not consuming a lot of the planet’s resources.
Gifts like these offer more than a fleeting “moment;” they give us priceless memories that fill our hearts without filling up our landfills. That’s what you call a win-win, unless you cling to outmoded notions about the conventions of consumption. Here’s wishing Anna Post the gift of insight, unwrapped.
For more tips on having a less consumption-driven holiday, check out this post from Bill McKibben on Grist.
Katie Halper:
Nicole Hughes: 
Andy Kondrat:
Jon Popham: 
Giulia Rozzi:
Gina Telaroli: 
Acclaimed writer Elizabeth Royte, author of 
Kerry:
