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Policy Practice Research

Rethinking Gift Giving This Holiday Season with Bigger Hearts, Less Stuff, More Experiences, and a Healthier Planet

Health, Wellbeing & Development, Open Access, Practice

Rethinking Gift Giving This Holiday Season with Bigger Hearts, Less Stuff, More Experiences, and a Healthier Planet

November 21, 2024 | by
Thank you to Dr. Mark Tremblay, OPC President and Senior Scientist at the CHEO Research Institute, for providing this post.
Holiday gift ideas are often traditionally centered around material items, most of which being items that are not essential or needed and likely superfluous. Such things fill closets and cupboards, consume resources (natural and financial), and pad corporate profits. Recognizing the harmful effects of excessive materialism on both individuals and the planet, OPC invites you to join us in embracing a “giving reset” this holiday season (and all those that come after this one!) by shifting away from material items and sharing gifts via donations, experiences, and a healthy planet.
To support this reset, we at Outdoor Play Canada have put together a collection of gifts ideas, below:
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Donations

Nothing warms your heart more than helping someone in need, especially around the holiday season. Make your gift to your friend or relative “who has everything” and “needs nothing” a gift to the less fortunate, or to a worthy cause, for example, make a donation in the name of your gift recipient to:

Or consider donating your time to:

  • A local charity or community service organization, or simply your neighbourhood (e.g., clean-up garbage in your neighbourhood, tidy your local park)
  • Family and friends – the gift of quality, screen-free, time – best served while being active outdoors!

Experiences and Memories (these can be donations too!)

  • Memberships (e.g., cultural, nature or sport organizations or clubs)
  • Museum pass
  • Park pass (e.g., National Parks, Provincial Parks)
  • Entry fees for local events (e.g., Ottawa Race Weekend, cultural fairs)
  • Active outdoor play experiences (e.g., outdoor camps, wilderness hike experiences)
  • Other recreation passes (e.g., swimming, skating, dancing, martial arts, golf, bowling, roller skating, skiing)
  • Spa pass or gift card
  • Concert or theatre tickets (municipal tourism websites are a great place to find out about local community concerts and theatre performances)
  • Sporting event tickets (municipal tourism websites are also a great place to learn more about local and new sports teams and sporting events!)
  • Family coupons – homemade, hand-written, redeemable anytime (e.g., “Super Saturday” plans for the family, romantic evening with partner, personal massage, home chores)
  • Education or professional development course

Healthy Planet

  • Commit to buying less “stuff” for gifts
  • Ecotourism excursion
  • Hikes
  • Volunteering as an environmental steward with local agencies
  • Clean-up your local park
  • Advocate for safe bike lanes
  • Help a local trail coalition with trail maintenance (e.g., Rideau Trail Association)