To create less mess and save on plastic packaging this year, what we are proposing here is a little outside of the box. Instead of wrapping a present, why not make the wrapping be the present itself so it doesn’t need to be covered!
We have 10 exciting ways to make a meaningful present by gifting the wrapper or container itself and jazzing it up with a bit of holiday flare. All of these ideas are plastic-free, personal, and come in high quality containers that can be reused over and over again!
10. Cookie Decorating Kit
A gingerbread cookie decorating kit is a great idea because it is more than just the gift of an object – it is the gift of a delicious activity!
Pick out some fun candies and buy or hand-make some gingerbread people to decorate. Place all of this into a plastic-free container like the 16cm stainless steel one you see here to make a colorful and exciting gift. Need more or less space? No worries, Life Without Plastic carries many sizes specially for your cookie decorating needs! There airtight tins can then be reused for all kinds of storage in the future.
Find the container here.
9. Breakfast Bundle
Who doesn’t love breakfast? A couple of oatmeal bags fit perfect in this mini 12cm bowl and it is greatly complimented by our super popular collapsible spork! Both the bowl and the spork are lightweight, durable, and easily portable.
Find the bowl here, find the spork here.
8. Veggie bags
This non-plastic organic cotton bag is perfect to carry your fruits, veggies, and leafy greens! Get creative with the contents, fill this bag with their favorite snacks for nice picnic or even red and green apples to keep with the holiday colors.
You could also fill the bag with items to make a cozy night in like some popcorn kernels in a mason jar, wool socks, and some hot chocolate packages. Go nuts have fun with it!
Find the veggie bag here.
7. Candy Containers
This gift is fun to make and fun to give. The trick is to buy a few extra treats and that way you’ll fill the tin completely and you’ll have some left over to snack on! Stainless steel containers are durable and great for taking on-the-go. This one also has clamps on lid to keep everything in place. Once the candy is gone, this tin can be reused for lunches, snacks, and all kinds of storage.
Find our latest airtight container here.
6. A Personalized Tea Kit
This glass mug is double-walled to help keep your drinks hot or cold for longer. It’s clear and would look great stuffed with colorful tea bags or simply filled with loose tea. Personalize this Tea to-go kit by selecting all those tea’s you know they will love!
Find the glass mug here.
5. Pampered them with Portable jars!
These little glass jars are great portable and watertight jars for carrying personal care items. You can fill them with some handmade soap, scrubs, creams, salts, or lip balm or make it easy and add a DIY recipe in the card for how they can create their own.
Around the holiday season there are also often craft fairs that feature various local artisans who have all different kinds of neat products to fill these jars with if you want to add something a little extra special.
Check out the Life Without Plastic to find this 5 pack glass kit or our 4 pack of metal tins.
4. Recipes In a Jar
Baking in a jar has become the new ‘it’ gift and it is not hard to see why! Why not pick up a couple of these airtight glass containers and fill them with your homemade recipes?
Feel free to move beyond brownies and use cookie mix, pancake mix, soup mix, or my new favorite idea mulled wine mix (cinnamon sticks, vanilla bean, star anise, nutmeg, cloves, citrus fruit, a nice bottle of wine). Find the airtight glass container here.
Tips for success:
- Make sure your recipe fits in the jar – It has happened to me where it didn’t and when I transferred the ingredients to a larger jar I lost the layers. So sad.
- Only layer dry ingredients and remember to include a note with the wet ingredients and cooking instructions.
- Be careful in transportation – a slight tile can ruin all your hard work.
3. Pasta Kit
One of the hardest parts of making dinner is choosing what to eat. Make dinner easy for someone you love easy by packing all of the ingredients one might need for that special meal into a cute bag or container!
Pictured above is one of our beautiful organic cotton bulk bags (small size) filled with some multi-colored pasta and a small glass jar of pesto. These bulk bags also come in medium and larger sizes!
2. Treat Them With Trail Mix!
Pretty and practical! These reusable bags are a smart and plastic-free alternative to disposable plastic snack baggies. They are made with 100% cotton, beeswax, jojoba oil, tree resin and lots of love.
These Beebagz come in a set of 3 in either orange or green and you can gift all together or treat three different people by separating the pack! To finish off the gift, feel free to fill these with all kinds of dry treats like nuts, chocolates, pretzels, and anything you know they’ll devour! These bags can be reused and enjoyed for many more snacks to come.
1. Home Baking – Nothing beats it!
Home baking has got to be one of our favorite gifts! Not only is it plastic-free, it’s delicious! Most importantly, it is one of those gifts that just screams love because it requires one of our most valuable resources to make – time. Break out the baking ingredients and get your hands a little dirty for this one. Don’t forget to add a cup of love! When you’re all done, fit your treats into one of these great tins. The two-tier one shown above is great because it can store multiple types of cookies separately. We even have a 3 tier tin if you’re feeling ambitious.
Find the two-tier Tiffin container here.
Sarah Wylie, Inventory & Operations Manager
Life Without Plastic