Post Christmas ruminations

For various reasons Mr Namasi and I decided to keep Christmas very low-key this year. We were content that both our sons would be joining us. Our elder son works in the hospitality industry and isn't always able to have the time off.

Dinner was pretty much the sort of roast dinner one might serve on any Sunday or Bank Holiday when the family comes to visit.

It was lovely: warm, cosy, unspectacular.

Then...

Christmas day wasn't even over before the emails started coming in to my inbox.

eBay, Preloved, Shpock, Gumtree, the various Freegle/Freecycle and Trash Nothing groups I belong to, charities..."Make money from your unwanted gifts." "Regifting is the new giving." "Don't want it? We'll take it!"

At the same time, everyone appears to be having a sale and I'm being urged on every hand to take advantage of the low prices and buy more stuff. 60% off. 75% off. Free this when you buy that. Free delivery. Spend x and we'll throw in a <something or other>. I'm not sure I can afford to save that much money! 

It's breathtakingly mercenary, isn't it? So unapologetically cynical.

It reminds me of a scene from Jim Carrey's The Grinch Who Stole Christmas:

"Do you know what happens to your gifts? They all come to me... in your garbage. You see what I'm saying? In your garbage! I could hang myself with all the bad Christmas neckties I found at the dump, and the avarice... THE AVARICE NEVER ENDS! "I want golf clubs! I want diamonds! I want a pony so I can ride it twice, get bored, and sell it to make GLUE!""

I don't really consider myself a Grinch, but as an upcycler, I also see the stuff that people throw away. It's one thing when an item has broken or clothing has worn out or been outgrown. But I see what the Grinch sees: stuff that is still perfectly useful. Stuff that someone spent money on. Stuff that the gift giver agonised over choosing (but obviously still got it wrong).

This is the side of Christmas that I don't like. And we can do something about it. Smaller, thoughtfully selected or home made gifts strike a chord that lavish impersonal things just don't. Think back on the memorable gifts in your own life. Which are the standout gifts for you?

So... during the course of this year, why not learn a new skill so that you can make something for your loved ones in 2017? Here are some suggestions:

• Attend a massage course, and give your family vouchers for massages
• Learn to make pamper products (face masks, body lotions etc.) - there are hordes of tutorials on YouTube and Pinterest
• Make a batch of wine/beer/cider
• Learn to work with wood or metal and make a shoe rack, a toy box, a key rack, a table, a <something else>
• Attend workshops on beading, sewing, knitting, crochet, calligraphy and produce something in exactly the right colour, style and size for your loved one
• Improve your baking/cooking skills and give them a promissory note for a home cooked meal with all the trimmings (for them and a plus one)
• Attend a creative writing workshop and write them a story (or a song)
• Learn calligraphy and make a beautiful plaque for their wall, or write a dedication on the fly leaf of a much loved book 

Alternatively - pay for them to attend a programme to learn/improve a skill.

The possibilities are endless...and these are gifts that are unlikely to become property of the Grinch on Boxing Day.