For the Traveller

For the traveller in your life, there are plenty of choices to pick from. Backpacks are always a must and there are two that I would personally love to get. This Fjallraven Re-Kanken is everything we all love in a Kanken but better, and I particularly love it in the Slate colour. This Kanken is a special edition made out of polyester recycled from eleven plastic bottles, it's dyed with SpinDye which really reduces the amount of water, energy and chemicals used. The same old design, because why change something that doesn't need changing, but with both a recycled and recyclable perspective, saving natural resources and making it able to be recycled after the many years of use she'll get you through. Having a Kanken myself, although a classic one, I can vouch for their quality and honestly, the number of times I use it, whether it is just for a walk around, go grocery shopping, or spend a weekend away, it's more than paid for.

I also love this rucksack by Global Wake Cup, their WAKEbag Rucksack is a beautiful, vegan and ethically sourced rucksack, made to look like a brown paper bag. It's 100% waterproof, washable and it fits a laptop, water bottle, coffee cup and lunch. The straps are made of cotton and are fully adjustable, whether for a kid or an adult. And to make it all even better, 10% of the profits go to the Marine Conservation Society.

Wash bags are always great options too, and I love the ones Seamster Vintage on Etsy makes, especially this ditsy floral* one, they're handmade out of vintage upcycled fabrics, what more could you ask for? I also love this one from CIREonEtsy in a pink with white triangle pattern*, made with organic and fair-trade cotton, dyed naturally with avocado and waxed with beeswax and paraffin wax. 

If they're into journaling, why not get them a new travel journal? You're always bound to finish yours so having a few extras is never a bad thing. I love kraft paper, and there are plenty of options out there, but if you want to go with a trustworthy brand, go with Moleskine, I love their Cahier Kraft Brown Journal, they're the perfect size for travellers and have a small pocket for holding anything you might want to add to the journal. I also adore this handcrafted notebook cover* to go with it. If leather isn't your thing, another option would be a notebook pouch or a book wallet to keep their prized possessions safe, I particularly love this pink waxed canvas book wallet* and this light grey notebook pouch*.

Always On The Go

For the one always on the go you can and should give them something that will make their lives easier. Maybe start with their lunches, a cutlery pouch is always a necessity, I can't tell you how much I wished I had one when I was in university. There are plenty out there and really it's up to your own personal taste or what you think the other person would like best, but these two by Madebytyng are some of my favourites, the Mustard Cutlery Pouch* is beautiful yet simple, and so is this Linen Cutlery Wrap* one. LEKKO Life Goods also make beautiful products, like this Linen Cutlery Wrap* and to complete the gift, why not this Linen Lunch Bag* or this Zero Waste Bento Bag*? They're inspired by Japanese design, they're light and beautiful and perfect to keep your snacks safe in your bag. 

Moving on to drinkware, the options are plenty. I love this Live Vessel Honey Bee Travel Mug in Smokey Quartz, absolutely gorgeous, but if a tea infuser is more your friend's style, why not go with the newest 24 Bottles' product? They've just released their Infuser Bottle which is such a great product. On the subject of 24 Bottles, whether you go for their Clima Bottle or Urban Bottle, you'll be making a great decision. I personally love my Urban one but, if I were to buy one now, I may have gone with the Clima one as it can hold hot or cold drinks and keep them that way, but it's really up to what you think would be best for the person you're buying for. There are also plenty of colours and prints to choose from so you're bound to find something perfect. And, if they already have a Clima bottle, you could also buy them an Infuser Lid, the perfect extra little thing.

Tea & Coffee Lover

Whether you have a coffee addict or a tea lover in your life, here are a few options for you. If he's a tea lover start with a beautiful mug such as this Hand-thrown Ceramic* one by LibbyBallardCeramics, add some reusable tea bags like these ones from Mind The Trash, or these handmade ones* from MadebyTyng or go with the ceramic route, here are three of my favourite options: Handmade Ceramic Tea Strainer* by Wild Harvest Botanicals, or Handmade Tea Strainer* by SalviaCeramics, or even this Porcelain Teacup with Lid and Strainer* by RebeccaMakesInBklyn. Add some of their favourite tea and you'll be their favourite person.

For the coffee addict, switch the tea bags for a few coffee filters*, the tea strainer for an amazing and handmade coffee dripper, like this one* by TandemCeramics, a beautiful handmade coffee spoon* and, of course, their favourite coffee. 

Green Friend

For your green friend buy them something we all need and won't always buy for ourselves. Such as this Joseph Joseph compost bin, throw in some compostable bags and odour filter refills and you're making someone and the environment very happy.

To help with their daily shopping, gift them a few vegetable bags, or you can make them yourself if you're handy. Reusable Silicone Food Bags are also amazing and helpful for a waste-free kitchen, and a shopping bag is also a great option, like this Re-Sack Canvas Bag, the Re-Sack String Bag or even the Re-Sack Shopping Bag. 

And lastly, to make their kitchen even greener and keep them entertained, YogurtNest will be their best friend. YogurtNest is a Portuguese brand that makes a very special, and beautiful, yogurt maker. Here are some things about it: it allows you to produce according to what you need, from small jars to 3.5 litres; you can reuse your own glass jars instead of having to buy specific ones; you can use whichever milk you want and you'll know all the ingredients that went into making your yogurt; you can use it to make cheese, dips, cheesecakes and you can make all of it from the comfort of your own home or even from the road and, to top it all, you need zero electricity to make your yogurt, once you place it in its' nest you'll only need six hours and you're done. 

How to Have a Low Waste Christmas

Shop locally when you can, many of the brands I mentioned above can actually be found in many local stores and if you can't find them in physical stores, pick them up from stores that are committed to waste-free shipping, such as Pegada Verde, Mind The Trash and Package Free Shop.

Use recyclable and/or recycled wrapping options. ReThink Gift Wraps* sells beautiful reusable gift wrap*, all made out of cotton, hand-stamped with hand-carved stamps, what more could you need? If you'd like to reuse what you already own use newspaper, kraft paper or butcher paper, making sure they're biodegradable, use some biodegradable twine and decorate with something beautiful such as pinecones, dried flowers and greenery, all compostable. 

Re-gift, and by that, I don't mean you should give someone else a gift you've previously received and hated. Give them something you loved but no longer use, for instance, this year I'm gifting my mother-in-law my old collection of Agatha Christie books, she loves them and I no longer read them so why keep them around when there's someone else who would love them.

Make it yourself, I know first-hand how expensive gift giving can be, especially because both my brothers, mum, boyfriend and best friend all have their birthdays within a month before Christmas, but it really doesn't have to be this way. Make your own gifts which will make it even better, bake them some delicious cookies or a nice cake, why not try my Christmas Chocolate Cookies, my Gingerbread Cookies or even my Spice Scented Holiday Cake. If you'd rather give them the chance of baking them themselves simply place all the ingredients in a jar and wrap a tag with the recipe around it. 

Buy experiences, maybe a ticket to a play they're dying to see, or a concert they can't wait to go to, a wine tour to taste all their favourite wines, lessons for something they really want to learn, the options are endless...

So there we go, these are just some ideas and some tips on how to make this Christmas as green and waste-free as possible, feel free to share your own ideas and inspire everyone to do the same in the comments down below, I'd love to know your tip & tricks.