Re-Imagining Gifting

Gifts and gifting rituals have been part of many cultures across the globe for thousands of years. These rituals slowly shape and change overtime. Today, in the Netherlands, when you are invited to a housewarming party we know to bring booze, household items or a potted plant. That wasn't always the case. In earlier times you literally would bring over firewood to keep the new house warm. Warming the house got the party started.

Our intentions, perceptions and ideas about gifting matter. The idea that gifting is about money is diminishing the potential of this beautiful interaction.

Gifting is a way of showing love, appreciation, gratefulness and compassion. A deeply personal and considerate gift can reach someone’s hart. But gifting has been co-opted by big business, becoming increasingly fast and generic. If someone puts a lot of effort, time and thinking into a gift you won’t simply discart it. A rapidly bought gift, without much thought, easily ends in the back of the closet or on the landfill. That is exactly what is happening. Think twice when you are assembling your employee Christmas presents next year, 40% of corporate gifts end up in landfills (according to Coresight Research). Another study's says that 19%, almost 1 in 5 of personal Christmas presents end up on landfills.

It’s time to re-imagine gifting. Reshaping gifting into a treasured, meaningful and deeply personal experience. An experience that doesn’t just have to be human to human. We already take so much, why not gift to the wider natural world this holiday season?

Slow Gifting

Time is NOT money. Time is way more valuable, it’s life.

For slow gifting is all about putting the Time back into the gifting. For far too long it was the price of a gift that determined it’s “value”. But money doesn’t mean the same for everyone, time does. Some might earn €600 in an hour, and others €2. But an hour stay’s the hour. What show love better than gifting your time & full presence to someone.

Make the gifts

Making gifts might sound overwhelming to many, but in one way or the other we all create on a daily basis. We cook, write, paint, build… This holiday season I am making; a typical pie from the region my parents grew up, home-made kimchi, mustard, coffee scrub (from leftover coffee grounds), a painting and a painted potted plant with a rescued plant from kneuzenboxje in it.

Quality Time

Nobody on their death bed say’s 'I wish I worked more so I could have bought more expensive gifts for my loved one'. in the end, really treasure is the time we spend with family and friends. It’s doesn’t have to be a huge fully scheduled day. Simply think of a simple experience that really gives you time to connect, turn off your phone and be truly in the moment together.

Gifting to non-human species

Flip The Tile

Every tile we take out is a gift to wider nature and ourselves.

Gift the Soil

Gift your loved ones an Introduction to Regenerative Gardening and help the soil to heal.

Feed the Birds

“Bird feeding is the most popular form of intentional residential habitat modification for wildlife attraction, with over 60% of households in North America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand providing food for wild birds”. Feeding birds isn’t only a gift to the flying world. It’s also a gift to your wellbeing. Birds bring life and joy to your garden or balcony, even in the seemingly quite winter times.

Blind Gifting

Gifting without knowing who will have the pleasure to receive your gift. This is truly gifting for the sake of purely wanting to help or support another living being, without wanting anything in return, not even direct gratefulness.

Gifting your hear for a wig

“A wig can give self-confidence, strength, and hope to someone struggling with the emotional challenges of hair loss.” - Dutch Hair Foundation

I have been working on this gift for a couple of years now. In 2024 I should hit the 30cm minimum mark! ✂️ 🎁

Gifting your blood or plasma

Donating plasma is often called, "the gift of life.” “People give plasma for different reasons. One reason is that it helps save lives. For many people with rare diseases and chronic conditions, plasma-based therapies are the only way to treat their condition or disease. Plasma is also given to trauma patients and burn victims to help with blood clotting and to boost their blood volume, which can prevent and treat shock.” - Giving is living

Leaving books or food in mini libraries

In the Netherlands you see them pop up everywhere. Little colorful library’s full of books or food. They are perfect, simple and accessible places for you to gift to & be gifted by strangers.

Notes of Kindness for Strangers

You look up, read and smile, leaving the toilet a bit brighter and lighter than you entered it. We have all been there, surprise messages that made us smile. Leaving a note of kindness on a carton of Oats Milk at the local grocery store, can simply make someone’s day.

Regenerative Gastronomy Gifts

Someone once asked me what my love language was and I promptly answered “food”. Apparently that isn’t an “official” love language. I think it should be! Food has the power to bring us closer to ourselves, our loved once and wider nature.

Planet Positive Spirits

“Avallen calvados is a planet-positive spirit made from just three things: apples, water and time. Love the taste, love the planet!”

Mushroom Kit

Despite cutting back from 8+ cups of coffee (my barista times) to around 3 per day, the coffee grounds still accumulate rapidly. I have used them in many different ways; as shower scrub, in cakes, to boost the soil, to nourish my hair but my favourite one remains to grow mushrooms on the coffee grounds.

Multi Grain Dutch Pasta

Bringing ancient grains back into our food culture. Boosting biodiversity, gut healthy and flavor. Mono kills life. Mono depletes the soil, plant resilience, biodiversity and our own healthy. That’s why these pasta’s are full of different ancient grains. The Pasta I gifted the other day was made from Oberkulmer Rotkorn Spelt, Zollner spelt, Heliaro Tarwe, Malorca tarwe and Kojac fiber.

Natural Wine

Showing up at a party with a bottle of wine is an absolute classic. In rapidly changing times, even the classics need an upgrade. Natural wines are exactly that, a nature honoring upgrade. Or actually more a walk down memory lane, as Natural wine comes closest to how wines used to be, unfiltered, untamed, unpredictable and unpolished. Natural wines come from biodynamic grapes and are produced without additives. Better for the soil, the water and better for you (keeping in mind that it is still wine).

Buying wine, like most other products, is a very place based experience. Meaning that I can’t really help you on where to go or which natural wine to buy. Curious how to get started? Check out this beginners guide to natural wine.

Gifting Wisdom

Amplify your (un)learnings

We are all on our own journey of (un)learning and exploring topics that are new to us. To us, but not to others. Let's help each other on our journey's by gifting our insights, favourite books or resources. I have been documenting my own Regenerative (Un)learning journey for years. Based on this journey I created the Introduction To Regenerative Futures, which I am know gifting to all who are exploring the pathways to a radically different, better & just future. Which sources of wisdom could you gift?

Gifting Ideas

In the spirit of gifting. I invite you to gift your ideas and tips in the comments.