Thrift Store Santa
Many families purge excess belongings between Christmas and New Years, to make room for the new. Every year thrift stores get a surge in donations after the holidays. Make that annual purge a pre-holiday tradition to fill thrift stores with clean, lightly-used items. This is particularly helpful for children’s items, from coats to clean toys.
How to do it:
Simply move your home de-cluttering to before Christmas, instead of afterward. Make cleaning out part of Thanksgiving weekend or your holiday decorating ritual. Or make it a whole element of ethical holiday celebrations:
- tell children who believe in Santa that his workshop is embracing sustainability, and has asked for donations of lightly-used toys to refurbish. Ask if they can help.
- tell older children they can join the Santa magic by helping other parents put toys under the tree. Ask them to make thoughtful, generous contributions, but do not force them.
- throw a casual gathering and invite everyone to bring a box of items they no longer need. Let guests exchange items. Anything unclaimed is donated.
- throw a clothing or toy swap for the neighborhood and donate unclaimed items
- choose a different area each week : kitchen, clothes, toys
- don’t make it an overwhelming task. You aren’t going Marie-Kondo. You’re just looking for a few gift-quality items some parent might be thrilled to find, lightly used.
Donate to smaller, local thrift stores, directly to shelters for DV victims or unhoused neighbors, to a church that runs a re-housing program, or join a Buy Nothing group and offer items directly.
