Help 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, particularly of children’s toys, directly after the holidays.
Help struggling families by making that annual purge a pre-holiday tradition. This is particularly helpful for children’s items, from coats to clean toys.
How to do it:
Simply move your home de-cluttering process to a week or more before Christmas, instead of afterwards. Or make it a whole element of ethical holiday celebrations:
- invite everyone to bring a box of items they no longer need to Thanksgiving. Let the family exchange items, and anything unclaimed goes to the thrift store
- throw a clothing or toy swap for the neighborhood and donate unclaimed items
- 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.
- don’t make it an overwhelming task. You aren’t going Marie-Kondo. You’re just looking for a few gift-quality items to donate to someone who can’t afford to shop new this year.
