– It is much more environmentally friendly. People buy and buy new things that just end up as trash. That’s what 23-year-old Kristina Lagahino Erland says. She has many people to give Christmas presents to, and as her interest in used goods is so great, she now wants to change her Christmas gift habits. – Now Black Friday has turned into Black Week, so soon it will probably be Black Year too, she says. For her boyfriend, Kristina paints her own motif on one of his own shirts. Photo: Emilie Hauger Tangen / news She has used fabric paint in black and white to paint on the jersey. Photo: Emilie Hauger Tangen / news Kristina herself wanted to try painting on clothes, and took the opportunity to make it a Christmas present. Photo: Emilie Hauger Tangen / news Bruktexperten’s best tip Norwegians will, according to Virke’s forecasts, do Christmas shopping for NOK 133 billion this year. This is an increase of 3 per cent, compared to last year. But there are many ways to make the Christmas celebration more affordable. A new report shows that Norwegians want to make Christmas more affordable this year. And more people choose to buy used Christmas presents. news has been in contact with Ingvild Paddon at Bærekraftig Gjenbruk in Hamar, and has prepared a list of tips for those who want to make the Christmas gift trade both cheaper and more sustainable. Paddon is general manager at Bærekraftig Gjenbruk in Hamar, and has noticed a lot of activity in recent weeks. Photo: Jenny Marie Sveen / Jenny Marie Sveen 1. Edible things you’ve made yourself in used containers Edible Christmas gifts can be so many things, and it doesn’t have to require all the cooking skills in the world. Try pickling red onion or chilli, fill it in a used Norwegian glass or a jar and give it away as a gift. Make a spice mix with taco seasoning, Christmas seasoning or something else good. Herbal salt Nut butter of almonds, peanuts, hazelnuts, pistachios or something else. Jam or lemon cream Roasted almonds, confectionery and caramels are easy to make at home. Baked goods of various kinds, preferably something that should be dry and that will last for a while. This can be rice balls, oat flakes, brownie sticks or cookies. Delicious Popcakes If you were bitten by the sourdough bacillus during the pandemic, you can give away a sourdough bread! Place it in a kitchen towel or paper bag. Fill a used container with a semi-finished cake mixture, where the dry ingredients are layered. Attach a small note with the recipe written on it. Photo: Mari Rollag Evensen Photo: Pixabay Photo: Anne Heidi Røstad / news 2. Virtual gifts Put together a playlist of songs that you think the gift recipient will appreciate. The playlist can also be a Christmas calendar for friends or a lover, for example. Then you add a new song to the playlist every day. Photo: Emilie Hauger Tangen / news If you want to take this idea a notch further, you can get the gift recipient’s friends and family to send you one song suggestion each that reminds them of him/her, and compile it into a list. This can also be given as an advent calendar, where you add a new song to the list every day until Christmas. 3. Second-hand books You can find second-hand books both for free and for a tenner at a second-hand shop. Give away a book that you think is perfect for the gift recipient, or give away one that you have read yourself and recommend. If it is a well-used book, you can perhaps write a small greeting inside, or mark some sections that you think are extra special. All over the country you can find small telephone booths and stalls that give away used books completely free of charge. Photo: Alexander Nordby Paddon himself gave library books as a Christmas present to his father one year. – I just attached a small reminder that he had to deliver them within two months, she says. 4. Self-composed theme packages Here the possibilities are endless. You just need to find a theme that suits the person you are giving the gift to. Kristina Erland points out that she thinks it is important to be personal when giving gifts. If you have an extra special memory with the gift recipient, you can create a themed package around that memory. Perhaps you sat on a terrace in Spain this summer and enjoyed a glass of sangria? Find a reasonably priced wine, a couple of cool used wine glasses, and some fruit. Add a nice used pitcher and voila, you have a sangria package. Add a reasonable and fruity red wine if it is within the budget. Photo: Emilie Hauger Tangen / news If you are lucky enough to find a used pasta machine, you can put together a pasta package for the pasta lover. Add a glass with an exciting pasta sauce and some spices. Nor does it need to be more than a teacup with a couple of good tea bags in it. Tips for themed packages: Coffee, tea, cocoa or another drink they like A dish they like An interest or hobby they have A film or book they like 5. Buy something used, and make something new from it Used cups and glasses could well become tea light holders. You can use leftover candles, remelt them and make new candles with the used cups/glasses as containers. If you find nice glasses, you can paint on them to make them more personal. Here there were some who had already tried their hand at painting on glass, as inspiration for others. Photo: Emilie Hauger Tangen / news Find used glass and tealight holders in different colours, glue them on top of each other and create your own original design. You can be creative with used fabric parts. Sew together patches of fabric for an original tablecloth, curtain or carpet. For example, find patches of white lace and sew it together into a separate kitchen curtain. Develop a picture of you and put it in a nice used frame. 6. Crochet, knit and sew. Classic wall embroidery, but with a twist. You can embroider a traditional wall embroidery, but instead of the good old sayings, you can modernize a bit with funny and sarcastic words and phrases. Preferably something personal/internal about the person you are giving the gift to. You can also crochet and knit small round drink coasters to put cups on, with various motifs. It can be a pumpkin motif, Christmas ball motif, CD motif or other typical round shapes. Use thinner yarn for a more stable surface. Thin long scarves are very trendy, and not particularly difficult to knit. It takes a while to learn how to knit, but once you’ve learned it, you can give away knitting lessons to your friends. Photo: Hans-Olav Landsverk / n11257 7. Give yourself a gift If you are extra good at something or other, you can give away your own sewing course, wine course, golf course or scrapbooking course! The threshold need not be high. If you don’t have enough confidence in your skills to call it a course, you can just call it a wine evening, for example, and you may be surprised to have learned a thing or two beforehand. 8. Other tips for homemade Christmas gifts Everyone loves a good bath bomb, but not everyone has a bathtub. A shower steamer, on the other hand, will suit the vast majority of people. It is very easy to make yourself with cornmeal, baking powder, citric acid and essential oil. Homemade body scrub is easy to make by mixing sugar, coconut oil, honey and coffee grounds or essential oil! With air-drying clay you can make figurines, Christmas decorations, tea light holders and much more. You can paint these once they have dried. Here you can kill two birds with one stone and have it as a calendar activity with the children. Photo: Sara Rydland Nærum 9. Other tips for used Christmas gifts Used Christmas gifts often require a little more planning. If you are not the person who plans for weeks before Christmas, there are certain things that are easy to get hold of second-hand, anyway. Board games Children’s toys Mittens and scarves Bags, backpacks Various electronics Vinyl records Barbie has been very popular this year, and with that the prices of the popular dolls have gone up. Photo: Emilie Hauger Tangen / news 10. Be creative! For the vast majority of people, it will mean a lot to just get a little attention that shows that you appreciate the relationship. Offer to do a favor like painting the bedroom, babysitting or cooking dinner. Give a small collection of memories of things you have done together. Develop photos and put together a photo book. There are many museums that are completely free to visit. Find interesting museums in your local area and take the children there. The advantages are many – In second-hand shops you can find things for a fifth of the price, so there are both financial advantages and environmental advantages in choosing second-hand, says Paddon. Kristina has several Christmas presents already planned. In addition to her boyfriend’s upcycled shirt, she has plans for grandma to get a home-made piece of jewelry, made from several old pieces of jewelry that Kristina has found used. Kristina has started buying used jewelery which she takes apart and puts together into new unique jewellery. Photo: Emilie Hauger Tangen / news Kristina’s grandmother has previously been surprised by her granddaughter’s ability to find treasures where others see junk. – A couple of years ago I found a really nice blouse that was perfect for grandma. When I gave it to her, she was surprised that it came from Fretex, and afterwards she has become more and more on board with the idea of buying used. Would you like to give used or homemade Christmas gifts? Absolutely not! I want to but don’t have the time. I would very much like to give used or homemade Christmas presents. I have been doing it for several years already! Show result
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The used expert’s best tips for used and homemade Christmas gifts – news Innlandet – Local news, TV and radio
