Minimalist Christmas Gifts for an Eco-friendly 2020

7 min readDec 30, 2019

As most of my frequent readers already know, I’ve been a devout minimalist and a firm eco-friendly enthusiast for quite a while, and I’ve got to say — this has been one of the best choices that I’ve ever made in my life! Not only do I feel happier and healthier than ever, but I’ve also managed to cut down on quite a few needless expenses. This is just the way minimalism goes — it helps your mind and wallet at the same time.

I woke up one morning and realised that I just can’t keep going like this. I had way too much needless junk at home, and I needed to make a change, or I’d go crazy. And so, I made a decision. I promised myself that I would not spend any money on unnecessary purchases for an entire year. And I’m really proud to announce that it has worked — I’ve officially spent an entire year completely junk free!

Before we begin, let’s get a couple of misconceptions out of the way:

A good Christmas gift is not necessarily expensive — Remember that, more often than not, it’s the thought that counts. And I’m saying this as a (fairly) successful business leader, with multiple established brands on the market — I’ve done both the research and my fair share of thinking.
A good Christmas gift is not necessarily material — Once again, going off of my marketing research: experiences make for a much better gift right now. Spa tickets and weekends are now firm favourites.
Books are still cool — Despite what the internet might have you think, books still make for an exceptional Christmas gift, especially if your recipient has a passion for self-improvement! And, according to the trends, books seem to be quite the popular gift choice for the current year.

With the holidays already peeking around the corner and everyone just about ready to dive into the festivities, now comes the time for picking out presents. As always, I’ve already decided on what I’m going to be giving to my friends and loved ones (I hate leaving things for the last minute), and I figured that I might as well give you a hand. Here’s the thing about Christmas and New Year’s Eve — they’re the perfect time for new beginnings for the whole family. With a couple of minimalism-themed Christmas gifts and a couple of green New Year’s Resolutions, you can set out a solid foundation for your entire family for years to come!

Hello everyone, and welcome back to my blog! In today’s article, I’ll be giving you something really special — my personal list of must-have minimalism and eco-friendly Christmas gift ideas! But how is that special, you might ask? Aren’t there countless resources on minimalism out there? Well, kind of. Here’s the deal with minimalism — despite what most people think, it’s actually highly personalised. Finding the right items for your home, office or life, in general, can take quite a while. Believe me — I’ve been there. This is why today I’m going to save you the time, hassle and needless expenses, and give you my personalised

Minimalist Christmas Gifts and Eco-Friendly 2020 Shopping Tips

1. Reusable Kitchenware

One of the first things I did on my journey to sustainable minimalism was to replace all of my disposable kitchenware with eco-friendly alternatives. I got rid of all plastics and bought reusable, toxin-free items instead. If you’re unsure of which materials are safe and toxin-free, don’t worry — I’ve written extensively on the subject. You can have a look at my articles about toxins in the resource section down below.

Runner-up suggestion: Reusable Beesswax Food Wraps

2. Sustainable Shopping

So, you’ve already managed to clear out the plastics from your home, and you’ve replaced all the disposable items with reusable alternatives. That’s great … as a first step. But there are a lot more things that you can do to improve your health and minimise your carbon footprint! Think about shopping. Whenever you go to the grocery store for fresh supplies, you’re almost guaranteed to walk out with a couple of disposable plastic bags. At the end of the day, you’re still consuming plastics, even though you didn’t initially plan on it. But there’s a way around that — reusable produce bags. Personally, I like Eco Bravo’s bags. They come in sets of six, and I always have a couple on hand no matter what.

Runner-up suggestion: Reusable Cotton Bread Bag

3. Minimalism on the move

Now let’s talk about diet and sustainability. If you’re like me, you’ve most certainly figured out that homemade snacks are the best — you know exactly what’s in them, and you can ensure that you’re getting all the right nutrients. But you still need something to store them in. Something durable, reliable, and, above all — eco-friendly. And I’ve got just the thing!

4. Eco-friendly Cleaning for your home and office

As convenient as they are, the majority of commercially available cleaning products come with a large number of downsides in the green department. Chemical-laden and rich with toxins, most solutions sold at your local store will not only bloat up your carbon footprint but also pose a significant risk to the health and wellbeing of your loved ones. And what’s the solution? Well, going green, of course! My personal favourite here has to be Eco Bravo’s Water Soluble Plastic Free Cleaning Sachets Set.

5. For your health and wellbeing — Kangen Water

One of the best presents that you can make, both to yourself and to your family, is an investment in your health and wellbeing. They do say ‘health is wealth’ after all. With this in mind, I’d wholeheartedly recommend that you look into acidity, alkalinity and pH balancing. If you’re completely new to the subject, don’t worry -I’ve already posted a couple articles about this! You can find in the resource section down below. Ever since I found Enagic’s fantastic system, I’ve been completely in love with it. And if the health benefits somehow don’t seem enough to you, there’s also an additional upside to the whole thing — Kangen Water has helped me cut down on expenses as well! Ever since making the change to Kangen Water, I’ve been able to limit my spending on cleaning products, beauty products, and even glass bottles. To learn more about Kangen water, contact me on 020 3984 6596 or info@lifestyletipsbyantoaneta.com.

6. For your outdoor needs

If you are a physically active or outdoorsy individual (and let’s be honest here — everyone who sets foot on the path to green living will eventually rediscover their love for the outdoors), having a good glass bottle is vital. You can take it to work, to the gym, to the park or hiking trail … the possibilities are endless! Reusable and sustainable, it will be by your side at all times. With it, you can forget about ever having to deal with flimsy plastics or other dangerous disposable materials. Personally, I’ve got quite a few glass bottles at home, and a couple at my office — that way I know that I’ll never need to worry about plastics again.

7. For The Kids

If you’ve got young children at home, then you might want to consider introducing them to the concepts of minimalism and being eco-friendly from a young age. Childhood plays a fundamental role in our development as individuals, and a gentle nudge in the right direction might prove invaluable later down the line. On this line of thought, I’d suggest introducing your children to sustainable dinnerware and toys that double-up as educational tools.

8. For your Business

If you’re looking for ways to introduce greener and healthier elements to your business, or if you’re trying to start an eco-friendlier project, this one is just for you! On top of being amazing for your health and wellbeing, Kangen water is also an exceptional business opportunity. To learn more about this opportunity, please refer to this page on my website, or contact me on 020 3984 6596 or info@lifestyletipsbyantoaneta.com.

9. Food for the mind

And now we’ve reached my personal all-time favourite: books! If you’ve ever read any of my pieces on self-improvement, you most certainly know of my love for books. I believe that there’s always more to learn and books present me with an excellent opportunity to do so at my own pace. And, if paperback books sound a tad too unsustainable to you, I’d suggest the next best thing — going digital! I’ve been using Audible as my go-to e-book source for years, and I’d highly recommend it to all minimalism and eco-friendly enthusiasts out there!

10. Bonus Suggestion — Eco-Friendly Notebook

Did you know that pulp mills (the factories that turn wood into fibre boards) account for about 35 per cent of solid municipal waste pre-recycling? That’s right, paper pollution is a real problem, and even something as innocent as writing in a notebook contributes to worsening the situation! If you’d like to learn more about paper pollution and its effects on the environment, have a look at the linked articles in the resources section below!

And so, before we wrap it up for today, I’ve got one last innovative gift suggestion for your green holiday — an eco-friendly notebook. But how can a notebook be eco-friendly? This compact digital device allows you to enjoy the traditional pen and paper experience in an environmentally-sound way, without any paper. You can write down your notes and then upload them directly to the cloud, making them accessible from any laptop, computer or smartphone of your choosing. And the most interesting part? You can quickly and easily erase your notes by putting the notebook in your microwave. Just place a glass of tea or water on top of it, microwave for a minute, and it’ll be as good (and blank) as new!

And there you have it folks — my Top Minimalism Gifts. Hopefully, you’ve liked my suggestions, or, if at least got a bit of inspiration for your holiday shopping list.
As always, if you think that I’ve missed something, or if you’ve got your own ideas and experiences to share, please feel free to drop me a line in the comments below or send me an email at info@lifestyletipsbyantoaneta.com

Thank you all for reading, and I’ll see you next time — Stay green and motivated!