Hey everyone!

Happy thankful week! I love this time of year, and this year is no exception. All the warmth and positivity… that yummy cozy feeling. I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving yesterday!

And because it’s Black Friday today, I want to share with y’all how I am doing things a little bit differently this year.

If you know me, you know that this year (2020) I challenged myself to do an eco-challenge and minimize my waste. And Christmastime is no exception! In all honesty, I am actually super excited to #shopsmall, #shoplocal, #shopecofriendly, & #shopseconhand this year.

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SHOP SMALL

Because of the pandemic, it is said that thousands of small businesses closed their doors this year. 😦 So, a lot of people are pushing for shopping small this year… which I am all for! I love small businesses, and honestly, it brings so much more joy than shopping at big department stores or online retailers! 🙂

Here are some of my favorite Etsy stores:

• SketchLovely
• thestripedplaidco
• UnicoScrunchies
• sarahbethanystyles
• PaperRosePrintStudio
• growinginYeshua
• JuliaMannArt

SHOP SECONDHAND

I know a lot of people probably squirm at the idea of buying something secondhand, BUT there are a lot of things out there that have been bought and never used. Even thrift stores have brand-new items. Another man’s umm-I’m-never-going-to-use-this! can be someone’s ahhh-I-love-it! on Christmas morning!

And if you know anyone who loves antiques or is old-fashioned, they love secondhand things automatically. 😉

Two of my favorite secondhand companies are Poshmark and ThredUp, but there are many others like Mercari and even good ol’ Ebay.

SHOP LOCAL

I love to shop locally because I know that it’s not only supporting my local economy and helping them grow, it also saves gas and is more eco-friendly. 😉 There are many cute places around my town that I’m looking forward to supporting this year!

SHOP ECO-FRIENDLY

If you’re already shopping local and secondhand, those are both eco-friendly! But also, there are many different ways to shop eco-friendly and even wrap your presents in an eco-friendly way. I just discovered furoshiki, which is SUCH a neat way of wrapping gifts in a Japanese style… definitely wanting to try that this year.

And here are just a few eco-friendly gift ideas:

• flower seeds
• movie tickets
• go ice skating
• go hiking
• homemade lip balm, sugar scrub, candles
• Netflix subscription
• tickets to a ballet or symphony
• plants
• dancing, horseback riding, or music lessons

Also, I wanted to say that I’m TOTALLY not judging anyone who is not doing these things this year! I am giving this challenge to myself… but, I would love it if others would share their ideas or if they’ve done something similar to this. Drop your ideas, favorite Etsy stores + online shops, and stories in the comments below! Let’s get inspired. 😉

What are some neat ways you’re shopping locally, eco-friendly, secondhand, or small this year?

// hadassah s. //