For Christmas, Quebec families have started the shift towards less harmful consumption for the environment. Despite the extra effort required and the judgment of others, they say they only get benefits.
In a small apartment in the Saint-Henri district, Theodore, nine months old, pushes his plastic car in front of a Christmas tree. This reduced-size vehicle would not be particularly ecological if its mother, Ann-Mary Poulin, had not bought it second-hand, like the vast majority of her toys.
“You can find almost everything on Facebook Marketplace. Sometimes it takes extra research time, but you always end up finding what you want, ”says the trained nurse.
For Christmas, she warned all her relatives: she only wants used or handmade gifts in Quebec. She does the same for the gifts she gives, sometimes buying experiences like dining out.
“When you have a child, you don’t want them to have a miserable life because of the destruction of the environment,” explains Beauceronne.
Crafts cost more than toys from Walmart, of course. But reused objects, on the other hand, are less expensive. And since she says she is buying less, her gift budget remains about the same, she believes.
Marie de Bellefeuille, for her part, swears by the Buy Nothing barter Facebook groups, which sometimes bring together hundreds of people, by city or district, willing to exchange various products or services for free. She will spoil her four and six year old children with pajamas featuring unicorns and characters from Star wars, slippers, Lego Star wars, a unicorn cape and a horse for dolls.
For Christmas, in 2019, she started an exchange of gifts without purchases. “ It was a big success. Everyone has found their account, whether it is board games, books or even shoes, ”says the one who lives in the Quebec City region.
Jacques A. Levesque, in Rimouski, says that the eight members of his family treat themselves to small cooked meals, such as jellies and jams from wild fruits they have picked. In addition, they all eat vegetarian dishes and get around by electric vehicle.
Marie-Josée Fréchette, resident of the Ahuntsic district, favors objects made of wood or recycled material, avoiding plastic. She also makes her own gifts, whether by knitting or concocting small jars of homemade natural products.
Defy convention
Initially, the parents of Mme Poulin were reluctant to limit their gift purchases. But they have now “swallowed the pill,” says the young mother. What is more difficult to pass is the vegetarian meal.
“No matter how much I recommend my mother to watch documentaries on the nuisances caused by farming and fishing, it’s complicated for her,” she says.
But she sees a gradual change. She and her sister, who is vegetarian, have managed to add vegetarian options to the traditional Christmas meal.
Marie-Josée Fréchette, for her part, brings her vegan tourtière and roast seitan for Christmas dinners. “People are always surprised it’s good,” she remarks.
What the mother of a family sometimes finds difficult is the judgment of others. “Some find us pinched. My parents, sisters, and friends don’t necessarily adopt the same lifestyle as I do. But even if we still face prejudices, people have adapted ”, says Mme Fréchette. “People around us have ended up asking questions about their own consumption,” she adds.
This cleavage is far from discouraging her. “The best gift we can give our children is not material, but environmental and social awareness for Christmas,” she said.
Estelle Scalzo-Hamel, who has adopted similar habits, believes that making homemade gifts takes more time and planning, but that loved ones appreciate it all the more. “At first I was worried about how it would be received. But it’s always the surprise and the joy to have something unique, ”says the resident of Saint-Alphonse-Rodriguez.
A solution for the less fortunate
But do all Quebecers have the time and money to buy Quebec crafts or to make their own gifts? Do some people have no choice but to turn to inexpensive stores whose products are made in Asia?
The Association of Families of the Center-Sud, in Montreal, has implemented a solution that is both ecological and economical for low-income families. Thanks to a large collection of used toys, the community organization will be giving 230 gifts to 90 children this year.
“People bring toys in good condition and we prepare beautiful gift wrapping,” says the coordinator of the association, Lisbeth Figallo. Children don’t notice if it’s used or new. “
It is indeed delighted that Zenabou Imorou showed up on Thursday to pick up gifts for her four children. “It would cost me too much to buy four presents at a time,” says one who sometimes buys, when she can afford it, items like coloring books from Dollarama or Canadian Tire. However, it is thanks to her knitting skills that she dresses her children in toques and neck warmers.
The work of the Association does not stop at gifts. Protecting the environment is one of the concerns of its members, its administrators organize workshops throughout the year to make decorations and zero-waste useful objects, such as make-up removing pads and wax films.