1. The Pharmacy Store Gift Packs
Pros: Pharmacy beauty product gifts come premade, are easy and offer a variety of presents to the recipient.
Cons: Most people don't like receiving these gifts, products contain poor ingredients (such as palm oil, synthetic fragrances), and create a lot of waste.
Alternative
A Covid Care Pack
Don't let the name fool you. Our care packs are tailored to pamper someone for any occasion. Each pack is thoughtfully pre-wrapped in paper and offers a selection of full sized products with no hidden nasties.
2. The 'Funny' Gift
Pros: Novelties can spark a moment of joy and create memories that gives everyone a story to tell for years to come. If picked correctly, this type of gift can become a special addition to someone's life.
Cons: More often than not we wind up with a useless item. Many novelties are cheaply made, plastic, and are destined for the bin.
Alternative
Toilet Bombs
When people first see our toilet bombs, most look rather perplexed. We have had children try to eat them (while safe to eat, the bombs taste awful!), as well as many people asking a list of questions about what the strange pucks do. Instead of giving something with little value, create your novel Christmas memories with something that is practical, septic-safe, and carries a bunch of toilet jokes attached. You literally can flush the gift down the toilet without feeling guilty.
3. Kris Kringle
Pros: Secret Santa and KKs can bring surprise, fun, and insight into a situation. You can gain some interesting gifts, while potentially learning more about another person.
Cons: Too often you are left wondering what to buy the person, have minimal budgets to spend, and you may end up with yet another cheap mediocre mug you will never use.
Alternative
The Soap House
Affordable, quirky and good value, our soap houses make an excellent gift for a secret santa. The house contains four different soaps in delicious essential oil blends. Plastic-free, recyclable, and practical, recipients should get a lot of use out of this gift instead of waste. All the sops are vegan too, preventing you from presenting potential acquaintances with an awkward gift.
4. The Very Well-Wrapped Gift
Pros: It can be amusing to watch people struggle to open their gift, pulling at the wrapping to pry open the contents. Especially, when this has been done on purpose.
Cons: Lots of potential waste. Plastic, shreds of paper, tape, and more. Ironically, the process of watching someone slowly pick away at a present can also be frustrating.
Alternative
UO Gift Wrapping
Order products direct from UO and keep them inside the delivery box. We have gift wrapping available (at a fee) for the inside contents to be neatly presented. Surrounding the gift, we use recycled paper. Allowing for amusement, while saving unnecessary plastic. We also are happy to receive any UO packaging, including shipping materials. After Christmas, you can give the shipping materials back to us for a new life.
5. The Last Minute Gift
Pros: Nobody is forgotten.
Cons: Shopping last minute can make is hard to choose ethical, while causing additional stress in the process.
Alternative
A UO Gift Card
Many people feel unhappy giving a loved one a gift card. However, with UO, we do gift cards a little differently. We provide both an online link and a physical copy, ensuring the certificate is presented thoughtfully. Providing care to the presentation ensures that the recipient feels special and can purchase something that is ethical.
Hopefully, you have received some ideas from our small gift guide. At UO, we wish you all a safe, sustainable, socially conscious, and wonderful festive season. Thank you for supporting us.
