Jane Powerson Christmas gifts.
The Irish are the biggest Yuletide spenders in Europe, paying out an average of €720 per household on gifts, according to Deloitte's annual Christmas spending survey. Yet, according to the same report, only four per cent of Irish consumers actually enjoy the process of Christmas shopping, down one per cent from the previous year. You could say that we are a nation of martyrs to the cause of gift-giving.
You could also say that a certain number of those gifts will end up as unwanted ones. This column's favourite eco-grouch, George Monbiot of the Guardian, describes the modern industrial economy - and Christmas consumerism in particular - as "resources . . . dug from a hole in the ground on one side of the planet, used for a few weeks, then dumped in a hole on the other side of the planet."
Well, that was a bit bleak, wasn't it? But we can't really argue with it when we think of how much gratuitous "stuff" is generated at Christmas.
The simplest way to avoid this giddy translocation of resources would be to not give anything at all - except for love, companionship and good will. But that idea is too dangerously worthy and goody-two-shoesy to adopt in one fell swoop - unless you want to mortally offend your friends and family. We can, however, try to give presents that take as few resources as possible from the first hole in the planet, and add equally little to the second. Or if they are items that consume the earth's assets, we can ensure that they are things that are wanted, and that will be used, rather than "gift-wrapped landfill".
Items that are already in existence - second-hand, in other words - dig no new holes in the planet, and can include desirables such as antique jewellery, vintage clothing, antiquarian books and other collectables.
Locally-produced and Irish-made things keep your money closer to home, and benefit the domestic economy. They also clock up less carbon that goods shipped or flown from another country. Gift tokens from nearby businesses (restaurants, theatres, beauty salons) also keep your cash circulating locally. And your own gift vouchers for baby-sitting, garden work, chauffeuring or miscellaneous other chores are fine things to offer.
If you buy gifts from further afield, especially from developing countries, look for the "Fairtrade" mark. This aspires to ensure that the goods are produced by workers who are properly paid, have decent working conditions and where funds are spent on building community infrastructure and sustainability. Only cotton, coffee, tea, chocolate and some other foodstuffs are certifiable by Fairtrade. Manufacturers of other products often operate their own schemes to ensure that items are ethically-made, and display this information on the packaging or label. Disappointingly, only 35 per cent of Irish, compared to 65 per cent of other Europeans, will pay more for an ethical gift (according to the Deloitte survey).
One of the more ethical gifts is a simple donation to charity in your recipient's name. This can be made more palatable by giving a farm animal, water pump, bicycle or other life-supporting item through one of the many charitable organisations that now operate these initiatives - see www.concern.net, for instance.
Finally, those who are stubbornly opposed to the entire Yule giving thing can log onto www.xmasresistance.org and print out their own grumpy stickers saying: "End Compulsory Consumption: Boycott Christmas".