Trimming under the tree due to supply issues

This may be the year you don’t feel bad if there isn’t much under your Christmas tree. With B.C.’s supply chain issues, some say it’s time to rethink what’s on your list and what you give to others, for a more sustainable holiday season.

“A lot of those things around Christmas time and the holidays, a lot of it is ending up in the landfill,” said Kate White, a UBC professor of marketing and behavioural sciences.

For many expecting or sending packages, deliveries have been cancelled or delayed because of floods and mudslides that closed B.C. highways. White says it may do landfills good, because it could minimize the usual spike in garbage at the end of the year.

“Wrapping is a shocking amount of material that’s going to landfills. A lot of our wrapping isn’t recyclable. We might feel like it should be, but it’s not … And there’s other things like food and unwanted gifts, things just go into the trash.”

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There are other ways to get around supply chain issues, such as buying local and gifting food. That’s something Chris Boreland, owner of Vancouver’s Elbo Jamaican Patties fully endorses.

“Buying local is a great idea. I mean supporting small businesses here in your backyard not only helps myself but those that support like my staff and all the great communities we have here now.” Borland said.

He puts lots of love into his work, including “rum cake so good, you’ll want every last bite.”

“The true technique is you have to soak your fruit for more than a year,” he added.

Boreland is feeling especially festive these days, as his birthday is Boxing Day.

“I’m a Christmas baby so this is something that was always provided to me every year.”

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There is always the option of going with an experience gift, such as tickets to a hockey game or a spa day. You can also consider secondhand clothing, or something you create like homemade cookies.

“If someone [is] buying you something or you know they’re kind of hinting, just ask for what you really want. Things that last, that are durable, that you’re really going to use, that’s a good thing,” White said.