Rethinking the gift

Traditionally, I don't hassle with holiday gifts until we're packing Thanksgiving leftovers in the Prius as we leave my mom's house.

It's not that I don't think about it, and certainly not that I don't care. But, over the years, my family has dramatically tapered down on the buying frenzy because we all realized we don't need more store-bought things.

Unfortunately, more stuff can mean more trash. The Environmental Protection Agency found that household garbage in the U.S. increases by 25 percent between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day.

Plastic toys and techno-gadgets often aren't recycled (or can't be) and may end up in the ocean. They certainly don't biodegrade. So why buy more?

Friends sometimes ask how they can get their extended families to stop buying them junk they don't want, so throughout the holidays, I'll share tips for rethinking the gift. After Thanksgiving dinner can be a good time to bring up the topic with the adults of the family.

An easy one to start with is to simply draw names. My in-laws did this for many years. Each person writes their name on an index card and also writes three possible gift ideas down. We had a price limit of $30 for each person.

The names go into a hat, everybody picks a name, and you use the list to help you shop.

You don't have to follow the ideas, but they're helpful if you draw the name of, say, Cousin Amy's new fiancé. Older kids can get into this game too, though they may need a shopping help from a parent.

One gift per person feels special, and limits your overall energy consumption and eventual waste.

You might buy a little something extra for each kid or your sweetie, but this is a step in a greener direction. And each year, it feels better and easier to buy less, while treading a bit more lightly on the earth during the holidays.