Do Christmas a little differently in 2021

This Christmas, let's refocus

We all have different Christmas traditions and experiences we love. But there are some things we can all agree on: the hope of the Christmas story, that God so loved the world he gave his only son; the special atmosphere of a Christmas church service; festive food and drink; and, of course, the giving and receiving of Christmas gifts.

However, for many of us, Christmas can easily become a season of excess rather than a season of goodwill. Commercialisation and the pressure to spend more and more for the sake of it can lead to unnecessary expenditure and waste, and obscures our focus on God's greatest gift to us, Jesus.

This Christmas, we want to help you refocus, reconsider the waste and redress the balance. Do Christmas a Little Differently is all about making different decisions, and then using the money saved to have a positive impact on our neighbours around the world – which has the potential to go much further!

Reconsider our waste: what could I do differently?

How many times have you bought something just for the sake of it? At Christmas, we can choose to put our time and resources towards the things we love and not the things that we feel pressured into. We can shop for gifts in a more considered way so that we don't feel that we're wasting our money and the planet's resources. We can make choices that lower our carbon footprint and don’t cause additional harm to those around the world already impacted by climate change.

So, if you've drawn Alan from Payroll in the £10 office Secret Santa and you don’t know him very well, or you're tempted to buy some novelty snowman earrings you know you’ll only wear once at a party, or you struggle to find a gift for Fiona who already has everything she wants, we encourage you to let go of the pressure to shop for the sake of it.

You don't need to panic-buy Alan a snazzy pair of reindeer socks he may never wear to meet the gift spending limit, or order a foot massager for Fiona that she’ll never take out of the box. Why not go simple? Food and drink is usually a safe option, or what about a homemade gift or a voucher for a place they love, or an experience they have always wanted to try?

And why not spend the difference on something much longer-lasting?

Redress the balance: every little helps

If you are willing to go under budget on your Secret Santa and make part of the gift a charity donation, or if you decide to leave those snowman earrings on the shelf, you could help people living in poverty around the world adapt to the climate crisis instead. Poverty is not God’s plan – but you can be part of the solution.

In Bangladesh, worsening climate extremes have brought families to breaking point. Last year alone, 5.5 million people there – the equivalent of Scotland’s entire population – were affected by devastating flooding.

The few extra pounds you donate would go a long way in helping families in Bangladesh and around the world to be safe and ready for when disaster strikes. £33 could pay for enough cement to strengthen a home against flooding: that’s just ten people giving £3.30 each. Or £63 could train nine people in skills such as emergency first aid and search-and-rescue, to save lives during cyclones: that’s 12 people giving £5.25 each. If lots of people give a little, it can make a huge difference.

We’ve even created a downloadable gift tag so you can let others know that part of their gift has been donated to Tearfund’s Christmas Appeal.