One of the things that really bothers me about gift-giving is all the packaging. I love the aesthetics of a well put together gift basket, flower arrangement or tray, but there is so much stuff involved that just clutters up my house or goes straight into the recycling bin or trash.
This year my co-op Mississippi Market tweeted the suggestion to buy Valentine's Day treats in their bulk section. I buy grains and dried fruit in bulk, but it had not occurred to me to buy gifts.
I went to the co-op with my own containers, purchase six treat items, and layered them in large mason jars that I already had. Finished it off with some reused ribbon. One of the items was a dark chocolate turtle . I had asked for dark chocolate turtles for Hanukkah and my spouse ordered some from a city many hundreds of miles away but apparently they were sitting at the co-op we go to weekly.
Voila - a low waste gift.
