Every year around this time I hear people say how they “need to get ____ a gift” but don’t know what to get them. Generally, I bite my tongue. But this is my space, and so, I won’t do that here.

In case nobody has bothered to tell you, dear friends and acquaintances, you never need to buy/give anyone a gift, ever. Feelings of guilt and obligation are not good reasons for participating in gift exchanges.

Give a gift when you want to, when you are inspired to, when you come upon a thing or experience that you know a specific person will love.

Please stop buying crap because you feel like you have to do it. This applies to gifts for children as well. Manage expectations if you must, so nobody feels like they’ve done something wrong for falling off the list. Do they need several gifts under the tree, or would one be enough?

If someone is hard to shop for, then stop shopping for them. Spend time instead. Ask them what they would like as a show of kindness. Share a meal or a movie. Help them repaint their living room.

During the last week of every year, I cringe at the overflowing trash bins showing our insatiable gluttony. These same households toss toys to the curb regularly. You have to wonder what is the point. What was satisfied by this rapid consumption? What was learned?

Climate Possibilities is a series about climate mitigation, along with resilience, resistance, and restoration. It’s about human habitat preservation. It’s about loving nature and planet Earth, and demanding the kind of change that gives future generations the opportunity for vibrant lives. Doomers will be eaten alive, figuratively. All photographs are taken in Hartford, Connecticut unless stated otherwise.