This holiday season, we want to focus on quality over quantity and sustainability above all else - after all, any celebration worth its salt is also celebrating the planet.
Wrapping paper can be glittery and festive, but something that's not so cute? The 25 million extra tons of trash it generates every November and December. This year especially we're trying to reduce waste to give back to the Earth that gives so much to us.
At its best, the holiday season is a chance to celebrate reciprocity: the act of giving and receiving. We can keep this balance by reusing and recycling, doing our best not to buy single-use paper or plastic.
It can be hard to know where to start. That's why we're looking towards cultures that are artists when it comes to minimalism and sustainability. Tomo is from Japan, where practices like furoshiki aren't just useful, they're a way of life. Art and practicality aren't mutually exclusive; there is beauty and wonder to be found in the everyday.
Furoshiki is a practice that dates back to 710 B.C. It is, at its most simple, a cloth wrapping. It was originally used to hold valuables and treasures from Japanese temples, but now is commonly used to wrap bento boxes, gifts, and more. Find some great, simple tutorials here.
This season, make the holidays merry and low-waste!