Mindful Gifting

The decorations are up, department stores are flooded with holiday cheer, and the hustle and bustle of buying gifts for loved ones are next on our to-do list. However, we believe this year’s approach to gift-giving should be celebrated a little differently. For this Challenge, we want to continue with the holiday spirit––the holiday decorating, activities, and gifting, but make it more sustainable! Our traditional lifestyles have caused so much harm to our planet, and it’s time we invest in more viable options that protect mother nature.

So, we want you to create and share sustainable alternatives for traditional decor, gift-wrapping, holiday party favors, and of course, presents. Are you a seasoned secondhand shopper? Have you mastered the DIY-decor? Have you switched to fair-trade products or opted for small businesses over online shopping? Whatever you’re using or doing this year to make the holidays greener, we want to learn your tips and tricks! Join the Mindful Gifting Challenge and share the creative ways in which we can all make this holiday season better for our wallets, our loved ones, and especially the home we all share: our planet.

For your story to be eligible, it must be between 600 and 5,000 words and adhere to our Community Guidelines. Stories published on Vocal and entered into the contest up until December 17, 2020, at 11:59 PM EST will be entered for consideration. Official Rules for the Challenge can be found here.

The Mindful Gifting Challenge is exclusive to Vocal+ members. To learn more and upgrade to Vocal+ visit https://vocal.media/vocal-plus.

To be eligible to win the grand prize, second place, or third place prizes, you must be over the age of 13 and residing in a country where Stripe is available at the time of entry. A complete list of countries where Stripe is available can be found here—winners will need to have a Stripe account created and connected in order to receive the prizes. For this reason, entrants located outside of any of these 39 countries will not be eligible to win.