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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
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Nell Frizzell

I have found the best Christmas gifts you can give (spoiler: they’re all free)

Christmas lights on Oxford Street in London
‘Giving doesn’t have to mean presents.’ Photograph: Tolga Akmen/EPA

Not every relationship requires a gift. Not all gifts need to be new. Celebratory meals don’t have to be expensive. Affection and love don’t have to be shown through shopping.

As the climate emergency and cost of living crisis finally gain a toehold in the public consciousness, this year feels like the time we might finally be able to push back on some outdated Christmas assumptions. You see, there is so much joy to be had at Christmas if you can somehow pull yourself off the meathook of consumerism. The tsunami of television adverts, magazine articles, radio features and advertising hoardings may try to undercut your resolve, but I promise you – there is another way.

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