Your choices for your child's Christmas presents

Soon the letters to Santa will be blooming in your homes, and you're going to have to make choices to spoil your children, to please them, to offer them the magic of Christmas without forgetting your personal values and ethics. You're going to be (over)solicited by marketing campaigns with ever more tempting offers, from Black Friday sales to big-brand catalogs and supermarket promotions...

Marketing campaigns are designed to do just that, to trick our brains into letting go of our ideals and lighten our wallets. Because it's easy and because we live in this consumer world.

So I'm writing you this post today! Take it as a reminder of your values, the little lighthouse candle that lights the way and guides you through the tumultuous ocean of overconsumption of industrial Christmas toys...

Here are the questions I suggest you ask and answer before making your end-of-year purchases:

• Will this toy appeal to my child? Or does it appeal to my inner child?
• Does the toy match my child's current interests, abilities and needs?
• Is the material safe for my child's health? 
• And from a sensory point of view, is it interesting or pleasant?
• Is this toy open enough for my child to take full advantage of it in the service of his imagination?
• Does this toy or game correspond to my values? Are the values or symbolism conveyed by this toy the ones I want to pass on to my child? (War symbolism, polluting vehicles, make-up palette, feminized/sexualized dolls...)
• Can I find this game or toy second-hand? The manufacture, transport, storage and end-of-life of a toy all have an impact on our environment.
• Is this toy responsibly and ethically manufactured? In which country, what are the working conditions there, who makes these toys in the workshop or factory?
• Can I make this game or toy myself?

You'll be able to make informed, conscious choices when it comes to buying toys that suit your child and your requirements. Yes, that's right, be demanding in your consumer choices, because children don't have a say in what's on offer, and they're subject to your choices. So you have a major responsibility here: to offer them the best, a simple equation between their needs and your values.

At the same time, you'll optimize your spending, buying quality items in smaller quantities, which will last longer. You'll preserve your child's play and living space by avoiding an accumulation of toys, allowing him or her to play freely, avoiding tidying-up conflicts, and encouraging boredom and therefore creativity!

I hope it speaks to you, that it guides you in your journey towards more responsible, sustainable and ethical consumption. And to make choices more in tune with your child's natural needs.