The holiday season is officially upon us, after what we all can agree has been a very unusual year. We don’t blame you if it’s a little difficult to get into the gifting mood! It’s challenging to imagine celebrating beloved traditions in alternative ways, such as virtually or in smaller groups, but there is nothing like a season of connection and kind gestures to lift our spirits and put everything in perspective.

Gifting is an important tenet of almost all cultures around the globe, as people have been gifting as a gesture of kindness, celebration, and appreciation for thousands of years! Lately we have been inspired by all of the creative gift giving traditions around the world as we think of unique ways to celebrate the 2020 season. For example, did you know that in many countries it is customary to send a delivery of flowers to your hostess before arriving to the event, so they don’t have to rush to put them on display? Keep reading for more interesting gift giving traditions and get in the giving mood yourself with this year’s ZENTS Holiday Gift Guide!

Christmas Around the World

We know Christmas is widely celebrated throughout many cultures, but there are about as many different ways to celebrate it as there are people! Take places like Portugal and Argentina, for example, where it’s customary to stay up late on Christmas Eve in order to open gifts and toast to the holiday at midnight. In Iceland, “The Christmas Book Flood” takes place on Christmas Eve, with most of the gifts exchanged being books.

Here in the US we are pretty informal about our Christmas gift giving—there’s really no wrong way to gift and we definitely have a “the more, the merrier” mindset. That, and we love a good surprise! Around the world, Christmas traditions stem from each culture’s interpretation of the holiday’s history.

The Many Ways to Wrap

Presentation is a big factor in the art of gift giving around the globe, whether it’s a religious holiday or not. In many cultures, the appropriate color of gift wrap depends on what that color symbolizes. In India, it is considered thoughtful and respectful to wrap a gift in bright packaging, whether that’s a cheerful yellow or glittering gold. In Japan, the way a gift is wrapped indicates the thoughtfulness of the item inside, so there’s an emphasis on beautiful presentation.

Mindful Gifts

While there are countless gifting traditions around the globe, one thing is clear—the best gifts are those that have been thoughtfully selected with the recipient in mind. Now more than ever, gift givers want to embrace mindful gifting by getting to know the story behind the products they consider, such as what inspired them, how they are made, and where. As you may know, we love to share the stories behind ZENTS products, whether it’s one of our signature aromas or a game-changing skincare product. Each natural ingredient is carefully considered and mindfully sourced from artisan communities around the globe—from women’s co-ops in Africa to small organic and biodynamic farms like our own. Knowing these origin stories helps you choose the perfect gift to lift spirits and delight those you love.

Once you find a gift idea with a story that resonates with you and your relationship to the recipient, you know you’ve stumbled upon something special! That’s how we embrace the art of gifting here at ZENTS, as you’ll see in this year’s Gift Guide. Here, we’ve compiled our favorite holiday wonders and fan faves from our clean skincare and fragrance collections to inspire mindful gifting.

Get the Gift Guide