Earlier this week, Bunch posed a question on our fan page: Would you give your kid a used toy for the holidays? One of the respondents was Lisa Kelly, who, in an effort to live more green, has been giving her son her old toys as gifts since 2008. We are seriously freaking out over these photos she sent us. Partridge Family View-Master? The complete Dr. Seuss? Vintage ’70s Fisher Price medical kit? Are you kidding us?! See the gallery at the foot of the post for Lisa’s photos!
About two years ago, I made a New Year’s resolution to not buy anything new for the year of 2008 (unless it was a complete necessity, like food or drugstore item). I’d already been pretty eco-conscious: changed my light bulbs, don’t own a car, am a veggie, and shopping for vintage clothing has been a passion for years.
But I wanted to go the extra mile in doing my part for the planet. I think seeing An Inconvenient Truth, Manufactured Landscapes and The Story of Stuff by Annie Leonard all had a definite influence. After the year had passed, it was hard to go back to my old ways. I noticed labels everywhere saying “made in China” or “made in Bangladesh.” I knew that getting stuff fast and cheap came at a cost to certain people as well as the planet. And I also noticed how much plastic there was everywhere. So I just decided to continue to try and buy locally when buying brand-new, and for the most part, continued buying secondhand.
One of the areas I noticed the excessiveness especially was in children’s toys. I have a 5-year-old, and I really had a hard time allowing friends and family to bring new plastic things into my house. Thankfully (and conveniently!), my mother saved practically every single toy me and my siblings ever played with as children 30 to 40 years ago. Every birthday or Christmas since birth, my son has received one or two of these old relic toys. My mom takes pride in polishing them up and making them look good as new again. And my son has no bias with regards to new or used. In fact, he understands why we re-use and recycle. We are trying to save our planet! So Santa’s gift to him either comes from Craigslist, eBay or my mom, and he is none the wiser on Christmas morning. We are truly lucky that Mom saved all that great stuff!
Lisa Kelly is a kids’ yoga instructor and the owner of the Centre For Art & Soul, a family business offering children’s classes in arts and wellness.
OMG! I HAD THAT GROVER! And I loved him!!!!! And I wanted that doctor kit so bad when I was a kid!!!
I just finished reading this article and I think this is one of the most refreshing attitudes I’ve come across in a long time. I think Lisa’s child is lucky – he is going to be one of the coolest kids EVER !!!
Thanks for sharing
Emily
So great! The other value in second hand toys is the parent’s natural nostalgia for the item the second time around. Excited, you get down and sit with them and show them why ‘this’ is so cool… perfect quality time magic.
Great comments, guys! We’re so pleased that Lisa’s blog post seems to have struck a chord with people. We think her green efforts are outstanding, not to mention fun, thrifty and practical. And it is great that her son loves the toys. Thanks to Lisa for sending us all of those awesome photos. Wow! What a trip down memory lane.
Reading this made me think of a quote. It’s something like: “All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make the better.” Amerindo Arron Emerson