Christmas presents 2.0: more joy and less consumption

The holidays are a time to give and receive gifts, but these don't all have to be new purchases. "New To You" would help people arrange for used-goods-swapping events that could be held among families, co-workers, classmates and other groups via a website with advice, instructions, forums and the ability to let people create group meetings.

People would be encouraged to form a group and commit to providing items of roughly similar value and type for a swap event. These could be children's toys, kitchen products, sports gear, furniture, artworks, etc. The items would be their own property or could be purchased used. 

The website would have ideas and links to instructions on how to repair and improve a variety of goods by cleaning, replacing defective or broken parts, re-finishing, decorationg and so on. People in makerspaces or any facility with appropriate equipment would be encouraged to hold classes devoted to teaching and doing these activities. The website could also have a forum for asking and answering questions.

Besides having a way to let people sign up for meetings, there would be tips on how to plan and hold the holiday-themed swap events in such a way that people would feel they'd have a good chance of getting something they would value. Everyone could submit a "wish-list" and be matched with one another or they could draw numbers to establish a choosing order at the event, for example.

This idea is sustainable because it prevents the waste of existing items, cuts down on the purchase of new goods and introduces people to re-purposing skills that they could continue to use.