🎁 The gift that keeps on giving

It’s Thursday, Boston.

😤 Boston is finally getting the press it deserves. The Cop Slide made Rolling Stone’s list of the 21 defining memes of 2023, clocking in at No. 19. Thanks to that cop’s intrusive thought winning, we now get to bask in the glory among Grimace Shakes and nepo babies.

👀 What’s on tap today:

• New Boston cop contract

• Raising Cane’s competition

• Professional Santa

Up first...

12 DAYS OF B-SIDE

Gift outside the box (literally)

They say holiday gifting is an act of goodwill, but how about goodwill … for the planet? In the midst of holiday madness, it’s easy to forget how seriously unsustainable this season’s shopping can be. So we talked to an expert about how to gift sustainably.

Here’s what we learned:

🌎 There might be more to sustainable gifting than you’d think. Although the phrase “sustainable gifting” may conjure up visions of shampoo bars and metal straws under the tree, being truly sustainable is less about products and more about thinking creatively. “If you want to be more sustainable, it doesn't mean you have to go out and buy the cool sustainable things,” said Ceilidh Yurenka, owner of YES! (Your Eco Source), an eco-friendly store in Arlington.

🧠 The key is actually your mindset. So, if we want to make a shift to gifting sustainably, that also requires a shift in our perspective toward gifts. Most of us grow up thinking that a good gift has to be a new, material item, but really, a good gift can be anything — material or not — that represents an act of kindness and thoughtfulness from one person to another. “It’s about normalizing that something doesn’t have to be brand new to be valuable,” Yurenka said.

💬 Sometimes, it’s cool to set parameters. Depending on the scope of your sustainable ambitions, it can be helpful (and even fun!), to let your inner circle in on what you’re trying to do and to encourage them to join you, Yurenka said. Approaching it as a challenge or a game where you’re not allowed to buy each other anything “new” is a great way to introduce the idea without added pressure, she said. 

🪴 And then … just be creative. Once you start thinking outside the box (literally), the world of sustainable gifts is truly endless. Some great options include gifting experiences, like tickets to a play, class, or concert; consumables, like baked goods or specialty foods (bonus points if you make it yourself!); a D.I.Y project like a framed photo, a craft, or even a propagated plant; or a thrifted item. 

🎁 Don’t forget the wrapping! Using old newspaper, decorated brown paper bags, and even washi tape are more sustainable alternatives to the old fashioned wrapping paper, ribbon, and tape method. Plus, if you really want to go zero-waste, Yurenka recommends the Japanese Furoshiki method of wrapping, which allows you to use only fabric to easily (and beautifully) wrap presents.

QUICK QUESTION!

🎁 What kind of sustainable gifting would you be willing to try?

TOGETHER WITH FLEXCAR

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CITY

Quick & dirty headlines

👮 Boston City Councilors ok’d a new contract for Boston cops. It’s a big win for Mayor Michelle Wu’s administration and there are some big changes. Highlights from the $82 million contract include reforms in discipline (certain offenses like drug trafficking and hate crimes won’t be eligible for arbitration if an officer commits them) and detail work (letting non-police officers do it), as well as average base salary increases (they’ll increase to nearly $90K from about $82K by summer 2025). 

🚗 A parking tale as old as time: Eat the fine or move your car? Cambridge city officials want to double the fine for street sweeping violations (to $100) for the most Boston reason ever. After a pilot program in April halted the practice of towing cars on street sweeping days and began giving out $50 tickets instead, many residents decided to stop moving their cars entirely, opting to just pay the fine. Since the pilot, the city has issued almost double the amount of street sweeping violation tickets and the number of repeat offenders nearly tripled. 

🏈 It’s looking like bye bye … Belichick? There’s been a lot of chatter about Patriots coach Bill Belichick’s future with the team in the wake of their car crash of a season. But a report from NBC Sports Boston this week indicated that owner Robert Kraft has already decided to ditch Belichick at the end of this season. And there’s speculation that Jerod Mayo, a coach on Belichick’s staff, could be his replacement. To no one’s surprise, Belichick has been tight-lipped about the situation, saying that he's focused on getting ready for Sunday’s game against the Chiefs. 

🐔 Raising Cane’s is getting a run for it money. Big Chicken, the fast-casual eatery from none other than Shaquille O’Neal, is expanding into Mass. with an expected twelve locations planned across the state (the Peabody locale is set to open in 2024). Big Chicken serves, you guessed it, chicken sandwiches with “eclectic spins,” as well as fries, milkshakes, and sides. And while we’re excited about the chicken, we’re also just impressed Shaq has managed to keep up this chicken empire along with everything else he has going on.

GIVEAWAY

Giveaway alert!

Enter our 12 Days of B-Side Giveaway (worth $1,000!+). Over the next 12 days, we’ll be giving away items from some of Boston's favorite brands (Rev’d Cycling, Big Night Entertainment, New England Inns and Resorts and more!). One entry will give you eligibility to all prizes, so the earlier you enter, the more prizes you can win. Refer a friend before 12/21 to be eligible. If you have already referred a friend to B-Side (and they’ve accepted), you're already enrolled! Full details below*

ONE LAST THING

A case of mi-sleigh-ken identity 

If you’re a man of a certain age with a long white beard and, perhaps, a belly full of jelly … odds are, come December, kids are going to think you’re Santa. And it seems to happen more than you’d think. But embodying an omnipotent, omniscient, and ever-jolly Christmas character, often on the spot, can be a tough burden to carry. So how do these Santa lookalikes do it?

Globe correspondent Lindsay Crudele tackles the question in her latest piece, asking Santa look-alikes — from those who get “recognized” just a few times a year, to those who have made it a second career — how the resemblance has impacted them. And the results are pretty touching. 

You can see what all the local Santa clones look like here. South End artist Lee Barron is particularly convincing.

— Written by Gia Orsino and Emily Schario

🎄Thanks for reading! There are actually full-on Santa camps around here where people can learn how to enter into a career as a Santa. Who knew?

💜 Special shoutout to today's sponsor, Flexcar for supporting local journalism and making transportation more affordable (Start your journey with code: BSIDE200) and accessible in Boston. 

💸 The results are in: No results today, but if you have questions about finance in 2024, please write into our poll from yesterday! We would really appreciate it. <3

💃 Keep up with us @BostonBSide on IG, TikTok, and Twitter. Send comments and suggestions to [email protected] or [email protected].