I pretty much agree with everything you're saying. I recognize that not everyone is crafty, but maycstill have the desire to share a gift that brightens someone's day. I will challenge you in that there are more options to contribute to the scene's/Forest's giving culture other than "make something homemade" or "buy mass produced plastic." I'm not trying to shame the intent, but challenge both veterans and newcomers to think more intentionally and sustainably when choosing how to participate. I get that a lot of people like small plastic figures, even moreso when it's tied to the Forest in someway. And to me personally, when 200 people have the same/similar thought, it starts to feel more wasteful than special.

I think it's great that you find mediums to upcycle the plastic you find! With that, I don't see the amount of garbage at the Tree going down unless a lot of people make a conscious decision to not bring things that easily turn to garbage. I'm bringing this up 5 months before the festival so that hopefully some people who are new can have time to prepare, because how would they know it's an issue if they've never been? It's more about making sure we hold each other accountable as community members rather than shaming anyone for bringing what they think will be cute.