Eco-Friendly Christmas Gifts
The world is going green. This is a good thing. The Earth and our environment deserves our respect, as we are all connected. By caring for the Earth, we care for ourselves. The fewer chemicals floating around in the air, the better our bodies feel. For Christmas this year, consider giving some of the recipients on your list a less tangible but more sentimental gift.
You know the people in your circle better than anyone. For those who would appreciate an environmentally friendly gift there are many options to choose from. One idea is making charitable donations in their name.
Everyone is not as appreciative of donation gift giving so be sure that the recipients are like-minded. People who like to donate to charities and campaign for causes are more likely to find this a worthy type of Christmas gift. If you know their favorite charity, contribute in their name. Adopt a whale, adopt a dog or cat, or donate money in their name to the local homeless shelter. These organizations can send you a confirmation that can be placed in a Christmas envelope and presented to the people on your list.
Who says that a Christmas gift has to fit into a package? Instead of bringing the gift to them, bring them to the gift. This Christmas, think of gifts that won’t leave any waste behind. Instead of buying a CD for a friend who likes music, treat them to a concert. Wrap up two tickets to an upcoming concert or a night of jazz on the town. Live music sounds better than recorded anyway. This lends a great excuse to dress up and go on a date with the hubby. If your friend has kids, throw in babysitting for the evening if you’re feeling particularly generous.
Tickets for other shows are appropriately eco friendly as well. Take the kids to the zoo, the aquarium, or a science show as a part of their Christmas present. Younger kids seem to appreciate this type of activity more.
For a person who wants to “go green” help them out with a useful Christmas gift. Tell them you’ve been dreaming of a Green Christmas this year! To create a Foodies’ Delight Basket, you could include a reusable lunch bag, cloth sandwich wrappers, stainless steel water bottle. For the burgeoning Green Shopper, give them cloth shopping and produce bags. ReusableBags.com is one of my favorite places to shop for these types of products. They have a critically acclaimed line of reusable shopping bags plus a growing family of smart, earth-friendly products all designed to help you reduce, reuse and save.
For a new mom, a starter pack of cloth or compostable diapers (such as g diapers) would be appreciated. Throw in some soft cloth nursing pads or a fabulous nursing shirt to reinforce her breastfeeding habits. Use an environmentally appropriate basket to display the gifts.
For Christmas, it is not so much about what we take but what we give. With eco friendly gifts, we are giving back to the environment and taking only what we need. You might even start a green trend among your friends!