Advertisement
1 Give green. (And no that doesn't mean you should hand out cash.) Stay away from toys and gifts made with potentially toxic synthetic ingredients and look for earth-friendly prezzies instead. Fill your own gift baskets with natural beauty care products or organic crackers and jams. Support local artisans and clothing designers. Check out all the beautiful goods at fair trade store like Ten Thousand Villages. And don't forget to snag a bottle of organic wine on your way to your next holiday party – it makes a perfect eco-friendly hostess gift.
2 Do it yourself: If you've got an ounce of craftiness in you, now's your time to shine. If you can sew, knit, papier mache, or even bake something for the people in your life, your giftees will feel way more loved than they would if you handed them some generic gift they could get from any mall. Try making your own greeting cards and wrapping paper by pasting together images from seasonal magazines, last year's cards, old comic books and newspapers. Some cinnamon sticks wrapped with ribbons around oven dried apple and orange slices make great, yummy smelling ornaments.
