Giving Green Economical eco-friendly gifts

Giving Green
by author Crystal Auffray

Holiday giving can be just as much fun as receiving. For those on your list who want more than just their two front teeth, giving green doesn’t have to be boring–or costly! Here are some gift ideas that will have your family and friends rocking around the Christmas tree.

Food & Drink

Gourmet Nibbles

Sahale Snacks has holiday cravings covered with glazed nuts in delicious flavours such as Honey Almond with Cranberries and Sea Salt, Cashew with Pomegranate and Vanilla, and Almond PB&J. Organic and healthy, these tasty delights will tickle anyone’s taste buds. sahalesnacks.com

A Cup of Bliss

Alleviate the stresses of the holiday season by giving Mighty Leaf’s premium organic teas in handcrafted silken biodegradable pouches. The rich flavours of organic Earl Grey, Hojicha Green, and Mint Mélange will make for truly silent nights. mightyleaf.ca

Snack Basket

Everyone loves a great snack. For the foodies on your list, Skeet & Ike’s Organics’ wide variety of all-natural snack foods can be arranged in a nice basket wrapped with a bow. Choose from Chocolate Nut Mix, Tamari Roasted Almonds, Pumpkin Seeds, Roasted Almonds, Wasabi Peas, Granola, White Cheddar Popcorn, and Sea Salt Popcorn. skeetandikes.com

Chocolate Delight

Say “mmm” to Denman Island Chocolate’s delectable organic dark chocolate bars. In flavours ranging from Zesty Orange to Simply Dark and Cool Mint to Espresso Chunk, these delicious, mouth-watering treats are sure to delight even those with the most discerning tastes. denmanislandchocolate.com

Kids & Toys

Step into Christmas with Sardines

Mimi the Sardine’s collection of colourful, fun, and functional lunch bags will make kids happy to carry their lunches to school. Made from environmentally certified cotton fabric; water-soluble dyes; and an acrylic, chemical-free coating, these lunch bags
are water and soil resistant. Make lunchtime merry with Mimi! mimithesardine.com

Earth-Friendly Play

Bring joy to a child’s world with eco-friendly EarthOpoly, which celebrates the planet by letting players accumulate carbon credits and trade them in for clean air. A green twist on the classic game, EarthOpoly’s game board and pieces are made from 100 percent recyclable paper, soy-based ink, recyclable polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic and shrink wrap, and elements found in nature. Advance to green! outsetmedia.com

Eco-Superheroes

Eco-conscious Little Humbug dolls send a strong environmental message to children. The books that accompany each of the three dolls (Jasmine the Butterfly Girl, Chloe the Gardener, and Lucy the Bird Keeper) are printed on 100 percent post-consumer waste, old-growth- and chlorine-free paper and tell environmentally conscious nature stories. Along with the pod-shaped chrysalis that each doll arrives in, these little gems are sure to delight and educate any child. littlehumbugs.com

Joy to the Earth

Spread cheer this year by surprising a little one with one of Dr. Seuss’s classic tales. The Lorax (Random House, 1999), printed on recycled paper, educates children about the importance of conserving Mother Earth’s precious resources. Colourfully illustrated and written in Seuss’s witty voice, this book is a must-have for kids who care about the future and the planet.

Home

Deck the Halls with Soy-Based Candles

Help your loved ones relax during the holiday season with calming, mood-enhancing candles. Method’s soy-based scented candles promote healthier indoor air, thanks to reduced soot production. They’re available in beach sage, lavender lemongrass, and vanilla apple, and the empty ceramic containers make great toothbrush holders. methodhome.com

Smart Green Living

Encourage those on your gift-giving list to make more earth-saving solutions every day. The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Green Living (Alpha Books, 2007) defines the essence of green living. The book’s tips on creating a green home interior, saving energy, investing in socially responsible opportunities, and teaching children about green living will educate and inspire.

New Versionof an Old Favourite

Shopping for a gardener or plant-lover is made easy with WonderVases. These unbreakable vases come in a variety of colours, can be hand-formed into desired shapes to fit small and large bouquets, and are completely reusable. leevalley.com

No Monkeying Around

A multipurpose carryall bag is perfect for anyone on your list. JP Monkey’s eco-friendly reusable bags are great for grocery shopping or everyday use. Machine washable and made from durable fabric, these attractive totes are the perfect alternative to paper or plastic. jpmonkey.com

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Crystal Auffray is a Vancouver-based writer who, although all grown up, still gets giddy at the thought of exchanging gifts on Christmas morning.

Source: alive #314, December 2008

Spice Up Winter Festivities
Winter holidays can be fun and relaxing-getting together with friends and family to eat, drink, and make merry. Aromatic botanicals are traditionally a significant part of winter celebrations, from aromatic mulled wine to spicy gingerbread cookies.

Choosing a Gift Just Got Easier
For those of you who cringe at the thought of braving the malls this Christmas, your local health products store has transformed itself into a boutique of health and wellness. Health food retailers are aware that their products are not the first things consumers think about when purchasing gifts.

Healthy Holiday Fun
This time of year is often filled with excesses: calories, spending, and parties.

Twelve Gifts of Good Health
The commercialism of the holiday season-the need to buy something for everyone-can make shopping an overwhelming chor.

Spiced Apple Punch
Greet your guests with the wonderful Christmas aroma of cinnamon, cloves and anise. Makes four quarts (four litres).

Holiday Honey Loaf
A holiday favourite in the former Czechoslovakia, this moist and delectable loaf is sweetened with the natural goodness of honey and filled with wholesome nuts and fruit. Makes one cake.

Kefir Snowballs with Plum Filling
Apricot compote or ground nuts can also be used as filling. Makes 10 to 12 balls.

Cinnamon Lebzelten (Gingerbread)
Lebzelten preparation is a bit elaborate, but a treat for gourmets. Yields 40 cookies.

Spicy Honey-Gingerbread
The rolled dough can be cut into plain squares or fancy cookie forms. Depending on the size, this recipe yields 25-50 cookies.

Spekulatius (Spiced Cookies)
One of my favourite Christmas recipes, spekulatius are spiced cookies moulded into delightful shapes. If you do not have the wooden spekulatius forms (from the Netherlands), look for ceramic cookie forms in kitchen stores.

Savoury Brussels Sprouts
A member of the famed cabbage family, brussels sprouts are loaded with vitamins A and C, folic acid, calcium, phosphorus, potassium, iron and of course, fibre. Serves four.

Cheese and Potato Perogies
This recipe brings back fond memories of traditional Ukrainian Christmases with the grandparents. It's easy to make and a great way to bond with relatives. The more people helping you make it, the better. Makes three to four dozen, depending on size.

Butternut Squash Stuffed with Spiced Pears
Feel free to substitute other squash to suit your taste!

Cinnamon Baked Squash

Baked Camembert With Cranberry Preserves

Acorn Squash

Royal Snack Mix

Home-Roasted Nuts
Nuts can be gently roasted at home by warming them in a fry pan until golden or placing them under the broiler for five minutes. They can also be placed on a baking sheet and placed in the hot oven for five to 10 minutes.

Hot-Spiced Apple Juice
This fragrant holiday favourite contributes a delightfully welcoming aroma for when guests arrive. I like to use my crock-pot to slowly heat the juice, and then people can just help themselves with a ladle. This drink is a refreshing change from alcoholic beverages and pop at parties.

Three Sisters Harvest Squash
This traditional recipe featuring the "three sisters - corn, squash, and beans - takes on a modern twist when served in Mediterranean style. It adds the wonderful healing herbs of parsley - which is high in vitamin C, chlorophyll, calcium, and iron - and basil, a tasty digestive aid.

Spiced Apple Cider

Festive Pomegranate, Barley, and Wild Rice Salad

True to You
Anticipation of the holiday season seems to awaken before the Halloween moon has begun to fade. Appetites shift from ghoulish, sugary treats to rich Christmas foods consumed over many weeks. Wrapped candy surprises give way to more expensively wrapped gifts. Up go the lights, the calories, the spending, and the stress.

In the Spirit of Giving
Is pervasive yuletide background music reverberating in your head along with thoughts of holiday gift lists and interminable trips to the mall? Are visions of sugar plums and dancing fairies turning into nightmares before Christmas as you contemplate the holiday season?

Emerald Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Consider leaving the peel on your potatoes as this significantly adds to the fibre you'll receive. Adding garlic helps build the immune system at this critical time of year, and why not squeeze in some greens? When chopped finely and swirled into the potatoes, they are a real crowd pleaser.

Easy Traditional Elegance
This December I've put together some traditional favourites that are easy to prepare so you have more time to visit with friends and family. These recipes are also done the low-fat way, to give them a new, healthier twist.

Green Christmas
The Christmas tree is up and decorated, filling the house with fresh fragrance, but it's already turning dry and dropping needles everywhere. After all, a tree begins to die the moment it's cut down. Many people have turned to plastic trees for convenience, but they can seem so ... plastic.

Create the Holiday You'd Love to Have
Take two weeks in December to break yourroutine-travel, overeat, overdrink, under-exercise, and undersleep (with relatives inclose quarters)-and you have the potential for disaster. Oh yeah, add a NewYear's celebration in there, too.

Be Kind to Your Liver This Holiday Season
Nothing leads to a diminished metabolicrate faster than regular alcohol consumption, and for many people alcohol is a bigpart of holiday season celebrations.

Yams with Pineapple
Extra vegetables and fruit can add loads of colour, fibre, and vitamins to any meal. Add pineapple as a natural way to sweeten yams and to add exotic flair to the festive table. Of course, it also squeezes in a fruit serving, fibre, and vitamin C.

Cornbread Stuffing
For the vegetarians in your gathering, make a stuffing that is protein rich by adding a meat substitute such as seitan strips (a wheat-based meat substitute available in health food stores).

Cranberry Pecan Salad
The health benefits of eating fresh nuts are widely recognized. Nuts are a rich source of nutrients and contain monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats as well as proteins and carbohydrates. Fresh nuts also provide a wide selection of vitamins and the minerals iron and zinc.

Goodness Gracious Gifts
I always find it difficult to think of the right gift for people, but as life goes on and friends give gifts that truly please me, I think I'm beginning to get the hang of matching the gift to the person. The secret to making an inspired choice.

Serving Up Sustainability
As you plan your holiday table this year, make this a festive time for your guests while you raise a glass of red to a green planet.

Give More by Giving Less
The holiday pursuit of material goods is frustrating for many. Who hasn't spent a frantic afternoon in a mall, buying last-minute gifts and inevitably blowing the budget? The overspending and mass consumption that we engage in every year takes its toll on our stress levels, our wallets, and the planet.

Christmas Morning Brunch
Most people overindulge on Christmas Day, chowing down on more calories than a gold medal marathoner. It's no wonder many of us nod off into a post-dinner coma after the big feast.

Dreaming of a Green Christmas
A live Christmas tree or an artificial one-which is less of an environmental burden? This has become the inconvenient holiday conundrum for eco-conscious consumers.

Make a Difference
The next time you hear bells jingling and see a Salvation Army volunteer, reach for your wallet and be generous.

There's More to December Than Santa Claus
Decorated evergreen trees, images of Santa Claus, and colourful lights are familiar symbols of the Christmas season.

Seasonal Stress-Busting
The holiday season can be a time of comfort and joy, but it can also be a time of stress as we cope with overeating, overspending, traffic jams, holiday travel, office parties, and family dramas.

It's an Eco-Wrap
Looking for eco-friendly, inexpensive ways to wrap your gifts this holiday season? Get creative with orange boxes and elephant dung.

Edible Christmas Gifts
Blame it on my hormones, but the older I get, the more it seems to me that Christmas has become a commercialized gift-giving extravaganza.

Celebrating Father’s Day
Father’s Day takes place annually on the third Sunday in June when we celebrate our dads with cards, presents, and of course, our love and attention.