Healthy Giving

’Tis the season for catching up with friends and spending time with loved ones—not for running around the mall. Thank goodness for alive’s holiday gift guide, featuring meaningful, ecoconscious, and healthy gifts available at Canadian natural health retailers.

Babies and toddlers

Get ready for your daily dose of adorable with these gifts, perfect for your little one.

iPlay. rainwear These lovable rain jackets, umbrellas, and boots are PVC- and lead-free. Their fun colours and designs will have kids hoping for rain. Bring on the puddles! iplaybabywear.com

Beatrix New York backpacks   Kids love these backpacks because they each feature a cute cartoon animal. Moms and dads love them because they're free from harmful chemicals such as PVC, lead, and phthalates.   beatrixny.com

Broody Chick body products This skin and body care line is perfect for baby's sensitive skin— and for the rest of the family too. Wonderbalm and Every Body Lotion are perfect for protecting skin from harsh winter elements. broodychick.com

Fluf lunch and snack bags Kids will be looking forward to lunchtime even more with these graphic lunch and snack bags. Even better, they're 100 percent organic cotton and made with low-impact dyes. fluf.ca

Ringley teething toys These precious teething toys are made from machine washable certified organic cotton and untreated, splinter-proof, naturally antibacterial maple wood. ringley.ca

Lulujo facecloths/wipes Gentle on baby's skin and beautifully packaged, these organic cotton wipes make a great gift. But since they can also double as super soft facecloths, you'll want to steal them for yourself! lulujo.com

Tweens and Teens

These gifts are cool enough that tweens and teens will want to brag about them to their friends.

North American Hemp Co. skin and hair care These natural, cruelty-free skin and hair products are packed with nutrition for hair and skin, and great for girls and guys alike. northamericanhempco.com

Social Conscience fair trade sports balls Athletic tweens and teens will love that these top quality sports balls also support human rights by paying workers fair wages and guaranteeing no child labour. social-conscience.com

GLOB natural paint kits GLOB natural paints, paper, and brushes are perfect for young artists. This kit includes six colours made from fruits, veggies, and spices, so they smell delicious! globiton.com

GlassDharma drinking straws These stylish eco-friendly glass drinking straws come in designs made for everything from smoothies to bubble tea, so they're even perfect for hanging at the mall. glassdharma.com

Dads

Is your dad a true outdoorsman? Master of the barbecue? In need of a little TLC?

Nova Scotia Fisherman skin care This new Canadian skin care line features sea kelp, known for its detoxifying properties. Plus, this eco-minded company has partnered with the Nature Conservancy of Canada, making them even more awesome. novascotiafisherman.com

Juniper Ridge smudge sticks   These wild-harvested mini smudge sticks are made from the healing plants cedar, sage, and mugwort—each representing a special area of North America. juniperridge.com

Maple Organics body products These products for overworked muscles and joints, as well as nourishing skin formulas, will allow athletic Dads to do more of what they love. mapleorganics.com

Herban Cowboy Dusk cologne Cologne is a classic gift, but too often they're loaded with heavy synthetics and dyes. Not Herban Cowboy's—this vegan scent features lemon, lime, bergamot, clary sage, and lavender. herbancowboy.com

Moms

From gourmet goodies to luxurious skin care products, pamper your mom with these lavish finds.

Honey candles These clean-burning, nontoxic beeswax candles give off a subtle honey scent, so they're perfect for entertaining or quiet meditation. honeycandles.com

Sukin hand and nail cream This Australian company has created the perfect remedy for brittle, cracked nails. Packed with vitamin E and aloe, this cream is ideal for an at-home spa evening on a cold winter night. sukinorganics.com

Divine Harvest fruit spreads Definitely not your average jam—these organic fruit spreads have added chia seeds and oil, making them a source of heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids. divineharvest.ca

Burt's Bees Intense Hydration Featuring clary sage, Burt's Bees' new line is formulated to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, while leaving skin soft and supple regardless of the weather. burtsbees.ca

Pure Anada cosmetics Providing full coverage while still feeling breathable on the skin, this makeup is free from a host of common cosmetic chemicals, including parabens, petrochemicals, and formaldehyde. pureanada.ca

Grandmas and grandpas

Lesley Stowe's Raincoast Crisps Lesley Stowe's new addition to the family of artisan crisps features gluten-free oat flour, certified by the Gluten Intolerance Group of North America. Try the Original flavour or Rosemary Raisin Pecan. lesleystowe.com

The Ginger People ginger chews and candies The holiday taste of ginger gets kicked up a notch with these spicy and sweet ginger chews and candies. They're the perfect size for a great stocking stuffer too! gingerpeople.com

Rocky Mountain Soap Company Gardener's Gift Set Does Grandma or Grandpa love tending the garden? The hand butter, nail brush, and soap from this Alberta-based company are perfect for hard-working hands. rockymountainsoap.com

Maison Orphée Organic Gourmet Spritz These gourmet vinegars and lemon, chili, basil, or garlic olive oils in spritz bottles make it easy to add a flavour kick to salads and pasta dishes, or in marinades and cooking. maisonorphee.com

Big ticket item!

Urban Cultivator

For those on your list who deserve a splurge, the Urban Cultivator is the way to go! This all-in-one home garden takes the local food movement to a new level, by growing green sprouts, crisp herbs, and fresh veggies all year round. You’ll know your greens are totally pesticide and herbicide free, and since they’re so fresh, they’re packed with twice as many nutrients as storebought greens.

urbancultivator.net

Enter to win!

We’re offering readers the chance to win an amazing selection of items from this year’s gift guide! Four lucky readers will win the Baby and Toddler Gift Basket with products from the baby and toddler section. Another four readers will win the Gift Guide Favourites Basket with selected products from the rest of the guide! Pick up the January 2013 issue of alive and jump into part 1 of our upcoming series, 12 Months of Wellness. There’s no better way to begin your year-long road to wellness than by winning our amazing gift basket featuring products from the gift guide! For more details, and to enter, follow the instructions on alive.com/contest. Contest closes January 18, 2013.

Tip

We’ve made our best efforts to ensure that these products can be found at natural health retailers across Canada; however, not every store carries every product, so check with your local store. You can also visit any company’s website to order online or to look up a retailer near you

Ethical giving

These outstanding organizations offer gift-giving programs that give back.

Global Mothers

Aiming to connect women around the world through the experience of motherhood, Global Mothers’ beautiful products for moms and children are crafted by women in impoverished countries. By purchasing these products, the women receive valuable income.

global-mothers.com

Vitamin Angels’ Precious Cargo campaign

Committed to dispensing life-saving vitamins around the world, Vitamin Angels’ December campaign aims to fund the shipment of vitamins to the recipients who need them so desperately. Individual donations will be matched by corporate sponsors, so donations can go twice as far.

vitaminangels.org

Free the Children’s Holiday Wishing Well for the World

Each of these symbolic gifts goes toward breaking the cycle of poverty in developing countries. There are plenty of gifts to choose from—for example, $50 buys a goat to provide nutrition and income for a family, and $100 buys piping for a school water system.

freethechildren.com