Green Christmas Gift Ideas
Here are some ideas on how to make your holiday more sustainable. Remember to get off to a good start by taking your reusable shopping bags with you when you head to the stores.
For the Gardener on Your List - Consider a plant or a gift certificate for a garden centre. Go naked (packaging free) and tuck the gift certificate into a pair of good gardening gloves and tie with a raffia, paper or fabric bow.
Give the Gift of Food - A basket of homemade cookies and candy are always a hit with kids and adults alike. Or if you can't cook, don’t bake try Laurie’s Sweet treats... how about a basket of local and/or fair trade food items. Forgo the usual paper or plastic basket stuffing and stuff the basket with a Christmas tea towel or hand towel.
How About a Gift That Supports a Cause – Such as a calendar from Rotary that supports a charity in your area e.g., Royal Victoria Hospital and Gilda’s club or consider a gift from the Children’s Aid Catalogue to create a memory for children and youth in our community, or consider gifting an animal to a needy family through the World Vision.
For a Family Gift - How About a "Night at the Movies" Basket - Tuck gift certificates from the
local video store into a popcorn bowl or basket filled microwave popcorn, popcorn seasoning and theatre candy like liquorice, jujubes, gummy candy and candy coated chocolates etc.
For Anyone - Give the gift of an “experience” such as a spa visit, tickets to the Village Players Theatre or a sporting event, or download gift cards for music or books. For a Friend or Coworker - A good backpack to encourage active transportation (it’s hard to walk or bus when you are lugging tonnes of "junk" in both directions).
For the Adults - LED night lights. They are cool to the touch (i.e. safer) and use just pennies a year worth of electricity. Look for them in local hardware stores.
For Anyone - “Wind-up” radios and flashlights. Good emergency gear for anyone and great for the little ones. The wind-up feature acts as a built in “automatic shut-off” that cuts down on the need for parents to creep around in the dark and turn off the “what-nots”.
For Seniors - Powerdent Denture Brush. Even elderly denture wearers, with limited dexterity and compromised vision, find the brush easy to use, and it has a built in rechargeable battery.
For the Tweens and Teens - Movie tickets or ITune cards are always a hit. Gift Cards are available at most Grocery Stores and can be used for movies and concessions.
For the Kids - If you are purchasing a gift that requires batteries, include rechargeable ones as part of the gift.
For the Little Ones - there are LED night lights and flashlights that regularly cycle through a rainbow of colours. (Note: we have it on good authority that some are “magic” - guaranteed to ward off monsters and other unwanted night creatures)
