Green Moms December Carnival

Happy Holidays everyone!  If you are like me you still have some shopping to do and need some suggestions.  This month’s Green Moms Carnival is about enjoying the holidays and yet giving in an eco-friendly way.  Our bloggers’ topics range from reducing stress to special gift suggestions for kids and adults.  Read through the list and let us help complete your holidays needs.

My own suggestion is to give baskets made by women artisans with the Rwanda Partners Basket Company.  These women are survivors of the genocide in Rwanda and have organized to revive their craft and to support themselves.  I have bought baskets several times and found the baskets to be beautiful and well made.

Lisa NW at Condo Blues makes Christmas her favorite holiday by finding ways to combat stress and to make the holidays joyful. Two ways that she suggests are: Shop all year long especially if you have a large extended family and do not try to make your Christmas “magazine” perfect.  

Michelle at The Green Phone Booth suggests that you swap things for experiences this year.  She suggests that kids value play time with loved ones and memories more than the latest fad toy. Give the kids in your life the gift of your time.

Micaela at Mindful Momma recommends the gift guide from Womens Voices for the Earth.  It includes suggestions for toys, clothes, electronics, baby products, cosmetics and more!  She also recommends Conscious Box which is a goody box filled with sample sized eco-friendly gifts. The goal is to help consumers experience ethical earth-friendly products. Each month, a new box of products is available.

If you want to make your holiday decorating more eco-friendly, Mindful Momma has some great ideas. for handmade gifts.  She also recommends giving the gift of Punjammies which are made by women formerly in the prostitution trade.  This is part of the International Princess Project which is dedicated to helping these women restore their lives and learn to live free. Punjammies are made from beautiful Indian Sari fabric.

Lori at Groovy Green Livin has 5 great green toy suggestions that you might not think of.  She also has instructions for 2 holiday craft projects that kids can make for fun or to give as gifts.

Katie at Non-Toxic Kids recommends a line of books called Barefoot Books.  Her all time favorite is Mrs.Moon: Lullabies for Bedtime.

Karen at Best of Mother Earth writes a thoughtful blog entry suggesting that less holiday bling can be  green while still being magical and fun.

Tiffany at Nature Moms Blog finds her Christmas gifts at eBay, Craigslist, and the thrift store.  She sees no reason to break the budget during the holidays but still finds great gifts.

Harriet at Climate Momma has some great rules to help combat the pervasive pressure of quantity over quality at this time of the year.  She also recommends three climate change books for kids and she shares her family tradition of giving a gift from nature.  Each family member makes a gift from nature to give one other person.

Betsy at Eco-novice: Going Green Gradually suggests several cookbooks for adults.  All of them sound great and are a fabulous way for friends/family to improve their eating habits.  She also suggest several reusable items that make eco-friendly gifts for the person trying to use fewer disposables.

Jennae at Green Your Decor recommends 100% organic pajamas for kids by New Jammies.  They look very cozy.  She also has detailed instructions for making a puppet theatre which would be a great kid gift or kid project.  Finally, for more ideas check out Jennae’s Green Gift Guide. 

Anna at Green Talk has a list of 18 ways to get rid of that unwanted gift (that we all get sooner or later).  Check it out; there are some you may not have considered.

Lynn at Organic Mania has some great ways to find a green gift for a green friend (We can be kind of picky, right?).

Hopefully some of these suggestions will help you find that special eco-friendly gift or appreciate the holidays without stress.  If you have additional great ideas for greening the holidays, leave a comment.