With Thanksgiving come and gone, there’s no doubt that the Christmas season is definitely upon us. Well, I’ve been ticking through my Christmas list (and funds, boo hoo.), and as usual, the names without the “tick” are the same people I find difficulty finding the right present for every year. And my spouse is always one of those people. Sigh.
I’ve been doing some research myself, and I found quite a plethora of ideas online, green ideas of course. Here are some of the ones worth checking out:
A great “Green Gift Ideas” article I found was through through Green Home Huddle , a super online community dedicated to all things green. They listed unusual things like buying carbon offset from places like TerraPass, a great site to buy seriously green gifts.
It’s always fun shopping for the little ones, and this adorably-named site, Polliwogged has a gift giving guide perfect for babies and first-time-parents.
It’s also a good idea to know what not to get, but personally, the yardstick I use to gauge whether a gift is good or not is to think if it’s something I’d like to receive. Ok, I know that doesn’t work for all people, but you get my drift. Planet Green had an interesting article titled “The Anti Gift List”, which mercilessly attacks gifts like “World’s Best Dad” plaques (bad), Gift Cards (not that bad esp. if its to someone you’re not close to), snow globes (my kids would protest this one) and so on. It’s a laugh even if you don’t agree with it all.
And lastly, before you buy, think about giving the Purposeful Gift, which I think is the most important thing of all. Green living successfully sums it up:
“…It is essential that we establish a new norm for gift-giving expectations, for the sake of the planet that sustains us and the viability of future generations. When it comes to gifts, it is time we start thinking outside of the box…”
According to them, there are three essential questions to ask yourself:
* What does this person enjoy doing most?
* What is his or her taste?
* Does he/ she like to go on excursions or attend classes, or is he/she more of an indoor type?
Now go do your shopping!