Eco-Friendly Holiday Gift Ideas

With the upcoming holiday season upon us, everyone is looking for an ideal gift for that special someone. The following are some great eco-friendly holiday gift ideas for your spouse, co-worker, children or friend.

Knit them a scarf

Organic yarn is relatively inexpensive and eco-friendly. So instead of buying clothes, start knitting a scarf. Based on your skill level, this can be achieved within four to six weeks.

Buy them eco-friendly clothing

Visit local Goodwill and thrift stores to find nice vintage clothing that can be given as a gift. This is especially for friends or family members who believe in wearing vintage clothing. For those who may feel a bit hesitate wearing vintage clothing, you can find a number of eco-friendly websites that offer organic clothing.

Sponsor a trip

Everyone knows at least one or two family members or relatives that always plan to go away on a vacation but never do because of lack of funding or too much obligations. So, for that spouse who always wanted to go on an all men's biking tour, agree to watch the kids for the week and let him go. This will be an unforgettable gift.

Choose a theme and give a collection of gifts

Everyone has a hobby or interest. For example, if your spouse is interested in creative arts, you can put together a collection of gently used gifts purchased from garage sales or online. You might include the following items: a used drawing and painting book, a set of eco-friendly paints and brushes and a paid series of lessons from a local community college. Often these gifts are relatively inexpensive compared to buying designer or luxury brand items, but they are so much more memorable.

Host an eco-friendly kids party

Most parents have hosted a number of kids' parties, splurging on party favors from local dollar stores knowing that these goody items will not last (and will just wind up in a landfill somewhere). Kids remember spending and enjoying time with friends more often than they remember the goodies that they received from the party. So, for your next party, plan to make it eco-friendly. Instead of giving them plastic party favors, give each attendee a bag of seeds, some soil and a used plastic yogurt container. Encourage the kids to plant the seeds and start their own garden.

Instead of worrying about spending a lot of money this holiday season, focus on giving eco-friendly gifts that will be memorable and appreciated years to come.