Green Gifts for Christmas.

HollyChubb

I got this crazy Idea that I should make all my christmas gifts this year so they mean more. I was thinking that I would make homemade laundry detergent. So is there a way I can package this to make it look nice? Does anyone use heavy paper bags (like on etsy)? I just think it would be easier to make that look nice then a bulky plastic container. Also are there any other green gift ideas that are relatively easy to make?

ksdk

I thought I'd make detergent too and plan on using wide mouth mason jars. And making lavender sachets from my garden to go with them.

spiritenergy

I usually give canned gifts like syrups and salsas.  Mason jars sound like a great idea for storing your detergent.

CDMay2006

I don't know where you'd get them, but coffee bags would work well.

tbearsangel

I would even use recycled glass jars like pickles come in or something. You can always spruce up the jar with pretty ribbon or something like that.

jebuell

Every time someone in my family has a baby I knit them a baby blanket for Christmas and they are always a huge hit.  Which reminds me... I have to make two before Christmas this year!

I make unPaper Towels that I sell in an Etsy shop and then keep the extras and give those away as gifts and they are a bit hit, too.  You can use them for EVERYTHING but they're cute so people love them.

If you're into canning that's another hit.  I bring jams with me wherever I go and I find I get invited to a lot of stuff now because people know I come bearing jams.  I plan on doing a lot of canning for Christmas this year!

If you can sew you can make Pillow Case dresses for little girls in your family.  Those are adorable, easy to make, and Mom's tend to love them.  They're a HUGE hit on my local Bump board.

Last year I gave away spa kits containing bath salts and sugar body scrubs along with eco-friendly store-bought loofahs.  Those were a huge hit and SUPER cheap to make.  You can Google for directions and save glass containers or buy Mason jars to put them in.

suzymarie

What about re purposing empty yogurt, sour cream, etc containers?  I don't know how you could make them look pretty.... but maybe it doesn't matter (depending on who you are giving the gift to!).

I make a lot- I am making waldorf dolls for the kids (organic cotton and wool) and will likely knit some gifts.  I usually embroider some tea towels.  My sis just got married and I might make her a quilt table runner or wall hanging.  A lot of our gifts will be pictures of the kids, which aren't exactly green but they are less materialistic than status quo.  Honestly the most green thing we have done is wayyyyy pare down the list of who we give to! 

HollyChubb

I don't know what made me think of this but I bet coffee cans would work great with some fabric glued over them!

SuperGreen

I second the coffee cans (great idea!) or a wide-mouth glass jar like a Ball canning jar.  Be sure to include a scoop.

I buy culinary herbs from the Farmer's Market (sage, rosemary, thyme, parsley, dill, and tarragon), hang them up in my pantry to dry for two weeks, and put them in shaker jars.  They're $1 each from BB&B.  They're a huge hit with my family, cheaper than store-bought, and taste fantastic.

We also give away canned goods, homemade sauerkraut and pickles, and homemade red wine vinegar as gifts.

Honeybumble

I like the mason jar idea, as well as coffee cans for storing homemade detergents. Depending on the amount of detergent, you can also use a mug (we have a grab-bag of mixed mugs, esp. holiday mugs): just secure with a cloth and pretty ribbon....

For gifts, I always end up knitting a custom pillow (or blanket if I'm feeling ambitious). This year, I've decided to include special elements in the pattern (i.e. for my parents, their pillow will have their house with their tree out front, and probably the dog too LOL). Similar to this.

I also re-purpose stuff with my cricut machine. (personalized trinket boxes and such)..... but lately I've been feeling the need to start canning! Looking for a good cranberry recipe......hmmmm......

RockysLove

Can you look at a person's personal interests and donate/help in that area?  For my birthday, Rocky had trees planted in my name.  You could give plants or gift cards for plants, adopt a wild animal, or do volunteer work and document it.  I know my parents would be thrilled if I did volunteer work with a group they support, then made them a little scrapbook of me doing that work and maybe included a letter about how they inspired me to volunteer.  You could also give money to lend through kiva, or find another similar way to donate. 

My brother made a tumbling composter for me for my birthday that I just love!  I gave my mom a subscription to Mother Earth News that she not only loves, but that she used to find a weekend of green conferences that she and Dad attended.  For a small child, maybe a subscription to Ranger Rick magazine?  I know magazines themselves aren't green, but what the reader does as a result could totally offset that waste.  I'm as green as I am today (and as a result so are most of my family) because my parents got me Ranger Rick when I was a kid.  I read every single word in every single magazine for years and years.  I still remember so much of what I absorbed from that magazine as a kid and it's helped make me who I am.

Other thinks I would enjoy would be little tools to help me be greener, like a can crusher or a fabric sack used to store plastic bags. You could also make some simple tote bags for reusable shopping bags or bee friendly flowers to plant.

Ms.Jade

I've decided to do a green Christmas too by foregoing all of the made in China crap and buying from local Etsy artists. I'm doing jewelry and sweaters and even a personalized stainless steel water bottle for my hiker FIL. 

Jeff & Em

If you haven't started yet, the large Mason jars are great for laundry detergent. You can just pour the powders in to the correct lines - there's no real measuring required. : )