There’s no reason to spend a lot of money on stocking stuffers, even if you want to go green this holiday season. There are plenty of delightful green stocking stuffers for teens and younger kids that are $10 or less.

STOCKING STUFFERS FOR BABIES

• Dandelion Soft Shaker Bear Toy - This cute rattle is stuffed with fluffy natural corn fibers and made with Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified bamboo velour.

• Miyim Simply Organic Petite Plush Toy Ben Frog or Annabelle Lamb - adorable little organic miYim dolls, made from all natural materials including organic cotton and plant and mineral dyes.

• Small Play Silk - Babies love play silks for peek-a-boo and other games, plus these silks are smaller (baby-sized) and beautiful. Available in 22″ or 35″ squares in a variety of colors, or sets of all six pastel or vibrant rainbows hues. Hand dyed in the USA made with China silk by a woman-owned company.

• Under the Nile Organic Veggie & Fruit Toys - Perfect baby teething toys that look like yummy veggies and fruits and are made with 100% organic cotton.

• Odd Ducks – Fun galore in the tub and BPA and toxin free. Plus if you buy them in a four pack they’re just around $6 each – great if you have more than one kid.

STOCKING STUFFERS FOR TODDLERS

• Wooden Top - A sweet top made with different wooden pieces of different colors, carved into a smooth shape. This product is Fair Trade, made by HSSS, a non-profit organization that works for the uplifting and development of underprivileged artisans.

• Cosmic Spinner - Dazzling birch wood spinning tops that are easy to spin and make cool patterns. Each spinner is laser cut in a different pattern. Made in the USA .

• Organic Velour Finger Puppet – Made with organic cotton these tiny puppets are cute and interactive.

• Plan Toys Mushroom Kaleidoscope in Green or festive Red – Made of natural, chemical free recycled rubberwood and finished with non-toxic water based dye.

• Triangular Crayons Extra Jumbo (12 colors) - Made with non-toxic, proprietary materials that color beautifully. These are also ergonomic shaped and won’t roll away from little hands. Bonus, no  messy paper wrapper waste.

STOCKING STUFFERS FOR KIDS

• Itty Bitty Red and Green Holly Baby - Super sweet itty bitty red and green Holly Babies are small enough to accompany your child everywhere he or she goes. All natural fiber doll. Made by Evi in Brazil – Fair Trade.

• Grandpa’s Yo-Yo - Beautifully colored natural yo-yo toys with zero plastic pieces, lights or sounds. Made in the USA by the enchanting and ethical Camden Rose.

• Green Toys Recycled Jump Rope - A great healthy stocking stuffer by Green Toys. Made with 100% cotton and 100% recycled plastic handles in the USA.

• Magic Wands- An essential small toy for any up-and-coming princess, fairy, magician, or wizard. Made from hardwood and non-toxic paint and finishes in the USA. Color choices: Pink, Purple, or Yellow.

• Keeki Pure and Simple - Keeki Pure and Simple uses as many organic raw materials as possible in their products and their nail colors are free from parabens, phthalates and other toxic ingredients. Nail polishes are also gluten-free, toluene-free, vegan, made in the USA and never tested on animals. Many festive holiday color choices available and one of the best priced polishes for tots too.

• JJ’s wooden knife kits - A unique introduction to the craft of woodworking, this kit features genuine spring action, unsharpened blades with rounded corners. Easy instructions. Made in the USA with Cherry, Maple or Walnut wood.

STOCKING STUFFERS FOR TEENS

• Eco Hackysack/Juggling Ball - A fun tie-dyed, eight-panel footbag/juggling ball. Great for a round of hackey-sack, to display your juggling prowess, or for a game of catch. Made in Romania from 100% eco-hemp canvas and is fully biodegradable.

• All The Better To Kiss You Lip Gloss - Yummy eco USDA certified organic lip balm that comes in a vintage tin. Available in Lavender Vanilla, Pepperminty, Pomegranate or Chai Mandarin – also comes in a set. 100% natural, paraben free, cruelty-free. Made in USA and the company plants a tree with every purchase.

• Priti Mini Flowers - Adorable little bottles of nail color that are safe for your teen. Completely non-toxic and free from the big bad three – toluene, formaldehyde and DBP’s. A wide color range is available.

• No Enemy tri-fold wallet – This No Enemy tri-fold wallet is made of 100% hemp and is a more eco-friendly way for your teen to carry his cash.

• Pop In The Bath Bubble Bar by LUSH - Solid bubble bath without packaging waste. There are also Lush soaps that will appeal to teen boys as well, such as  Demon In The Dark Soap.

• Guitar String Bracelet - Handmade in the U.S. with recycled guitar string, lead-free nickel and brass. Designed by Hannah Garrision & Steve Bernstein.

• String Dolls - Cute fun that everyone loves. Fair Trade and awesome.

STOCKING STUFFERS FOR CRAFTY KIDS

• Clementine Art Natural Modeling Dough – 3 Pack of Lemon, Lime and Strawberry - Soft, crumble-free non-toxic dough. All natural and washable. Colored with turmeric, carmine and spinach, and scented with strawberry, lemon and lime.

• Build and Decorate your own Dinosaur or Steamer - Tiny toys that kids will love to build and decorate. All pieces are already pre-punched on stable, white cardboard and can be put together without glue and scissors. Creative, fun and fully recyclable.

• Crazy Crayons Eco Stars (100% Recycled Crayons) - Non-toxic and recycled crayons in a fun holiday shape.

• Stockmar Modelling Beeswax Bars - This festive holiday set comes with 2 red bars and 2 green bars. Non-toxic, creative and kid-safe.

• 8 Holiday Crayon Rocks - Crayons rocks are one of the best small stocking stuffers. Very sturdy (i.e.. won’t break in a stocking) plus fun for little hands and non-toxic.

PlanToys is an entirely eco-friendly and ethical company who offers some amazing green dollhouses. All of PlanToys dollhouses, from very affordable, to more expensive sets are made without heavy metals or lead, with natural rubberwood from rubber trees which no longer produce latex. None of the wood is chemically treated. Zero fertilizer is added to the rubberwood soil and PlanToys uses a special chemical-free kiln drying process. For colored products, a water-based, non-toxic finish is used and toys are assembled with certified E-Zero,  non-formaldehyde glue in place of traditional toxic wood glue.

• Read my PlanToys company review.

If your child wants a dollhouse this holiday season (or anytime) PlanToys is one of the best places to start your search. Not only is this company hyper green, but they offer dollhouses in seriously every price range, so any family can afford one. Following are your PlanToys dollhouse options…

PlanToys Eco Home

$51.80 PlanToys Eco Home - This is the dollhouse of the future for young children. Comes with wind turbine, solar panels, a living roof and an electric scooter instead of a car! This set includes the house, two dolls, an electric scooter, and furniture for two rooms. Like all Plan Toys, crafted from recycled, natural rubber wood, dyed with vegetable and soy dyes, and assembled with an earth-friendly process.

My First Dollhouse

$90.94 – PlanToys My First Dollhouse – The dollhouse is perfect for young children, being easily accessible from all sides and consists of a balcony, sliding doors and 4 rooms which can be furnished as a bedroom, bathroom, living room, kitchen or dining room with the different accessories. The rooms feature a springtime floral wallpaper design.

Chalet Dollhouse

$133.16 PlanToys Chalet Dollhouse – This dollhouse is made up of 2 units which can be arranged and rearranged in various ways to create a larger play area and to encourage creative thinking. The dollhouse has huge skylight in the roof and 2 movable staircases.

$183.14 Plan Toy Chalet Dollhouse with Furniture – This set is just the same as the regular Chalet, but comes with 5 sets of furniture, including Living Room, Bathroom, Kitchen, Children’s Bedroom and Master Bedroom.

Green Dollhouse

$145.30 – PlanToys Green Dollhouse – I LOVE the Green Dollhouse, as it encourages sustainable thinking among kids. The dollhouse’s energy efficient design includes a wind turbine, a solar cell panel and electric inverter for generating electricity, a rain barrel for collecting rain, a biofacade, which uses the natural cycle of plant growth to provide shading, and a blind that can adjust the amount of sunlight and air circulation. Also, recycling bins are included in the set.

$179.99 – PlanToys Green Dollhouse with Furniture – The Green Dollhouse with furniture is a super deal, coming with enough goodies to outfit five rooms: Living room, kitchen, bathroom, children’s bedroom and master bedroom.

Terrace Dollhouse

$148.39 – PlanToys Terrace Dollhouse – This Dollhouse features a cool movable terrace, partitions, windows, door, and staircase. There is a large upper floor terrace and attic space under the roof.

Victorian Dollhouse

$238.71 – PlanToys Victorian Dollhouse – This dollhouse is the bling dollhouse available at PlanToys, featuring 3 spacious floors including an attic. Each floor is accessible with panels and realistic sashes that slide open and shut. Additional attic space can also be made into any room your child desires.

Also see – DIY dollhouse ideas.

Every year I update my Ultimate Eco-Friendly Play Kitchen Guide for the holidays. This year readers have noted that they aren’t interested in seeing any kitchens containing ply-wood, even if the outer wood is solid. That said, the offerings are more limited this year. This is for a few reasons:

• Companies lie (or exaggerate) and say their kitchen is made of “real wood” but when I dig a little deeper, I find out that their definition of real wood is plywood. It’s not a total lie I suppose, but since readers don’t want that, I deleted every conventional-plywood containing kitchen from the list.

• Secondly, many companies I’ve contacted haven’t gotten back to me. I’m guessing they don’t make real wood kitchens or they just have lousy customer service. Either way, if I’m not assured by the company that a kitchen is made of real wood or at least eco-ply, I deleted it from the list.

• Overall, what I’ve found is that VERY few companies make actual, full on wood play kitchens.

Then I thought, hey, maybe I should look on Etsy. I’m fairly Etsy obsessed anyhow, and I was hoping they might have some crafters selling real wood kitchens. Here’s what I found.

• Kulu Wooden Toys play kitchen

   

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• Heartwood Natural Toys play kitchen

   

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• Rewood Toys Mini Wooden Play Kitchen Set

   

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• Hammer & Nails play kitchen

   

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• Sweetie Pies and Monkeys folding fabric kitchen

   

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• Mama Made Them table top play kitchen

   

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Kulu Wooden Toys – My favorite kitchen was the surreal Kulu toy kitchen made with solid Oak with Cherry and Maple highlights and a beeswax finish. Not only is this imaginative kitchen beautifully, and uniquely designed, but it’s affordable and packed with awesome features, such as folding leaf and pull out drawer. I LOVE this kitchen so much – great curvy lines. Also see their cute compact play kitchen.

Heartwood Natural Toys – This adorable little chef’s dream kitchen is heirloom-quality, made from solid pine with paduak burners. The faucet shown is made from beautiful black walnut; also available in poplar. All kitchens are available with the option of a blue enamel or stainless sink. According to the seller, “All of my items are entirely non-toxic, including the glue and finish. I counter sink every screw and plug all screw holes with pine buttons or oak plugs. All corners are rounded over and sanded. All knobs and faucet turn & move for realistic play and are attached with bolts and lock nuts so they will not come loose. NO paint, NO MDF, NO plastic, NO plywood.”

Rewood Toys – I think their Mini Wooden Play Kitchen Set is 100% adorable. Plus, for once it’s a kitchen made for younger tots. Perfect for little babies and or small spaces. All knobs and faucet are moveable and function like a real stove and sink. Made with Canadian woods (mostly pine, cherry and maple). The bowl is made of stainless steel. Bonus – it comes fully assembled and ready to use.

Hammer & Nails – sadly, this shop isn’t taking any more holiday orders, but you could get this kitchen set in the new year. Handmade from solid, local Oregon pine with rounded, child-safe corners. All items are sanded and finished with a non toxic, all natural beeswax wood finish.

Sweetie Pies and Monkeys – this unique fabric kitchen isn’t wood, but it comes in pattern form, so you can make it out of sustainable organic cotton if you like, or reuse fabric. It’s a cute folding fabric kitchen that won’t take up all your space. The completed kitchen measures approximately 50 inches tall and 25 inches wide when all set up, but can be collapsed down and stored because it folds to approximately 25 x 14 x 2 1/2 inches. Perfect for sliding under the bed or placed in a box with all the play kitchen pots and pans and food.

Mama Made Them – the Little Kitchen is simply adorable and handmade with solid real wood and beeswax finish. It also comes with features galore for such a little thing. Such as rare oven, not usually found in a table top kitchen, four burners, made from solid red oak, a stainless steel, removable sink bowl and a handle for easy portability.

Whether you’re looking for homemade eco-gifts, affordable green gifts, zooming green gifts for kids, the perfect green book or a stunning green play kitchen or eco-friendly dollhouse – you’re 100% covered with this eco-friendly holiday gift guide. Keep this page bookmarked, as I’ll be adding some new treats to it throughout this holiday season.

Green holiday gifts for everyone on your list!

Green Holiday Gifts – General Tips

• You Can Afford an Eco-Friendly Holiday Season
• How to choose a safe and eco-friendly play kitchen set or dollhouse
• Christmas consumerism facts
• My top green gift pick of 2010 (2011 coming soon)
• 2011 eco-friendly holiday greeting cards

Ultimate Eco-Friendly Play Kitchen Guide

Green Play Kitchen Gift Guides

• Ultimate Eco-Friendly Play Kitchen Guide
• DIY Toy – Nine Affordable Play Kitchen Sets
• 12 More DIY Play Kitchen Sets
• Camden Rose Eco-friendly Wooden Play Kitchen Sets
• Recycled Cocorico Cooker
• 24 awesome felt play food sets from Etsy
• Great real wood play kitchen sets at Etsy
• Affordable PlanToys kitchen sets
• Chef’s kitchen from Natural Pod

Eco-friendly Dollhouses

• Ultimate Green Dollhouse Guide
• Cherry Wood Dollhouse
• Non-toxic Waldorf dollhouse
• Best affordable green dollhouses

Wonderful Homemade & DIY Green Gift Ideas

• 39 Homemade Green Holiday Gifts That Rock
• Where to order green & last minute Christmas gifts
• DIY Less Expensive & Eco-Friendly Day Before Gift Baskets
• Homemade Holiday Gift – Thrift Store Dress-Up Costume Kit

Zooming Gifts for Kids

Mixed Green Gift Ideas for Kids

• Green Gifts for Crafty & Creative Kids
• Affordable Green Gifts for Toddlers
• Affordable Green Gifts for Babies
• Rocking and zooming gifts
• Eco-Friendly Panda Holiday Gifts for Kids
• Eco-Friendly Cooking & Baking Gifts for Kids

Eco-Gifts for Adults & Teens

• Affordable gifts for adults
• Affordable green gifts for teens

Stocking Stuffers & Other Little Treats

• Green Stocking Stuffers for 2011 – less than $10 each
• Organic & Natural Stocking Stuffers
• Eco-friendly Stocking Stuffers Under $10

Camden Rose is a collective of designers, artists, teachers, musicians, craftspeople and parents who design and sell awesome products for children. From non-toxic rattles to wooden musical instruments to old-fashioned games and blocks, Camden Rose has almost everything you need to outfit a super playroom, including some 100% amazing play kitchen sets.

Camden Rose kitchen play sets cost more than other play kitchens, but it’s because these are high-quality, creatively designed, non-toxic toys that will last for generations. Plus, this company has many green and ethical practices in place.

Currently, Camden Rose sells three different play kitchen products:

Camden’s Play Kitchen – Flat Pack Kitchen: This wonderful eco-friendly play kitchen is crafted from solid ash wood, collected from the thousands of trees infected with the Emerald Ash Borer. Instead of burning or chipping this wood into mulch, Camden Rose saved it and created toys that will last generations.

This kitchen is made in the USA without any plywood, press board, or soft pine. It includes creative accessories such as functional knobs and doors, a swivel faucet and removable high-gage stainless steel sink. Parents will adore the flat-packed shipping to save on space and packaging, along with easy 5-minute snap together assembly.

• $249.99 Camden’s Play Kitchen – Flat Pack Kitchen

A Simple Hearth Play Kitchen with Hutch: This non-toxic play kitchen is recommended for children ages 3 and up and is made entirely of real cherry and walnut wood in the USA.  Designed for multi-generational play, A Simple Hearth is made with zero plywood, particleboard/press board or soft pine. The stove, burner and faucet knobs work flawlessly and smoothly without the use of any metal hardware. The brushed metal sink bowl is made from real heavy gage stainless steel and can be removed for easy cleaning.

Everything about this play kitchen is made for realistic imaginative play. There’s a sliding cutting board that really pulls out 12 inches to allow access for more children. Oven and sink doors operate on self-closing hinges and a partition divides the oven from the sink compartment. The back of the kitchen hutch is open, meaning, this play kitchen may be positioned against a wall or in the middle of a room.

The kitchen is shipped partially assembled so it’s easy for parents. Builders simply slide on the hutch and screw on the walnut handles and assemble the hutch (8 screws and 8 hole plugs) then it’s all ready for your child to cook.

This kitchen is also available as A Beautiful Hearth - same kitchen, minus the top hutch.

• $349.99 A Simple Hearth Play Kitchen with Hutch
• $289.99 A Beautiful Hearth play kitchen without hutch

A Simple Fridge – Play Refrigerator: This fridge is hand-made in the USA with real Cherry, Ash and Walnut wood. Ventilation openings are built in the back of the Simple Fridge and slow self-closing metal hinges are featured on the doors. The fridge arrive at your home fully assembled right out of the box. All parents need do is attach the door handles with the four provided screws (instructions included). This is a perfect add-on to either of the kitchens above.

• $299.00 A Simple Fridge – Play Refrigerator

Camden Rose eco-friendly and ethical standards:

• All Camden Rose products are meticulously hand-constructed by craftspeople, not mass-produced.
• High quality materials, all certified non-toxic, such as stainless steel, wood, pure wool, silk and more are used.
• Almost all Camden Rose products are made in the United States. They also employ Fair Trade workers from a women-owned cooporative near Lima, Peru.
• Products are finished in natural, non-toxic beeswax.
• Each item produced is self-tested for lead content and other harmful chemicals. All products contain levels of lead content far lower or non-existent than the minimum allowed. Also, each and every product is free from materials known to produce phthalates, namely PVC (found in soft plastic or vinyl).
• Camden Rose uses red recyclable plastic netting for many of their retail products.
• All products meet CPSIA requirements.

This week I’ve got a round up of Grinch-minded rants and also some people who deserve angel awards for their good holiday deeds.

The Grinch awards go to…

1. Parents who act like dopes and make the holidays all about money and stuff – I’ve seen a lot of lame parent behavior this season, but parents who focus on the money are my Grinch award winners of the week…

I know this little girl who wants a moderately priced gift for Christmas. Her mom has been bitching at her about how expensive the gift is, and how she’s not getting it, or if she does she’s only getting that one thing, and how it’s going to be way too hard on her to buy. I get not always being able to afford stuff you want, but dragging your child into this during the holidays is super lame in my opinion.

I think money and kids DO mix and it’s important for kids to understand what things cost. However, it’s not cool to make kids feel bad and stressed, especially because with some creativity, there’s no need. This mom could have simply talked – not raged at her child about the situation. Or how about helping her child to find another holiday wish list item? This child told me the other day (sadly, I might add), “I’m just too expensive, and shouldn’t have asked for anything” – massive holiday fail on the mom’s part.

On the flip side are parents who buy WAY too much for their kids (40+ gifts and so on) and fail to discuss any sort of meaning related to the holidays. Holidays shouldn’t be all about stuff. I’m not getting why parents aren’t teaching their kids this lesson.

2. Triclosan – in case you’re unaware, triclosan is a big bad, and its use goes up during the holiday season, due to cold and flu fears. Triclosan is a toxic germ killing chemical found in antibacterial products like soap (76% of liquid soaps and 29% of bar soaps) and it’s also found in toothpaste, cosmetics, face wash, and deodorant, as well as in household products, such as countertops, textiles, kitchenware, and children’s toys.

Triclosan also is very toxic to aquatic life and can cause antibiotic-resistant super germs! Go super germs! The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality recently discovered that triclosan is one of the “highest priority toxic pollutants” in Oregon’s waterways. Right now, if you live in PDX, you can take the Love Your River challenge and STOP using antibacterial products. If you live anywhere else, I advise not using antibacterial products either. It’s nice to have clean rivers and less killer germs for Christmas.

3. Lame holiday cosmetics aimed at kids – so, even after all my rants about non-toxic body care, some of my pals STILL buy their kids lame toxic, chemical filled holiday body products. Why? Because they’re cute and freaking everywhere. For example, adorable tubes of cupcake and peppermint lip gloss or ruby red and evergreen nail polish packaged for kids sit at the checkout station in most stores. These products just beg parents “Buy me – I’m soooooo adorable!” but they’re filled with stuff your kids shouldn’t be exposed to.

For example, Bonne Bell Candy Lip Gloss for little girls contains chemicals known to cause developmental and reproductive toxicity, allergies and immunotoxicity, neurotoxicity, endocrine disruption, organ system toxicity, irritation and more. But it’s not just Bonne Bell products – it’s also most of those cheap novelty body care products and cosmetics you see targeted at kids that pose a risk.

I’m not just blaming companies though. As a parent, it’s your job not to buy grossly chemical filled cosmetics for your child, no matter how darn adorable the packaging may be. Get educated. Read Teen Girls’ Body Burden of Hormone-Altering Cosmetics Chemicals for more information and search out safe, organic cosmetics for your child.

4. Non-browning fruit – seriously? Um, we already add food coloring to oranges to make them “more” orange and now we’ve got GMO fruit that never ages on the table. Can you say yum! I’m betting the USDA approves this one, just to be awesome.

5. The McDonald’s lawsuit – which I’m still fuming about.

Not everyone is Grinching out though – this week’s angel awards go to…

1. ecouterre for their 100% clever and sweet DIY tutorial about how to upcycle broken Christmas lights into sparkly holiday accessories. These are great last minute gifts for girls who have everything.

2. Free Range Kids for their hilarious 2010 “GOLDEN HELICOPTER PARENTING AWARDS.” They’ve got creepy mom locating devices, banned pencils, pornographic Barbies and lots of other stuff that will crack you up.

3. Marye over at Restless Chipotle for her Roast Chicken with Citrus and Aromatics post, which frankly came at a bad time since I just quit eating meat again, (you”ll see why when you see her delicious pictures). However, beyond this amazing looking dinner idea, she does this awesome side-by-side comparison of organic chicken vs. conventional, which is a lovely way to show the benefits of pesticide-free eating.

4. Mila’s Daydreams for an AMAZING idea for a DIY family tree photo.

5. And last, but not least these super cool Candy Wrappers from Twinkle Brands, made with 100% wool and ready to be filled with your favorite treats, gifts or messages. So clever and perfect for holidays and other fun occasions. I bet this would be a good DIY project too.

Grinch & Angel Goodies…

• My Natural Dr. Seuss Grinch – Fair Trade Grinch doll made with cotton (not organic sadly) but also made with low impact reactive dyes, free of heavy metals and toxic substances.
• How the Grinch Stole Christmas! – it’s hard to beat the classics. Someone should make a recycled paper version.  Although, if you buy used, that’s nice too.
• Adorable Oeuf Angel Baby Sweater handmade with Fair Trade 100% baby alpaca (in gray or white) plus Angel Booties.

Green gift baskets make excellent holiday gifts. I think it’s better to shop early (if you do give gifts) because early shoppers tend to be more savvy about green criteria and price. Anytime people are crunched for time and hit the stores, it seems like they buy more than they mean to. However, sometimes you simply run out of time. That said, day before gift baskets are a really good plan for major procrastinators who still want to give green gifts for the holiday.

TIPS

• Make sure you take a list when you go to the store AND then only shop from said list.
• Before you go to the store see what you already have. You may have some stuff for a gift basket already that a few extra items will round out.
• Do not plan on a ready-made basket or gift box. Yeah, they’re easy, but I promise it’ll cost less to make up your own plus you can personalize it.

You’ll need a basket: By basket, I mean a recycled container of some sort. Most people have some around the house (old Easter gear and such) or you can pick some up at a thrift store for a song. You don’t have to use a basket either. A nice recycled bowl, well-cleaned paint canister, recycled colander, reusable picnic basket, large tin, recycled Christmas stocking, reusable grocery bag dressed up cardboard box or other container works too. You can paint or decorate your containers as you wish.

You’ll need a store: What’s key is to hit a store that will have everything you need. Driving from place to place sort of defies “day before.” I’d try a local natural food store first. For example, in my town I’d go to New Seasons Market or a co-op. You could also hit Whole Foods or another mainstream grocer with a decent amount of organic and natural products. Trader Joe’s is a possible choice, but still a last ditch store idea in my opinion because they carry few organics and you never know what you’ll find, which has its benefits, but not if you’re trying to save money.

Choose a gift basket theme:

Once you have your basket and store you’ll need a gift theme. Heading to the store without a theme is asking for trouble. You’ll go to the store, browse too long, ponder too much and very likely over-buy. Pick a theme, set a price limit and then make a list. Now it’s time to go to the store.

Here’s how to create a great inexpensive eco-friendly gift basket on the fly:

Following are some theme ideas, along with stuff that’s super easy to find at a decent natural grocery store. Everything on included on the lists below are things I’ve actually seen at my local natural food store. Note – while I included many ideas under each theme, they’re just ideas. You don’t need a basket filled with everything on the list. In my experience a perfectly great gift basket can be made for about $25-$40 depending on theme.

• Healthy theme basket: A nice collection of organic fruit alone can make a great basket. You could also look for healthy green magazines and organic essential oils.

• Relaxation theme basket: Organic washcloth or natural loofa, soy tea-light candles, natural handmade soaps or organic scrub, incense, organic essential oils, organic teas and a CD of nature sounds are items you might want to include in a peaceful relaxation gift basket.

• Baby theme basket: For new parents or a baby look for Earth Mama Angel Baby products or other real organic products made for baby. There’s also BPA-free sippy cups, small organic teethers, organic baby crackers, biodegradable baby wipes or gourmet organic baby food.

• Child-minded theme basket: organic fruit leather , organic animal crackers or other organic munchies, organic and natural candy, organic soaps, nature minded magazine, reusable water bottle, eco-friendly crayons, recycled coloring book or even a small stuff organic toy.

• Food lover theme basket: Grab some organic pasta sauce, whole grain noodles, jarred garlic spread, organic crackers, nuts, jams, cookies or other treats to create a basket of yummy items for a foodie. Throw in a natural food magazine or small cookbook and you’re good to go. This sort of gift basket is especially nice for someone who doesn’t usually buy organic, because it’s a good introduction.

• PB&J theme basket: Start with organic gourmet peanut butter and jam. Add a container of organic honey, some organic bananas and a loaf of very good organic bread or bagels. This is great for kids and adults.

• Green cleaning theme basket: I like making homemade cleaners, but for a newbie, nice green cleaning supplies can be a great introduction to eco-friendly living. Grab some cleaners of your choice, a bottle of natural hand soap, some biodegradable cleaning towels and some natural air freshener or a soy candle. Most stores have Mrs. Meyer’s products, which aren’t, in my opinion extreme green, but they don’t tend to scare off people who are newer to green cleaning – I like the basil scented products best.

• Brush green for kids theme basket: Preserve junior toothbrushes plus some Tom’s of Maine Natural Silly Strawberry toothpaste and natural dental floss. Honestly, I’d also throw in some little treats, since now of course they can brush in style, candy is fine. Try some organic apples and chocolate.

• Fair Trade theme basket: Anything and everything Fair Trade. I suggest a nice mix of items like coffee, chocolate, shea butter, nuts to munch on and so fourth.

• Beauty theme basket: Real organic soaps, essential oils, scrubs, lip gloss and so on, can all be found at a good natural grocers.

• Coffee lover’s theme basket: Fair Trade, organic coffee, a reusable coffee filter, chocolate covered espresso beans, a reusable coffee mug and some biscotte or nice cookies. For an alternative do a Fair Trade tea basket theme.

• Herb garden theme basket: Some little reusable pots, organic herb seeds (or flower seeds), a nice bunch of lavender, some garden gloves, eco-friendly less toxic sunscreen and hand salve.

• Go green theme basket: A reusable water bottle, a reusable grocery bag or two, a CFL bulb or two, reusable produce bags, preserve products plus a green minded book or magazine.

Really, as you can see the sky’s the limit when thinking up themes. You could do a basket for a dog owner, a cheese and wine lover, a hiker, a baker, a basket for crafty people and so on. Just remember, there’s no reason to spend a lot. Don’t go into the store with too grand a plan. Simple is fine.

Currently I’m running an experiment here at Growing a Green Family. Can the average family of four save $50,000 in five years simply by living green? With this in mind, I decided to see how much you can save by celebrating a less consumer Christmas.

Can you really spend just $250 on Christmas?

That’s a good question. Technically yeah, you can even have a $0 Christmas. It all depends on what you want. A better question to start with is how much do American families REALLY spend on the holiday season?

Most resources and studies I’ve found only factor in the cost of gifts. For example, one source I found says, “In the United States the average American will spend about $750 dollars on gifts and accessories.” Another source says the average American will spend an average of $658 for gifts.

But that’s just gifts. People also spend cash on holiday decor, the tree, food and likely, I’m guessing, nonsense goods they wouldn’t buy in the first place, but do buy, because they happen to be at the store more often. Overall, if I had to take a stab, based on figures I’ve seen, I’d assume that on average, individual American adults spend about $700-$1000 for Christmas (figuring in everything).

There’s no way on earth I’m spending $700 on Christmas.

Spending less does mean planning:

If you celebrate Christmas, or another consumer driven winter holiday, you’ll need to do some planning to spend less. As noted before, I’m not all that on board with most holiday stuff, mostly because a lot of it seems super consumer driven to me. At my house, we tried, really hard to come up with an alternative holiday plan this year. We sat down and had a family meeting about Christmas. It didn’t go great, because people were at semi-odds. In my household, here’s where we ended up:

What I want – a Christmas that’s fun, eco-friendly and not focused on consumerism.

What Dave (the live-in boyfriend) wants – a Christmas that’s fun, not focused on consumerism and that has some focus on the real meaning of Christmas, which for Dave means religious stuff.

What our kids want – Our two youngest kids (aged 9 and 12) said they want a fun Christmas, want to see some family, don’t want to drive around and claim to not want too many gifts. I think they do want some gifts, but are playing it down because Dave and I are playing that aspect down. Still, overall they seem to be on board with fewer gifts and more family activity instead.

The oldest kid in the house is the only household member who wants a consumer Christmas. It’s a much longer story, but to sum up, the stuff aspect of Christmas is all she’s discussed with us and I’m guessing it’s because it’s always been that way for her. It’s habit.

With the above in mind, here’s what we’re doing for Christmas:

During Christmas break we’re having a cookie making day and will do other general hang-out stuff like playing game, going on walks, etc. We’re also getting together with some family for lunch. Nothing spectacular, but fun stuff. On Christmas day, we’re staying at home, some friends are coming over and we’ll likely make a meal of some sort. Maybe Dave will read something from the bible – or discuss it? I’m not very clear on this aspect yet.

As for gifts:

Since no one but the oldest kid in the house wanted a super consumer Christmas, we’re doing very few gifts. We talked to adult family and friends and said NO GIFTS PLEASE for adults. We’ve asked this before and had family agree to it, but they still get us gifts. I’m hoping this year everyone will follow through. We’re giving gifts to the kids, but we’re sort of doing our own planning on this one. For example, Cedar’s dad and I have our own ideas, while Dave and the girls mom have theirs.

MY CHRISTMAS SPENDING PLAN:

Because I wanted a less consumer holiday, and because we were unable to come up with a set ideal about gifts in this house, I made up my own set of ideals, which is…

• I’ll get gifts for the kids in the family. I’m not getting a gift for any adult except Dave and we agreed on a very low price limit.

• Everything I’m getting for folks (minus one gift) follows a reduce, reuse, recycle slant. Meaning, I decided to get gifts for people this year ONLY if they have the following qualities – you can get a lot of use out of the gift, the gift is eco-friendly plus safe and the gift can be either eventually recycled or totally used up.

• I refuse to spend a lot of money on Christmas. The average (as noted above) is $700-$1,000, which in my opinion is 100% insane and doesn’t really equal the less consumer holiday I’m interested in.

Here’s my $250 plan:

The bulk of my money, no surprise, is going toward my son Cedar, who is the only person getting a non-eco gift. He really wanted a specific Lego set, which I did get him (don’t worry, he doesn’t read this blog, so it’ll still be a surprise).

So Cedar is getting one bigger gift, plus a couple smaller, eco-friendly items and some stocking stuffers. As for everyone else, I got eco-friendly gifts for Dave + gifts for six other kids. My total cost for all gifts was $178.

We’re also making a holiday meal, but splitting the costs, potluck style, with the folks who are coming over. So even though we’re getting organic food, my total costs should fall at $30 or less (a figure I’m basing on how much Thanksgiving food cost me). The last thing I’m buying this season are some organic baking goods. I’ve got some baking goods, but am running low, and wouldn’t be buying more right now if it wasn’t for cookie making day, so I’ll figure in about $20.

Gifts = $178

Food + baking goods = $50

Get together – we’re not getting together with all our family on Christmas day, so we’re meeting some for lunch before hand. I’m factoring this in at about $30 for gas and food, because we’re meeting for pizza (inexpensive) and splitting the costs.

Total = $258

OVERALL: Money saved over five years if you celebrate a less consumer holiday:

I’m getting gifts for one adult and 7 kids. I’m also feeding a houseful of people on Christmas day, holding a baking day and getting together with some other family before hand. My total costs will be about $258.

The average American spends $700-$1,000 on the holidays, which is an average of $850.

IF I can manage to spend around $258 each year for the holidays, I’ll save $592 per year or $2,960 over five years.

Of course this is VERY abstract thinking, and based on how many people are in your house. But the averages stay the same. If you plan to spend less, your average from the previous year will go down, no matter what you spent. If you work at it, you should be able to save thousands over five years.

What we’ve saved:

So far, in my quest to save $50,000 by living green we’ve saved a total of…

• $1,000+ by switching from paper towels to cloth.
• $1,354 by switching from paper napkins to cloth napkins.
• $6,180 by switching to tap water vs. bottled.
• $835 by switching to reusable baby wipes.
• $2,960 by having a less consumer Christmas (or other winter holiday).

We’ve saved a total of $12,329 and have $37,671 left to save. Not too bad. Coming up some ideas that can help you save money on your holiday celebration and I’ll tell you how I spent under $200 for gifts. Cutting down that $850 average isn’t as hard as you might think.

The other day when I was talking about chemical food dyes, it made me realize that we haven’t looked at edible (safe) stocking stuffers yet this year. If you’re looking for decent companies to buy holiday edible treats from, the list below can help. Remember, if it’s organic, there’s zero fake food dye in it.

• Theo Chocolates are 100% yummy and they’re the only organic, Fair Trade, bean-to-bar company in the USA.
• Yummy Earth – all their candy is USDA and EU certified organic, gluten-free, peanut-free and tree nut-free and has zero corn syrup.
• Equal Exchange – sells Fair Trade and organic chocolates.
• Hammond’s Candies – only their all natural collection.
• Sweet Earth Chocolates – Fair Trade and certified organic chocolate treats.
• Natural Candy Store – sells many types of sweets, not all organic but they disclose all ingredients and make it easy to shop via handy guides such as Fair Trade, organic and nut-free categories.
• Pure Fun – sells USDA organic candy.
• Strawberry Hill Confectionery – makes organic treats that are fake dye-free and beautiful. Harder to find though. Try the Natural Candy Store or Candy Warehouse.
• Endangered Species Chocolate – sells some organic chocolate. You have to read their product labels carefully, because they all look similar, but not all are USDA organic.

Here are some excellent safer stocking stuffer treats…

I like all the Theo Chocolates I’ve had, but my favorite is Theo Classic Organic Dark Chocolate with Cherry & Almond – and I don’t even normally like fruit in chocolate. However, for Christmas, you might want to try some of their seasonal offerings, such as:

• Peppermint Stick
• Milk & Cookies – We’ve had this one and it’s REALLY yummy – it’s hard to explain, but it’s buttery and has a wee bit of crunch.
• Gingerbread Spice – This one is sooooo good. It tastes like a chocolate gingerbread cookie. Amazing!
• Nutcracker Toffee

• Green Apple Christmas Tree Organic Lollipop
• Spearmint Swirl Organic Candy
• Crystal Clear Snowflake Organic Lollipop

Adorable Santa’s Sweet Treats – 100% organic & Fair Trade, cocoa niblets and 65% charms are vegan & soy lecithin free or equally fun Organic Peppermint Bark – 100% organic and Fair Trade.

Beautiful Sweets creates all organic, eco-friendly and gorgeous cookies. You can order a package, then split them into small wraps or bags for individual stocking treats. Or of course you could make your own organic holiday cookies and do this as well.

• Holiday Ornament Cookies
• Winter Snowflakes
• Christmas Happiness

Chocolate-On-A-Stick – Fair Trade Certified and organic milk chocolate sticks of fun. For an even more unique and adult-minded stocking stuffer, try Holiday Truffle Pops – super cute, Fair Trade and organic.

• Organic mandarin oranges, organic oranges or organic tangerines. These are healthy, yummy and add a nice pop of color to a stocking.
• Organic Mint Chocolate with a Delicate Crunch or Organic Orange Dark Chocolate
• Annie’s Homegrown Berry Patch Organic Bunny Fruit Snacks
• All Natural Mint Lollipop
• Organic pomegranate – our kids seriously beg for these. They LOVE them. Plus, organic poms tend to be smaller than conventional, so they’ll actually fit in a stocking easily.
• Organic maple candy
• Endangered Species Bug Bites, Organic Milk Chocolate
• Organic Honey Sticks just remember that babies cannot have honey.
• Clif Kid Twisted Fruit Ropes

I think it’s insane to spend a lot of cash on green holiday gifts, mainly because you don’t have to. Also, it kind of takes away from the whole, buy less, spend time not money attitude I think families should embrace. With this in mind, I recently posted some gift guides with many very nice green gifts that are all $25 or less…

Now, although I think you should aim for less expensive, less gifts overall first, I have seen some pretty cool items this season, that would make great gifts, but that didn’t fit into my $25 or less plan. I think it’s okay to buy a child, or adult one nicer, and possibly more expensive green gift, but only if it’s something they’ll really adore or enjoy and hopefully use to death.

Oh, and by the way, my definition of expensive isn’t that expensive – it usually just means it cost more than $25 – but NOT hundreds more or anything. No matter how cool the item, you shouldn’t go bankrupt to afford it. If you’re looking for a very special green gift this holiday season, here are my more expensive picks. All of these, have green and safety value plus long-term use in my opinion, so they’re worth the cost. Oh, and if you want to see my number one pick for the best, more expensive green gift, go here. 

FOR KIDS AND ADULTS:

$56.60 Thames and Kosmos Alternative Energy and Environmental Science Power House Green Essentials – we have this and my son has gotten a lot of use out of it. He’d get more, but we’re busy a lot. Still he’s always asking if we can do another experiment with it. Well, worth the price for all the time you and your child will spend with it. Learn more about the green power house.

You can get a general Keri Smith Boxed Set for $26.30, but I suggest creating your own set of Keri Smith books. These will please kids and adults alike. If you’re not familiar with Keri Smith, read my review of How to Be an Explorer of the World. The three Smith books I like best include the ones shown above (and linked below). Each is great as a stand alone, but all three together would make an excellent gift.

• $10.17 How to Be an Explorer of the World: Portable Life Museum
• $7.77 Wreck This Journal
• $13.57 The Guerilla Art Kit

FOR THE GREEN GUY IN YOUR LIFE: Okay, as a disclaimer, I’m surrounded by guys who are 100% happy to have skateboards, music, LUSH products and chocolate, so when it comes to guy gifts I get a little stuck. But, to round out this post, I did choose three guy gifts.

1. $27.95 Christmas Tweets- via LUSH.
   
2. $119 WeWOOD Watch – 100% wood, hypo-allergenic and completely free of toxic chemicals. Plus awesome. Many designs available.
3. $34.99 Eco Soccer Ball – Eco-certified, active, certified Fair Trade and vegan.

FOR GIRLS WHO LIKE PRETTY GREEN THINGS: These picks were a snap, because they’re all items I’d actually want.

• $44 Rosehip Necklace – I’ve wanted this for years. One day I will break down and get it. Bamboo wood contrasted with dark brown cut out rose hips.

• $49-$55 Artecnica Starlightz – another item I want. This is more fun than useful, but I still really want some. I’d hang them in my bedroom – or maybe by my work desk. Each light is made with 100% wood-free & chlorine-free bleached paper which is then printed, punched, and glued by hand. These are available in many designs and colors, but I like the white shades best.

• $49 Aurora Glow String Lights – I know more lights!? I like shiny stuff. These would look perfect on my porch. The lights are solar powered and hand-blown.

FOR LITTLE GREEN TOTS: Green kid gifts are easy to find. What’s hard is choosing the best of the best. Below are some of my top picks.

$35.67 Boon Frog Pod Deluxe with Bath Toys. I like this gift idea because it’s got long-term play value. There’s also the equally adorable Boon Bug Pod in pink or red, but it doesn’t come with the toys. You can get those separately though and the total cost for the Boon Bath Goods + Bug Pod would be about $37. Boon bath time products are BPA and other icky chemical-free. Plus these don’t absorb water and are easy to clean, which reduces mold and mildew and increases their lifespan.

Non-plastic marble run – when Cedar was younger he really wanted a marble run. I didn’t even know there were real wooden, non-toxic marble runs. Cedar ended up with a plastic one. While he did enjoy it, I hated all the plastic. Thus, I’m happy to now see that there are some more sustainable versions.

1. $46.22 Blocks & Marbles Super Set
2. $109.95 Wooden Blocks and Marbles Maze Master Set
3. $80.99 Haba Ball Track Construction Set

Or for the bling of all bling sets, the Haba Ball Track Master Building Set Marble Run Blocks is your best bet. At $215.95, it’s pricey, but way worth all the hours of fun.

$134.95 PlanToys Plan City Eco Town Building – for the price, this set includes an amazing array of rubberwood toys, including eco home, eco train station, eco charging station, eco street accessories and eco play mat. Plus it has added value as you can add other Plan Toy city pieces to it for other holidays and birthdays. I.e. add to the fun without buying a new set, just a piece or two.

$116.99 PlanToys Plan City Station Building – when my son was little he would have loved this. He had to make do with lame hot wheels, but now there’s this awesome rubberwood, non-toxic car play set for little drivers.

FOR PEOPLE WHO LIKE TO DRINK STUFF:

$25 Tea Forte KATI Tea Steeping System – I really like this gift idea. It’s a reusable, double-wall ceramic tumbler and integrated stainless steel infuser that make brewing loose tea by the cup simple. The innovative construction keeps tea hot, plus the set comes with 24 certified organic Single Steep teas (some are Fair Trade too). It’s a great deal for a tea lover. Personally, I’m more of a coffee kind of girl. If I got the $57 Coffee Sampler Basket from Equal Exchange I would flip, and so would other coffee lovers.

RANDOM GREEN GIFT IDEAS I LIKE:

• $59 Wool Felt Gingerbread House – This beautiful gift idea is handmade from 100% wool felt and will provide hours of pretend play fun. You get the felt house and over 60 felt decorations; enough to keep any crafty kid busy for a good long while.

• $99.99 Citrus Scooter – So flipping cool! Made with sustainable wood – a solid birch deck, sturdy pine box, hand-carved willow handle and solid skate board trucks. Really fun and unique.

• $45 Bowling Buddies Set (Organic Cotton) – my son had a little bowling set when he was a toddler and he used it non-stop. We used it at parties, for play dates and much more. Plus bowling sets allow for development of key skills like hand-eye coordination and social play. I think the play value with a good bowling set for tots is well worth it. This set is 100% certified organic and the pins have the added benefit of doubling as soft dolls your child can play with. It’s like two toys in one.

• $55 Tegu Discovery Set – Natural – Magnetic Wooden Building Blocks – honestly, I’m torn on if these are worth it or not. They’re really cool and my kid testers loved playing with them, but $55, no matter how you cut it, is steep for eco-minded blocks. I must say this though, I LOVE the new Tinted Building Blocks. These new colored blocks are $60 but the colors are amazing. Read my Tegu review.

• $149-$255 The Tree Fort Kit – This super magical kit is available with various components. The tree fort alone is fun galore and each is 100% unique as each fort is made with smaller salvage branches of hazelnut and alder wood trees. The Tree Fort Super Saver kit includes the Tree Fort Kit, a family of Woodland Friends, the complete Branch Furniture Collection and a set of Woodland Animals.

• $74.95 Grimm’s Spiel & Holz Alphabet Magnets – This amazingly lovely magnet set include 77 wood pieces – 6 different shapes in 26 highly-vibrant and rich colors. Beyond alphabet play the pieces can be taken apart and used over and over to create endless unique designs. Child-safe and non-toxic.

• $59-99-$64.21 Prince Lionheart Wheely Bug – Entirely non-toxic, handmade and contains no PVC. This is a great little ride-on toy for kids.

• Shark 2-in-1 Vac-then-Steam – I normally wouldn’t suggest a household item as a gift, well, not a cleaning one anyhow, because that’s kind of lame. BUT I’ve been using my Shark 2-in-1 a ton and it’s really been handy. If someone hates sweeping as much as I do, they’d love this.

• $39.99 Classic Wooden Tree Swing – This swing is handmade in the USA from local reclaimed Ash, Elm, or Maple.  Once a seat is kiln dried and sanded a light coat of mineral oil is applied to bring out the natural beauty of the wood.  Natural fiber rope is attached. I think swings are perfect year round and this one is classic, simple and lovely.