Autumn brings not only a rash of holiday events, but birthday parties for my two sons. So when I started thinking about presents, favors and hostess gifts, I tried to put on my thinking cap (Sister Carolyn would be proud!) and get creative.
Halloween was a breeze. Despite my husband’s protests, we gave out locally produced apples from Nichols Farm purchased at our local Green City Market. Whew! Something I could believe in, an item my kids actually prefer over candy, and used dollars to benefit a local business. Perfect! No plastic crap made in another country to mindlessly buy to give. I keep thinking of The Story of Stuff. One down, many more to go…
Since Jack’s birthday party has a yoga theme with an instructor giving the kids lessons and all, I chose to make a set of ten yoga instruction cards for each child. (Please note: When I conceived this project, I did not consider the fact that we would have 25 kids attending the party!) My son chose his favorite poses and I picked the ten poses I could render free hand. Inspired, I dug into the bin of recycled papers and magazines to cut out the yoga shapes and backgrounds in contrasting colors and patterns and voila! *Disclaimer: I did print the pose description, but compensated by printing on sheets that had already been used on one side.*
Hostess gifts? Presents? My passion for function and space (I am a natural organizer from birth!) gets me in trouble when choosing gifts for people. Even though I try to make gifts first, I don’t make just anything. The focus is on what the person could use on an every day basis that will not take up unnecessary space and clutter. Cloth napkins have been my best choice thus far. Just whip out the sewing machine, or pop by your local eco-friendly boutique and give a gift that actually saves your host or hostess money while encouraging conservation.
While this is only the first step of many, I feel thankful that our family has the opportunity to make or buy gifts this season. Hopefully by being mindful we can make a positive impact and show our gratitude at the same time.
An original 5 Minutes for Going Green post. Jen shares her adventures going green and raising a family as The Eco Chic Organizer.
I want to see the finished product! Sounds like fun!
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