Free (Mostly Eco) Holiday Gifts To Keep Your Christmas Green

Even though a "green Christmas" means you're cutting way back on gift-giving this year, you may still want to give friends and family members some token of your love and appreciation. Consider these earth-friendly options that won't break your bank. They'll help simplify your holidays, too.

Your time!

* Give friends or family with small children at home a gift certificate for three hours of free babysitting they can redeem any time.

* For friends who like to garden, offer to help them weed in the spring.

* If you have particular electronics expertise, donate a few hours of training or support.

* Offer to make supper on a school night when parents can get frazzled and kids cranky if dinner’s not ready on time.

Pictures and memories

* Create a scrapbook of favorite memories or heirloom photos.

* Beautifully frame meaningful photographs.

* Make your own calendar illustrated with photos of family and friends.

* Take everyone to your favorite museum on its "free" night; organize a hike to a beautiful spot; get back to Nature -- even in the winter -- with an afternoon at your local botanic garden (if you get cold, dash into the greenhouse!)

Play games

* Invite friends and family to game night. Play your favorite game, pick up something new at the local thrift shop, or play charades for free. Set up game tables so you can have several games involving lots of people going on at once.

* Food and Games: Ask everyone to bring their favorite game along with their favorite dish. Play a game during appetizers, after the main course, and again after dessert.

 

Comments

[Vicky Sanderson]

Love this idea, especially as I can see how it could grow to accommodate any size group. You might have one table playing Monopoly, another playing Balderdash and a third perhaps doing a puzzle. Thanks for the inspiration. Vicky Sanderson
http://thestar.blogs.com/onthehouse

[Diane MacEachern]

Right. You can shuffle teams from game to game, and have some combination of games that are quick to play (like Yahtzee or Hearts) and those that take more time (like Scrabble and Risk). Anyone have any new games they like?

[Rachael S.]

Thank you for the helpful information. I bookmarked your site, and I hope you keep up the good work on making your blog a success!

[Diane MacEachern]

Thanks, Rachel! I hope you'll sign up for our free newsletter, too.