I'm Dreaming of a Green Christmas

Ho Ho Ho....the Christmas season has arrived! I am desperately in love with Christmas. My beautiful tree is already up (purchased from a local non-profit, more on that in my next post), my house is decorated, we've been making cookies and crafting...and listening non-stop to cheesy Christmas songs. Yep I'm an unabashed over-the-top Christmas junkie. So given that I have the Christmas bug, I've been thinking a lot about how to create a magical family moment without being a crazy over-consumer.

bit by the Christmas bug...the girls perform a Christmas play for us

With a little planning and creativity, I think that this Christmas will be more special than ever. Here's my family plan for a special Green Christmas:
1. Make gifts: the girls and I are sewing their grandparents Christmas pillows, Sienna is sewing her dad a cozy quilt, and we are making soap for gifts. We feel so connected and old-fashioned working on our gifts. You can get most supplies from local crafts stores, or there are a number of good resources online - here are a few:

• Teachsoap.com: An incredible site that provides tons of recipes and education on soapmaking. If you want to get fancy it also has tons of fun ideas like bath bombs, lotions, and lip balms which are all pretty simple.
• Natural soap supplies
• Organic soap supplies from Botanie
• Natural candle supplies
• Candletech.com: Ideas and instruction for candle-making

homemade natural soap makes a beautiful gift

2. Buy local: I am going to shop in my home town for anything I need to buy this year, with a special focus on local artisans and hand-crafted items.my little downtown where I plan to shop local

3. Buy sustainable: there are a number of fabulous green gift guides this year. Instead of going to your usual spots, have more fun being eco this year:

• Ecofabulous Holiday Gift Guide
• Yahoo Green Holiday Gift Guide
• Treehugger Holiday Gift Guide
• MSN Green Gift Guide

4. Buy hand-made: I LOVE Etsy.com. You can find such unique and beautiful gifts on Etsy, and help fuel a global phenomenon of creativity and entrepreneurship. Check out their stocking stuffer showcase - so fun! I found these inexpensive, festive pony tail holders from seller heatherknitz5. Make decorations: the girls and I have been making our tree decorations, and we are also going to make our table decorations for Christmas from our yard.
A few ways to reuse old stuff for decorations
Winter craft ideas

How to make Christmas ornaments and other crafts

Tessie's hand-made snowflake ornament

6. Eat local & organic: this tenant of sustainable living is an everyday part of our lifestyle. Organic, local, free-range, grass-fed, heritage, sustainable options have become much more prevalent. Shop at your local farmer's market, local farmers, or at a local store that offers organic sustainable choices. Check out localharvest.org to find solutions near you.

Most of all - enjoy your family this year and spread peace, love and sustainability!