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Holiday Gift Ideas from our Website Visitors More Time More Fun More Nature More Fairness Turn the Tide Kids & Commercialism Simplify the Holidays In Balance (newsletter) New Dream E-cards Multimedia Talk About It Conscious Consumer Institutional Purchasing Back to School I Buy Different (youth site) Less Can Mean More In Balance (newsletter) New Dream E-cards Talk About It Take Action Act Locally Green Cars Today Do Not Junk New Dream Book Club Action Forum Give/Get Advice In Balance (newsletter) New Dream E-cards New Dream Poll What's New Campaigns/Programs New Dream Store In Balance (newsletter) New Dream E-cards Partners Testimonials Staff Careers Privacy Policy My Turn the Tide My Actions My Friends My Events My Profile My Conversations New Dream Store Privacy Policy More of What Matters Getting More More Time Intro Take Back Your Time Time Day Poll Retreat Resources More Fun More Nature More Fairness Talk About It Turn the Tide Intro Preview the Steps Partner Groups FAQ Publications Listing Order Print Copies In Balance What Kids Want Sustainable Planet Tips for Parenting Good Times... Simplify the Holidays Responsible Purchasing New Dream Video More Fun, Less Stuff Kit Turn the Tide Workbook EPP Video Bumper Sticker Bicycle Sticker Easy Does It Simplify the Holidays Home Alternative Gift Fairs What They Are Where They Are Success Stories What They're Like Organize Your Own Brochure Holiday Tips Getting Started Gift Ideas Share a Gift Idea Gift Basket Holiday Stats Polls 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 Simplifying Story Kids & Commercialism Home Brochures Art/Essay Contest Marketing Facts Tips Even More Tips What Kids Say Pressure Schools Endorsers Take Action Current Alert All Actions Action Updates Petitions Discuss Actions Multimedia Expand All | Collapse All Holiday Gift Ideas from our Website Visitors When we first launched the " Simplify the Holidays " campaign in 1998, we wanted to compile some good gift ideas. We think exchanging gifts is a fun part of the holiday season, but we didn't want to max out our credit cards and fill up the landfills with more plastic junk. We asked "What is the most creatively inexpensive or eco-friendly gift you have ever given or received?" Here are a few of the replies: l. Give your child(ren) a box of items that can be assembled into a homemade playhouse or tree house: scrap wood, cardboard, small hammer, non-toxic paint, rope, pulleys, shingles, canvas, anything that you can find in your garage or basement that might be put to good use for that long-awaited play house. Include a certificate promising that you will help them build the house. 2. Consider a box of dress-up clothes, assembled from old Dad and Mom clothing and from local thrift stores. Silk nightgowns, wild shoes, silly ties, an old but fancy dress, hats, - all of these packed in a pretty box can provide hours of fun and creative play. 3. Store-bought gifts are not all bad! Consider giving gifts that bring out your child's creativity, while not generating junk, packaging, and more plastic. Why not a kid's cookbook with healthy, yummy recipes; a craft kit with organic yarn or fabric; some durable tools for building things; sheet music for your young musicians; a magnifying glass for studying bugs, plants, and rocks; a set of seashells; a stamp book for learning about other countries; several kids of modeling clay or homemade playdough; or gardening tools, seeds, and a plot of soil for your child's indoor gardening area. -- Submitted by the Center for a New American Dream's own Executive Director, Betsy Taylor, Takoma Park, MD I don't have a gift idea, but would like to say that it's fun and easy to make beautiful decorations at home with things you can find in your own backyard if you have one. Instead of buying greens trucked in from New England or Oregon, I simply go out back, trim a few juniper, arborvitae and winterberry (Ilex verticillata) branches and make wreathes and table and mantle decorations on my own dried up grapevines. After December, I throw all these in the compost. The junipers and winterberries are native here (Southwest Ohio) and provide cover and food for local wildlife as well as holiday decorations. I use the same forms, vases and ribbons every year, save money and get to play Martha Stewart minus the gold spray paint. This type of decorating is what our ancestors did, and local historic districts that decorate for the holidays can be a great source of ideas. As long as no one rips plants out of the wild, it seems the most sustainable way to go, as well as being a lot classier and creative than the plastic and/or generic alternatives. (Even though plastic decorations often last for years, they all make it to the landfill at some point.) It's fun for kids to do too--a relaxing family activity. -- Jenny Willis, Cincinnati, OH When my sister's children were very young and my money was very tight, I wrote stories with the kids as the main characters. I had once sent for a personalized story for another niece, and was very disappointed when it arrived. I had provide all of the information that was requested on the order form and the result was a story that read like dictionary entries - all the information was there, but it lacked cohesiveness. I began with a story about a duck who arrived in their town looking for an elf with tonsillitis who was needed back at the North Pole for reindeer trials. My niece was preparing to have her tonsils removed and my sister is a nurse who works for a pediatrician (obviously just where an elf with a sore throat would go). After writing the story, I drew pictures and put the whole thing together. My niece is a senior in college and still has the very first book that I made for her. It doesn't take a degree in English or an artistic gift to do this - it only takes a little bit of creativity and the love for a child. -- C.A. O'Flaherty, Braintree, MA How about some greenhouse gas offset credits?! -- Fran Morrill, New York, NY My mother knit a stocking for each of the three children, as they came along. Each was a solid color: Mine was red, then a green one for my younger brother, and a white one for the youngest. When the youngest one married a woman from Italy, my mother cleverly knit her a stocking in stripes of those colors to represent the Italian flag and her joining our family. My parents had always had fun doing the stockings even though we were grown up. Last year our father died, and we decided to modify our stocking tradition. Now my mother fills the stockings of the grandchildren, and my generation does a swap of clever stocking stuffers. We are usually heavy on office supplies, such as poster gum, pens, bookmarks, etc. We also put in photos, mottos, and small edible treats, incl. homemade ones. We save for this throughout the year, as we think of things. -- Name withheld Instead of simply giving your loved ones something, make them something. Or better yet, DO something challenging together: take a long bike ride and lunch, climb a mountain, or just go on a long walk. When people realize that it is not the remembrances and tokens of experiences that are great, but the experience itself that is great then "gift" ideas come filtering in. -- Ben Keep, North Haven, CT I have a great action. Get everyone to stop using Wrapping Paper and switch to cotton reusable bags (preferably cotton). Every year my mom makes bags for the gifts we give to others -- and the following year our friends and family use the bags to give their own gifts. We reuse the same bags in our own house year after year. This action would reduce the amount of wrapping thrown out by a billion or so tons (well you probably could find the real stats). My mom and I are thinking of starting an e-business to sell reusable organic holiday bags. Maybe by next year we will be online. -- Crystal Fortwangler This gift can be done for any occasion. I used it at Christmas for my wife. I thought of about 500 memories and wrote them down in 1-10 word snippets and then typed them up so they formed the words "I LOVE YOU" I arranged about 75 snippets of memories to form the capital letter I and then continued arranging memories to form L,O,V,E, and Y,O,U. When all the letters were arranged I printed out the banner and framed it with spare pieces of wood from around the house. Finally, I presented it to my wife on Christmas. -- Chris Klosterman, Toledo, OH Over the course of the next year, I will be "interviewing" my elderly parents on videotape about their childhood memories, how they met, what they can remember about their parents and grandparents. Then I'll videotape photographs and heirlooms of ancestors that have been passed down while my family members talk about the pictures and objects. I plan to do it for my in-laws as well as my own family. I hope to edit the tape over the summer and have copies made in time for Christmas next year. I'll give it to my siblings and to all of our children, who are very young. It will be a talking family tree for generations to come, all for just the cost of my time. And it will be a pleasure for me to make this gift as I will learn about my family history, as well. -- Martha, Saratoga Springs, NY The most enjoyed gift that I gave was bedtime stories. When I had to move 2000 miles away from my 7 granddaughters, whom I have spent a lot of time with, we missed each other terribly. So last year I sat down in front of the camcorder and read several of their favorite bedtime stories to them as if they were right in the room. These tapes have been passed back and forth between the households and now they want me to make more, so it will be down to the library for children's books and back in front of the camera. I feel almost like they are here as I read to them so I guess this is a gift for all of us. -- Shirley Marcy, Lethbridge, Alberta I love to send creative gifts. I am especially inspired by the internet. I create a website dedicated to my loved ones and include their special songs, and pictures that I have made and a list of their accomplishments. Some of the ones I have done are for birthdays, valentines day, Christmas, and spring. It's a very good way to show appreciation, love and to create a virtual brag "book" that highlights the persons talents, accomplishments that go unnoticed, especially to people that are far away. I love doing this! -- Wren Rose, Las Vegas, NV My children love to sing. And they are good too. They have been singing in our choir. We decided that for their grandparents ( who don't need a thing) we would have them record a tape of them singing some old familiar songs. The kids perform and the grandparents can enjoy it again and again. They also painted pottery for them. We had a fun day's activity and the kids made a gift to hang on the wall that is useful too -- a switch plate!! Music and art on a budget! Finally my son is learning Russian. His father studied Russian too. For Dad my son is making a calendar in Russian. They'll both be proud and Dad can use it! -- Name withheld Last year I gave my closest friends "prosperity bundles," borrowing from both Native American and New Age traditions. I collected interestingly-shaped twigs, bark, and wood and broke them into pieces about 15" long, then stacked and tied them into a fist-sized bundle with various wrappings: for some I selected gold cord, for others a beautiful variegated knitting wool, for others leftover ribbon of various kinds, or just plain twine. On my walks I also kept an eye out for other wonderful nature objects: interesting bits of shells or seed pods, feathers, etc. I put this all together and also used shells I had collected previously from the beach. Each bundle was a unique work of art, tailored to that person's personality. I had many compliments on this gift, which cost almost nothing to produce. (except my time, of course!) -- Maril Crabtree, Kansas City, MO Thank you for your wonderful web site! Here are a few of my gift ideas: this year I am painting some empty wine bottles (with special non-toxic paint that won't wash off), filling them with olive oil and topping them with an oil pour spout that can be found in gourmet cooking shops for less than $1. for people who use olive oil in their cooking, this is a gift they can use (and refill) all year. I am also going through lots of pictures I've accumulated over the past 10 years, and putting together a photo album for my parents (they either have everything they want, or can buy what they need, and I know having current pictures of my siblings and I will be meaningful to them). I am also making fleece hats for people. The fleece is relatively inexpensive, - I made some that past couple of years, and people tell me they constantly get compliments on them - their designs are more unusual than the ones you find in stores, and I can make about 4-5 of them for the price of one store-bought hat!!! -- C.R., Rhode Island Thanks for the booklet "Simplify the holidays". I don't have any trouble with my holiday spending as I make a lot of my children's, grandchildren's and great grandchildren's presents. Either knit, sew, woodwork or cooking. The thing that stood out most to me on your booklet was the lack of religious suggestions. Such as: give a bible. Take an elderly to the Christmas plays at church. Such as the hanging of the greens or choir cantatas. Take children to Sunday school give religious oriented books, story books and the like rather than power ranger stuff that really has no value. There are some very good bible games too. Introduce a young child to the local library. They have a nice story time. Garden books to a back yard gardener or a plant he or she doesn't have. Someone who can't see well bring them tapes of books for the local library everyother week. There are some real good ones out now. Well that is my ideas. -- Jean Jenner, Hemphill, TX Every year I try to give at least one thing that recycles something. Last year I baked very rich and sinful chocolate brownies. I then put them in beautiful tins that used to hold fancy chocolates my mother had received many Christmases ago, and were now gathering dust in her closet. My friends loved the brownies and the tins! I used waxed paper to keep the brownies from messing up the inside of the tin, but you could use something recycled, as long as it was clean and would not transfer bad flavors to the food. The tin can be used over and over again; I hope my friend gives it to someone else this year. -- Rachel Ward Get Sculptey clay and thumbtacks. Make some attractive push pins for your friend at the office. -- Juliet Famadico, Newark, California Last Christmas I made "healing baskets" for all the special people in my life...my mother, daughter-in-law, stepson, brother, friends, etc. Each was a basket I had received over the years so it was reused. Into each basket went homemade jams, preserves, jelly, each jar decorated with a little piece of scrap fabric and ribbon, handmade beeswax candles, recycled writing paper, and pens. I called them Healing Baskets because everything that was inside them was made by myself when I was recovering from a nervous breakdown. Each basket was wrapped with a large linen square that could be used as a small tablecloth or table runner. Everything was used and appreciated and it helped me feel better as well. -- Andrea Brennan Plaus, Brantford, Ontario, Canada I got this from a fellow county employee, Ronnie Wilcox, in Boulder County, CO: Last year I did something different (and sort of creative) that I have never done before. During the school year my son brought home several pieces of artwork...not extremely professional, but nicely done pieces in watercolor. I had them matted and framed and sent to his grandmother and father who are out-of-state. ...as your tips said "a special gift matched to the person". -- Anne Kaufmann, Boulder County, CO This year I plan to give friends and family an early "ungift", a Gift Exemption Voucher from Adbusters, a Guide to Compassionate Living from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, and a Vegetarian Starter Kit from The Physicians' Committee for Responsible Medicine. Another idea is to make a baking mix, put it in a pretty bag and attach the instructions with a string or ribbon. -- Maura McCormick Columbia,MD A very close friend of mine made me a cassette tape of music complete with a set of handwritten liner notes explaining why he had chosen the song, why it was important to him, or why it made him think of me. I have blue eyes and there were a number of songs that mention blue eyes. The music was great but the personal liner notes really made the present very special to me. It was a present that made me feel close to him and also appreciated. -- Karleen, Salt Lake City, UT The best gifts I ever gave my family for Christmas came the year I gave away my own possessions. I'm doing this again this year because my husband and I are building a house and haven't got a penny to spare. If anyone else out there is like me, they've got a lot of seldom or never used stuff that is in good condition. I am simply going to go through my stuff with my Christmas list and find a nice thing for each person. The one time I did this before, I found that the more special the thing had been to me, the more it meant to the person receiving it. In my family, people didn't care that the present was something I already had: they understood that was all I had to give. If other people do care about that sort of thing, just don't let on the secret. -- Cassandra, Vermont my favorite Christmas gift as a child was what we called a "sock monkey". it was a monkey made from men's brown and white work socks with a red toe. The socks were inexpensive and my mom made each of us one. We loved them to pieces and have nothing left! this year I am giving "y2k romance packages". the basket is contructed of 1/2 - 1" branches cut from my trees. I cut them to 10 " lengths, microwave them for 1 minute (to kill any little critters), then construct a square basket by tying the branches together with twine. I then fill this with shredded paper, pine cones gathered from our trees, and a book of matches. I top it off with 2 mugs (left over from the many we receive every Christmas) and 2 packages of hot cocoa mix. This gift is completely consumable except the mugs and gives a much deserved opportunity to relax. I have also given sketches to friends of their houses with a few Victorian touches like a garden path running to the front door instead of a driveway. a wonderful keepsake and very inexpensive but for the film to photograph the house. -- Jan Hopkins, Farmington, UT The best gift I ever gave was to my then 6 year old daughter. I bought an old camel back trunk at an auction for around $15.00 (a real steal!). Then I lined it with some red "velvet like" material. I then went through my closet, my mothers closet, my grandmothers closet and found my old formals, gaudy jewelry, purses, hats, high heel shoes, anything that would work for "dress up". The only other thing I spent money on was a tea set. I put all of it into the trunk and gave it to her from Santa. She still plays dress up with all of her friends (I even put some boys clothes in for her male cousins.) I even add to it for birthdays and each year at Christmas to keep it fun and new. -- Kristie, Ashland, MO My grandmother doesn't need much and she loves gifts that are homemade. We grow our own herbs and my grandmother loves our garden. For several years now we have given her herbs for Christmas. We give her enough to last the year and we make our own labels to paste on the baggies or small jars. She loves the herbs and uses them all year. Christmas is just about the time she needs more. This year we are giving several relatives our herbs. Also in past years we have made flavored vinegars with our herbs. Again we put them in a nice jar and paste on a label we have made. The best vinegar we ever made was with our cayenne peppers. Flavored vinegar is easy to make. Just place the herbs (or chilis) in a decorative jar, add the vinegar and seal with wax. -- Michele Clark, Albuquerque, NM When my parents, brother, sisters and significant others gather to exchange gifts, there are 7 or eight people to give to. This can be very stressful and expensive! This year, my husband and I are creating a holiday pictionary game that will involve winning prizes. Prizes will be in plain brown bags, and include small consumable gifts like a nice bar of soap, locally made candy, local beer . . . When it's your turn to choose a prize bag, you have the option of stealing someone else's already opened gift. This is like white elephant games that some folks do around the holidays. I expect that it will be fun and entertaining. All the gifts are available cheaply from our local Co-op grocery store, and they don't include cluttering STUFF. Idea # 2: Perhaps we'll try this next year with my husband's family, but this year we're making homemade biscotti and giving it along with bags of organic, shade-grown coffee. Biscotti recipes can be found on the internet, and since they're dry cookies, they have a long shelf life. -- JoAnne Peters Minneapolis, MN After a poll of friends about their children's favorite and most lasting toys, I've decided to buy my son a piece of *rope* this year. It was unanimously the most-enjoyed and creatively-used toy brought up. -- Tabitha M. Felix, Orlando, FL My friends are always amazed at how I always have gifts for every one and how I seem to have just the right gift. It's something I sorta learned from my mother who shops throughout the year when ever she saw something on sale. She always had a whole closet of gifts even for the unexpected birthday. Me, I have used her idea of shopping all year only I do it at Garage sales. It is a fun outing every Sat. Morning.... beats sleeping in. I get to feel like I'm recycling. I get to take my time (all year) to find just the right gift. I save $$$$ on gifts but also on my own personal needs. I get everything from laundry soap to Nike shirts. In our culture we have soooo much that we can never use it all. I buy every thing that I give as a gift new and I pay $1 where it would cost $20 in the store. X-mas arrives and I am stress free while everyone else is shopping I am baking and sewing. Have a thankful end of the year as we prepare for the new millennium where we may all be tested to share like we have never been tested before. -- Dhira DiBiase Waimanalo, HI For several years my husband & I were going through money problems, you know no money, anyhow we tried to find ways to spend as little as possible on Christmas. So one year I made these flannel bags (12 by 4 inches) filled with dried corn inside The idea being that you heat them up in a microwave for a couple of minutes and use them to soothe sore muscles or to keep your feet warm at night. I tell you that this was several years ago and I still have people asking me if and when I am going to make more bags every year. Or for birthdays, I also had a friend who used the bag for her infant granddaughter to keep the baby warm from going to the car from the house. Not much money and it's a gift that is reusable. Once the corn is burnt or doesn't heat as well { it may take several years I am still working on one from 5 years ago} you can compost the corn. -- Joyce Brown, Thorsby, Alberta, Canada We wrap presents in 1:50,000 scale National Topographic Series Maps or backcountry hiking areas that are popular. Everybody loves maps and they make useful, reusable wrapping! Love the site - very helpful for our low-impact Xmas. -- Chris Hamilton, BC Parks, Cariboo District Last year my wife gave me one of the most touching and I think BEST Christmas presents I have ever received. On word cards on a metal ring she had written and drawn, in a colorful way, a set of gift certificates: "Good for a Massage", "Good for One Home Cooked Meal", "I will wash the Dishes - One Meal", "Good for a Walk in the Hills", "Good for One Camping Trip", "Good for One Day of Skiing", and "Good for a Hug". And best of all - they are reusable! -- Per Kielland-Lund, Madison, WI My only sister and I live across the country from one another. A few years ago, I bought a new calendar and in it I wrote family holidays and personal messages. I included some "memories" such as "remember when we were young and we would celebrate our own 'Christmas in July'?". Now, my sister makes a calendar for me, too! It is a wonderful way to think about each other every day and even though it takes time to put together, it costs very little. --Debra Myers, Midland, VA Story boards are great gifts too. My father was a high school basketball star from Vt. He always told us about how he played in the Boston Garden at the New England High School Basketball Championships, so when my husband was spending some time at the Boston Public Library he researched the Boston Globe to see if there were any articles written at the time. Sure enough he found some. I then called the VT State Library who for $7 sent me a few articles from a local paper. From that we made a story board of the event. It brought tears to his eyes and ahs from one of his old high school classmates. -- Kathy Corson, Exeter, NH This takes a little planning and a bit of research, but try this for holiday or birthday presents for your friends and relatives who admire flower gardens: Give a gift certificate for your perennials that are getting crowded and need dividing. You can dig the bulbs or tubers in the fall (daylilies, daffodils, lily of the valley, shasta daisies, some herbs, etc.,) if that’s what’s best to get the plants off to a good start in spring-they can overwinter planted in pots and kept lightly watered in the dark corner of a cold garage or basement (or root cellar, if you’ve got one). Or, if it’s best to dig the plants up in the spring (say, unwanted sprouts of shrubs like Rose of Sharon [althea]), give the person a gift certificate. (So that you don’t forget, make sure you mark your calendar for the next spring at a time that’s good for transplanting.) Put the plants or bulbs into pots you’ve saved from gifts or from your previously purchased plants (don’t you have a stash in your basement or garage?!) or pots that you’ve scrounged up at yard/garage sales for pennies. Wrap the pots in some foil (can be recycled in communities that collect it), add a bow if you’d like, and you’re all set. For extra credit, help your friend plant your gift, or enclose planting directions. Doesn’t cost much of anything, doesn’t pollute, and shares the beauty. -- Rosa, from The Bay State A gift that I've given my grandparents who are in a nursing home is a box of already stamped and addressed homemade postcards for all of their relatives. So when "cousin Joe" had a birthday my grandmother could simply find the card and send it. My grandparents didn't need anything more in their life and their handwriting was too shaky to read, so this gift made them feel like they could still send cards to their family. Recognizing other family member's birthdays is very important to my grandmother and it gives her a sense of independence. -- Name withheld For my mom for her birthday I gave her a collection of quotes about mothers that I collected from library books. I also had a list of some of the many reasons why I love her. She was so touched that she cried. To give her that gift was the most rewarding feeling I have ever felt from giving. I also made rosewater from soaking rose petals in water for about a month. Rosewater has a great many uses, including a refreshing face wash. --Kate Gould, OR Last year for Xmas, we made small pillows ( 5" x 5" ) out of scrap fabric and filled them with soothing herbs; lavender, rose, etc. Buying the herbs in bulk at the health food store cost only pennies. Our friends loved these gifts and we spent only a small amount of $$ and our time in making them. --Valerie Rowe, Sarasota, FL I once gave a friend a homemade coupon for her anniversary--for an evening's babysitting for her five sons, so she could have an evening out with her hubby. My cost??? About four hours of fun, reading to and playing with some great kids! She told me later it was her favorite gift. -- Jeanette, Huntington Beach, CA Last year I gave "Environmental Activist Starter Kits" as Christmas presents. The "kits" that I put together consisted of membership to non-profit organizations that send newsletters, such as Predator Project and Environmental Defense Fund, just to name two, along with recycled paper tablets and refillable Parker pens to be used for writing letters to newspapers and politicians. I tried to match the recipients with an organization that they may have some interest in. They seemed to be a hit, but quite honestly, I don't think that anyone wrote any letters to the editor or senators. But I like to think that they also got a little hidden gift with the kits -- Awareness. Other gifts that I have given include cloth grocery and cotton net produce bags, energy efficient light bulbs, and monetary donations to the local homeless center in the name of my friends and family. --Donna, York, PA After my mother-in-law died, my father-in-law did not eat properly. He often just had a bowl of cereal for dinner or snacked on candy or Cheetos in late afternoon and then skipped dinner because he wasn't hungry. He really liked homemade soups, so for Christmas, we packed up containers of soups, wrapped each container in a plastic bag, labeled it, and froze them. On Christmas morning we put them in a box and wrapped it. He loved the gift. He had oodles of "stuff" [my sister-in-law gave him a red flannel shirt each year for Christmas and when he died we found 3 unworn in the gift boxes in his closet!]. The soup was the perfect gift according to Dad. It solved the dinner problem for him and was "consumed" rather than taking up more space in the closet. Didn't cost much either! -- Lisa Anderson, Des Plaines, IL I have two younger brothers, ages 7 and 9, and I gave them an "adoption" of two animals, one a baby elephant and a killer whale. They received photos of the animals through the UK-based organisation "Call of the Wild", and were delighted by the presents! --Philippe Leupin, Athens, Greece One year, my sister was very inspired and wanted to do something really neat. With her husband and daughters, she went through the Christmas list and thought of 2 neat things about each person--things that made them special, things that we all liked about that person, something about his or her special talent. etc. She wrote these things on two pieces of ribbon, and attached them to a little fuzzy pom-pom (1" diameter). Then she put all these "warm fuzzies" in a bag. At our Christmas gathering, someone would reach into the bag, read aloud what was written on the ribbons, and then we would, as a group, decide who best fit the description and give it to that person. I still have my "warm fuzzy". It hangs on my tree as a Christmas ornament so I get to read it every year and it reminds me of the love that was expressed by all that year. It was and is a great gift! --Name withheld This Christmas I plan on making all of the gifts I give to my wife and children. I won't tell you about all of them, but I will tell about one. My wife and I went on a date a couple of weeks ago and ended up in an import shop here in Madison which imports goods from Africa. I am an African History graduate student, so, of course, I was interested. We entered and saw a store full of high-priced exotic items from half a world away. The thing is, I was amazed at how simple many of the items where: the consumer here paid for transport and to subsidize the store-owner's trips to Africa rather than for the items themselves or the skill of the craftsman. My wife and I were particularly impressed by the simple, yet elegant beadwork on many of the items. My wife picked up one item and said "Wow, this looks pretty! Ohmigosh! That's it?" I went over to ascertain what could have elicited such a response (my wife is not very excitable, a rather well-tempered person). There was a beautiful (and rather expensive) bracelet made from nothing but safety pins, tiny plastic or glass beads, and some elastic. We left the store and when we got home I headed straight for my children's bedroom. There, I new, was a stash of thousands of those little tiny beads that my daughter had received as a Christmas present a year ago, yet which remained largely unused. We had bought her one set and a cousin bought her another even larger set, so we had been swamped by beads. Try as she might, my daughter just couldn't seem to use them all. Well, now I have a use for them. After spending $4 or so on some safety pins, I am now beading them up and using what we already have to make a present for my daughter. She has seen these bead bracelets before and loves them, but we simply could not afford them... until now. --Forrest Aguirre, Madison, WI Last year we made birdseed balls out of seed, suet and leftover ribbons (so they could hang outside). We gave them to my husband's grandmother, and my mother and stepfather, Very inexpensive, environmentally friendly, didn't clutter up their houses and something we were able to say we made ourselves. -- Pam Hayes-Bohanan, Bridgewater, MA topcat.bridgew.edu/~phayesboh I give classes on passive solar design to our future builders on Native American Reservations. --Name withheld Hand knitted hats! Fun to make, and I can knit while talking with friends, watching a movie, or listening to some favorite music. Picture frames made from the cardboard of old boxes and decorated with pictures from old magazines or natural objects like seeds, leaves and flowers. I pick things to decorate the frame that represent the person I'm giving the gift to, and then get a copy of a favorite picture and put it in there. Wrap in cloth and tie with string, or decorate and reuse a paper bag. I think one of the best gifts if you do buy something for someone is to get the friend something that will encourage a talent they have or further their education. Use Christmas as a motivating reason to explore a hobby that you've thought about (pottery, bookmaking, painting, knitting, sewing, photography) but haven't yet pursued. Share your creations as gifts come holiday time. --Heather Smith, Asheville, NC Composting worms (red wigglers) --Tenaj DaCosta, Earth My brother once gave me a strange contraption which was basically a round wooden base with several 8" dowels protruding up- and outward from it. I had to ask him what it was. "Why, it's a baggie recycler," he said! --Tom Bombaci, Jr., Grants, NM A few years ago my husband and I lived in an older home that we were improving. This included a new bathroom on the interior of the house and a new fence for the backyard. When our friend's birthday came up, we made him a great cold-frame (like a mini greenhouse) completely out of reused materials! The cold frame had four sides made out of the lumber from the old fence, 1x4s and 2x4s of beautifully weathered cedar. The "lid" of the cold frame was made of one of the sliding glass door panels from the old, dilapidated shower enclosure. The glass had a nice pattern to it and was tempered. We used some more of the weathered cedar to build a frame for the glass panel, added some hinges and a handle, and there it was! He has used it for two years now to start his young, tender plants in the early spring. We were very proud! --Diane Broad, Corvallis, Oregon The best Christmas present I ever got, and the most ecologically friendly one, was when my parents sponsored a black panther in my name at the Lincoln Park Zoo. The money went to the care of the animal, and to educational efforts about endangered species. -- Rebecca, Madison, WI Last year my husband was interested in a particular book but never found the time to pick up a copy for himself. Without thinking I went to the bookstore and purchased it for him. When I got home and looked at the book more carefully I realized it was not the type of book one needs to own. It was a book that would be enjoyable to read once then pass on. I returned the book to the bookstore and called my local library and ordered the book. I wrapped it and gave it to him for Christmas. I renewed it for him a few times so he had plenty of time to read it. He was delighted to have the book (if briefly!) and we were both glad to avoid adding clutter to our house and unneeded expense to our budget! --Nancy Spicer, Cambridge, MA The last couple of years, I have sent a copy of the new telephone directory to a former resident of our city who has reason to keep in touch byphone, or needs the address of, many folks here in town. The gift has been received with appreciation. --Mark Lunde, Clive, IA I was on a very tight budget two Christmas's ago during a divorce. I had little for my child and I to live on, never mind Christmas Gifts and those for others. My Daughter then 11 years old, would go over to the park across the street from us after school and collect all the pinecones she could. We took shoe boxes and cut them into different shapes, painted them like baskets and used material to go inside like a bread liner, then we covered a handle with the same material, and hot glued pine cones inside with some multi colored mini lights, spread between the pine cones, (extra's we had from years of decorating) we added some red berries again found among our decorations, and then sprayed the whole thing with clear glaze and added a bow to the side of the basket. Add some cinnamon sticks at different places and wrap with saran wrap till its time to give them, they smell great and last forever, can be hung from a porch or used as a centerpiece. --Name withheld The most friendly and ecofriendly gift I ever received was a herbal wreath from a physical therapist/herbologist. Besides being aesthetically beautiful, it was created from all wild flowers/herbs and vines she had cultivated herself in a field. I have enjoyed the scents, eaten the herbs in prepared dishes, employed the healing properties in teas, and saved the seeds for my own garden. When I had disseminated the herbs, I composted the vines and greenery..and also learned to grow herbs myself. Not only did I become a committed herbal gardener, but have passed this down to my children...and they have conveyed this gift to several of their friends. What some might view as a pretty knick-knack has become a legacy of enjoying/utilizing the fruits of the earth in my circle of family and friends. --Name withheld The best frugal gift I got was an unintentional one from my then approx.6 year old son (his is now 18). Well it was Christmas shopping season. I did a lot of shopping with my friend, she had one daughter at the time my two sons were about 61/2 and 3. I am naturally thrifty, some would say cheap. I was amazed at the amount of stuff my friend bought, I began to think that maybe I hadn't bought enough for my kids. Well cheapness won out and I stuck to my usually shopping habits. Well on Christmas day after the kids had opened their presents the 6 year old said: "I think Santa emptied his bag here!" I tell you I was pleased. --Beth, Massachusetts The most creatively frugal and eco-friendly gift that I have given is honey that I harvest from my own colonies. It basically costs nothing to make. It supports the lives of insects, honey bees, who simply can no longer exist in their natural state. There are practically no wild honeybees living outside of man-made hives because pesticides and bee parasites (caused by global commerce in bees) have killed them off. Bees help agriculture yields through their propagation. Honey is a fine, nutritious food. --Bruce, Philadelphia, PA I have a friend who understands my reluctance to consume anything unnecessarily. But Sharon also knows that I like small gifts especially if they are handmade since I am an artist as well as an environmental activist and like to support others. The last several years, Sharon has given me handmade soaps and handmade candles. Both "disappear", neither have been packaged nor wrapped with anything other than string or yarn and they were handmade in Minnesota near where we both live. Thoughtful, useful and without serious impact on the environment while supporting our local underground economy. I think they are really thoughtful and I have enjoyed using them. -- Sheila Bayle-Lissick, Minneapolis, MI My cousin Adrienne has started a GREAT trend. Whenever she gives a gift, she uses old clothes or scarves rather than wrapping paper. She goes to a second hand store and picks out the most outrageous prints on dresses, pants, etc. and then cuts them up to fit the size of the gift. This is eco-friendly in three ways -- the clothes probably would have been thrown out (ugly clothes make great wrapping paper), she avoids using wrapping paper herself and then encourages her recipients to use them to wrap future gifts. Imagine how much wrapping paper would be saved if we all did this! -- Karlynn, Cambridge, MA I used to purchase all my gifts from the Peace Institute or the Physicians for Social Responsibility (they were located in the same building in Portland, OR). As far as I know neither group has a store anymore. They always had reasonably priced, nice cards, calendars, t-shirts and ornaments, which at least I knew was benefiting great causes. There seem to be a few good diversity-type stores which have reasonable gifts from all over the world. I don't know if other than promoting diversity, if they are benefiting any socially responsible groups. --Name withheld This is not my idea but I ran across it on the Internet and thought it was so cute: Anyone who owns a personal computer has probably received dozens of those AOL promotional disks and CD's (you know, the ones where you can 100 free hours for trying their service). One very clever woman made Christmas ornaments from the CD's and a really neat desk clock from the diskettes. The web address is: www.neosoft.com/nikki/ --Ellen Stoune My good friend's son recently graduated from culinary school. For Christmas he and his son gave us a complete gourmet dinner prepared in OUR home. They treated us like king & Queen for an evening! -- Jim Prado, Connecticut I like to give gifts of aid to third world countries in the name of a friend or relative. I think these are currently offered by Alternative Gift Markets, Inc., the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) and Church World Services. To me this is truly special gift that will be remembered, and truly honors the person in whose name it's given. You really realize that you have a special relationship with someone who will understand and appreciate this type of gift. Along these lines are gifts that save rainforest; I think Nature Conservancy (Adopt an Acre Program)and the National Arbor Day Foundation have programs that do this. Also, a gift membership to an environmental organization is nice. --Name Withheld The most creatively frugal gift I’ve ever was from my very creative and frugal adult daughter, who bought a large wooden cooking spoon and attached a little scroll to it which listed "101 uses for a wooden spoon." It has hung on my wall for several years as a reminder of what an original thinker she is! Total cost: about $3. She also one year gave a used book to each family member that captured who that person was. On the inside cover of each book she wrote a tribute, detailing why she thought that book was the "essence" of the person. All of us in the family still treasure those books. Total cost: about $1-2 per book. -- Maril Naples, Florida Last year a good friend was turning 65 just before the holidays. I knew she would say she has everything so a group of friends and I did something a little different. We did random acts of kindness to honor her on her special day. This included planting trees in Israel, sponsoring an up and coming actor at a local theater, and donating books to a day-care just to name a few ideas. Each person wrote what they did in a letter and all the notes were gathered in a beautiful velvet covered box and presented to her. Many of the acts of kindness carried well beyond her birthday and we called it the gift that keeps on giving! -- Linda Bradbeer, Toronto, Canada Last year I went on a Spring Break hiking trip in the Escalante, in Utah. I had never been there before and was amazed by the desert flora I saw there. A friend of mine at college, however, was from there and was planning on moving to California after graduation. I decided to make him a piece of Utah he could bring along. I filled a Nalgene bottle (a water bottle for hikers) with small pine cones, juniper twigs, pebbles, berries, and these funny little paper seed balls that grow on bushes there. Back at school, I bent a thin green branch into a circle and suspended the natural objects from it with invisible thread. It was a lovely mobile. This could be done with objects from any ecosystem. -- Susannah Stevens " 58% of Americans say they would be willing to give up one day of pay per week in exchange for one day off per week to spend more time with family and friends. " New Dream Poll See a great list of gift ideas from New Dream staff See a even more gift ideas from web visitors like you Help organize an Alternative Gift Fair in your area Look for environmentally and socially responsible gifts on Conscious Consumers The Chatter Years ago I built a solor divice that made energy by using magnifying glass... - Page Tools Printable Page Send this page to a friend

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Vegan Christmas or Yule - recipes and gift ideas . home to the Vegan Family House Vegan Christmas or Yule We love Christmas time or Yuletide (see our Winter Solstice page) - lights, colour, celebration, sharing, eating and drinking more than you really should ...in midwinter in Scotland this time is very welcome! The spiritual side of Christmas often goes a little unnoticed amid the mad rush of present buying, decorating and food preparation. Whether you celebrate the renewal of nature, friendship, gratitude to the Universe or the birth of Christ, it is a very integral part of this festival and very enriching to include this dimension to the day. Many traditions have played a part in forming Christmas as we know it today (commercialism included!). Here we detail the foods that we enjoy at this time - well, what do vegans eat at Christmas? All recipes are now available on printable pages (link by each recipe) or you can visit the master index of all the printable recipes from the whole site. Also further down we have a section on vegan present shopping. Savoury recipes Sweet recipes Gift ideas Festive links and Books Other food pages: Kitchen - Soups . Sauces and Dips . Salads . Main Courses . Cakes and Puddings Easter . Chocolate . Christmas/Yule . Vegan Cook Books . Food links . printable index Savoury festive recipes Cashew Nut Roast with Sage and onion stuffing A sixth of a cup/30g/1oz of vegan margarine 2 sticks of celery, finely chopped 1 medium leek, finely chopped 1 and a half cups of hot water 1 teaspoon of yeast extract (marmite, vegemite etc.) 3 cups/550g/16oz of ground cashew nuts (or other nuts of your choice - almonds work well too) 2 Tablespoons of soya flour 2 teaspoons of fresh herbs - winter savoury is great (if using dried 1 teaspoon) 3 cups/160g/6oz of white bread crumbs seasalt and pepper to taste sage and onion stuffing (see recipe further down the page) Melt the margarine (in a large pan for mixing) and cook the celery and leek in it for a few minutes. Mix the yeast extract into the hot water (alternatively you could use any stock you like) and add this to the leek and celery. Stir in the soya flour, nuts, herbs, breadcrumbs and salt and pepper and mix well. Allow to cool slightly while you grease a loaf tin. Place half the nut roast mixture in the tin and press down well - then add the sage and onion stuffing (pressing down well again) and place the rest of the nut roast mixture on top. Bake in the oven for about 40 minutes at 180/360 then turn out of the tin and slice. Nice served with all the traditional trimmings. Variations:- you can substitute wine (red or white) or soya milk for the water and yeast extract. The sage and onion stuffing is optional - it works just as well without it and might actually slice up easier! A layer of sliced mushrooms and garlic is an alternative to the stuffing. Printable version Creamy mushroom Puff A third of a cup/60g/2oz of vegan margarine 4 tablespoons of plain white flour 1 onion 4 cloves of garlic, crushed or very finely chopped (this can be reduced or left out if desired) 3 cups of mushrooms, sliced half a litre/500ml of soya milk 1 glass of white wine (or stock) handful of chopped parsley salt and pepper to taste approx. 500g/18oz of frozen puff pastry (this even comes ready-rolled now for extra laziness!!!) Melt the margarine and cook the onion and garlic in it for a few minutes and then add the sliced mushrooms and cook for a couple of minutes more. Add the flour and stir well. Gradually add the soya milk stirring all the time and then the wine and keep stirring on a low heat until the sauce thickens. Once thick remove from the heat and add your seasoning and the parsley. Allow to cool slightly while you prepare the pastry. Roll out into 2 wide rectangular shapes reserving some pastry for decoration. Place one sheet of pastry on a greased baking tray. Heap the slightly cooled sauce onto it leaving a space round the edges. Place the top sheet on and seal up the edges with some soya milk or water (fold over if needed). Make some small slits on the top of the puff and let your artistic side shine with the reserved pastry! I usually make holly leaves to place on the top but do whatever you like. Glaze with soya milk and then bake in a medium hot oven for about half an hour or until the pastry seems cooked (no soggy bits and nicely puffed up!) Nice served with gravy, roast potatoes, stuffing, vegan sausages, cranberry sauce and vegetables of your choice - a feast! Printable version ' NOW THATS WHAT I CALL A CHRISTMAS DINNER' MUSHROOM PARCEL by Catriona There are a few steps to this but most can be made a day ahead... in fact I normally assemble it all the evening before and then it is ready to go... Ingredients list: Mushroom Risotto 300mls/just over 1 cup rice approx. 600mls/2 and a quarter cups hot stock ( I use Kallo mushroom stock cubes) 1 onion, finely chopped couple of cloves garlic, crushed or finely chopped Jar of antipasto mushrooms, minus a tbsp mushrooms (make sure they are vegan), drain and reserve the oil. big handful of chestnut mushrooms, sliced a few dried mushrooms, soaked in hot water and then finely chopped tsp dried oregano ( or fresh if you can) fresh basil, sliced Soyamince filling 1 cup defrosted vegemince or 1 cup rehydrated soya mince, remaining tbsp of mushrooms, enough sundried tomato puree to bind it together and some fresh basil Stuffing 1 onion finely chopped, 1 cup oats 1/2 cup suet, 1 tsp mixed herbs and some salt and pepper. Aprox. 500g./18oz of frozen, vegan puff pastry Preparation Mushroom Risotto Put some of the reserved mushroom oil in a pan and saute the onions and garlic until soft, add the rice and mix it all together. Add all the different mushrooms and the oregano if dried. Mix again and then gradually add the stock stirring constantly for that creamy risotto texture. More or less liquid may be needed. Add fresh herbs , mix and set aside. soyamince filling In a blender mix together approx. 1 cup defrosted vegemince or 1 cup rehydrated soya mince, remaining tbsp of mushrooms, enough sundried tomato puree to bind it together and some fresh basil Stuffing chop an onion finely and mix it with 1 cup oats to 1/2 cup suet,1 tsp mixed herbs and some salt and pepper. bind with a little water to form a sausage...be careful not to add too much water. Have ready some defrosted vegan puff pastry rolled out into a rectangle. Assembly Get the puff pastry and spread it lightly with sundried tomato paste and stick basil leaves on to this. Get the cooled mushroom risotto and spread it onto the pastry leaving room at all ends... you wont need all the risotto. On top of this place the soya mince filling and then place the stuffing sausage along the centre. Fold up the sides until they meet in the middle...hopefully!! If they are reluctant to stick down then brush with a little soya milk. Put on a baking tray. It is advisable, if possible, to raise the pastry parcel off the tray using a rack as I have found the bottom has a tendency to burn. You can now leave it until Christmas Day! To cook follow the temperature guide on the packet of puff pastry. Easy! Printable version Spinach-Tofu Manicotti by Secular Pagan Not exactly a traditional Yule/Christmas dish, but it's red, white, and green, so it fits. FILLING: (stuffs about ten manicotti "tubes") 1 pound/450g firm tofu, drained and rinsed 1 10-oz/300g box frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry 1 Tbsp. Italian seasoning (blend of oregano, marjoram, thyme, rosemary, basil, sage) 3 green onions (scallions), including green part, sliced thinly 8 ounces/230g (more or less) white button mushrooms, chopped in big chunks PASTA: 1 package large manicotti tubes SAUCE: About 28 ounces/750g of your favorite pasta sauce, homemade or prepackaged Plop tofu into a medium-sized mixing bowl and mash/crumble with your hands. Add spinach and fold into tofu with a fork, using fork to break up strands of spinach and mix evenly with the crumbled tofu. Stir in Italian seasoning, onions, and mushrooms. Boil about 10 manicotti tubes just shy of al dente (they won't fall apart this way when you're stuffing them) and drain. Use your fingers to push clumps of filling into the manicotti tubes till each one is plump and full. Lay them in a covered casserole dish (more than one layer is O.K.) and pour your favorite tomato-based pasta sauce (homemade or bottled) over the whole thing. Cover and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about an hour, maybe a little less (say, 45 minutes) if you have the manicotti spread out in a single layer. Remove from oven and give it a few minutes to cool off before attempting to eat. Note: I have to keep my sodium intake low, so I don't add salt to anything I make from scratch (except some baked goods), so some of you might prefer to add a. 1/2 teaspoon of salt to the filling. Printable version Cranberry, Orange and Ginger sauce 3/4 cup/150g/5oz sugar 1/2 cup/150ml/quarter pint of orange juice zest of 1 lemon 1 teaspoon of fresh grated ginger (or half a teaspoon of dried ginger) 2 cups of fresh cranberries pinch of salt Place the cranberries, orange juice and ginger in a pan and simmer for about 10 minutes. Give the berries a mash and add the sugar, zest and salt. Cook gently until all the sugar is completely dissolved. The sauce will thicken up as it cools slightly. Nice served hot or warm with nut roast or mushroom puff and parcel. Printable version Cheat's nut roast rolls! Very simple if you buy a vegan packet mix for a nut roast and some frozen puff pastry! Simply make up the nut roast mix and place it in the puff pastry in roll shapes. Nice done like cocktail sausage rolls for serving with drinks. Bake in a medium oven for about 20 minutes. Sage and Onion Roast Potatoes 4 teaspoons of dried sage or 8 teaspoons of freshly chopped sage 4 tablespoons of sunflower oil 1 finely chopped onion 4 tablespoons of medium oatmeal Potatoes, peeled and cut to desired size (this coating is enough for about 4 or 5 lbs/2 or 3 kilos.) salt to taste Par boil the potatoes then just when they are beginning to soften remove from heat and drain. Place in baking tray and rub the coating all over them (careful!) - roast in a hot oven until nice and crispy (30 minutes plus). You might want to baste with a little more oil half way through for extra crispiness! Variation : sesame roast potatoes - coat the potatoes in sunflower oil and plenty sesame seeds before roasting - this has a lovely flavour too. Printable version Sage and Onion stuffing 6 slices of wholemeal bread half a cup/85g/3oz of vegan margarine 4 teaspoons of dried sage or 8 of fresh, chopped sage 1 finely chopped large onion salt to taste Melt the margarine in a saucepan and then cook the onion in it until soft. Break up the wholemeal bread with your hands (into fairly small pieces) and then mix into the onion and margarine with the sage and salt. This can be pressed into an oven-proof bowl for baking or if you like meat analogues it can be sandwiched between two Redwood Cheatin' Turkey Roasts (see below for turkey substitute links), wrapped in foil and baked in the oven! Printable version Skirlie (traditional Scottish oatmeal stuffing - quite bland, not to everyone's liking!) 1 cup of medium oatmeal 1 large onion, finely chopped 4 tablespoons of sunflower oil a little salt Cook the onion in the oil until soft and then stir in the oatmeal and salt and cook for a few minutes longer, stirring frequently to prevent sticking - then use as Sage and onion stuffing. Printable version top Sweet festive recipes Jewel Biscuits Delicious and colourful biscuits or cookies - the 'jewels' are optional but very bright and special - makes about 25 medium (3 inch/9cm) biscuits. 150g/5oz/three quarter cup caster sugar 150g/5 oz/three quarter cup vegan margarine 5 tablespoons of soya milk 300g/10 oz/1and a half cups of plain flour teaspoon vanilla extract (or according to pack instructions) boiled sweets - different colours is good Preheat oven to 200C/400F and grease baking sheets. Cream together the sugar and marg. Mix in the soya milk and vanilla and then the flour. The mixing of the flour is best done with your hands. You should have a workable dough (add more flour if it's too wet or more soya milk if too dry and doesn't hold together well). Roll out on a floured board (to just under 1 cm thick) and cut into shapes - cutters in festive shaped such as stars, trees and angels are lovely but plain round ones are effective too - you can use a drinking glass if you don't have cutters. Lay on baking sheets. Make a hole in the middle of each biscuit - plain round, diamonds, stars - whatever you like, as long as it is big enough for your sweet! Place a sweet in each hole. Bake for about 10 minutes for soft bake cookies or a little longer for dryer, crunchy ones. The sweets will melt down and fill the hole in the oven and then reset once cool. If you want these for tree decoration ONLY you can prelong their life by replacing the sugar in the recipe with salt and adding a couple of tablespoons of PVA glue to the mix (do not eat after doing this option!!) Prior to baking make a small hole in the top with a drinking straw - once cooked and cooled you can thread ribbons through for hanging. Printable version Easy, Last Minute Christmas Fruit Cake by Jean This cake has no added sugar or fat (suitable for a range of diets) but is still really sweet and rich. It should be stored in the fridge and eaten within one week. 8oz/250g/2 cups of cooking dates with the stones removed 10 fl.oz / 300ml/1 and a quarter cups of water (you could substitute a quarter cup of brandy or sherry for a quarter cup of the water if you like) 6oz/175g/1 and a quarter cups of wholemeal flour 1 lb/450g/3 cups of mixed dried fruit of your choice - including lots of dried apricots works very well 2 teaspoons of baking powder 1 teaspoon of mixed spice 4 tablespoons of orange juice For decoration: You can either do a traditional marzipan and white icing topping or use rows of different nuts such as walnuts, pecans, brazils and almonds. Heat the dates and water until the dates are soft. Remove from heat and mash with a fork. Add all the other ingredients and mix well. Spoon into a greased 2lb/900g cake tin and level top. If using the nut topping place rows of different nuts on top of the cake prior to cooking. Bake at 170C/340F for about an hour and a half until cooked. Once cooled the nut topping can be glazed with a little syrup (melt some sugar into hot water) or you can ice traditionally. Printable version Cranberry Ginger Bars by Luree Filling: 3 cups of fresh or frozen cranberries 3/4 cups each of raisins, dried apricots and crystallised ginger 1 lb/450g/3 cups of mixed dried fruit of your choice - including lots of dried apricots works very well 1 cup brown sugar 1 cup apple juice In a large saucepan combine all ingredients. Bring to a gentle boil over a medium heat. Stir for about 5 minutes or until the cranberries have popped. Let cool. Base and Topping: 2 cups flour 3/4 cups brown sugar 1 and a half teaspoons of ground ginger 1/4 teaspoon of salt 1 cup of margarine or vegetable shortening 1 cup of rolled oats 3/4 cup of raw sunflower seeds Mix all ingredients together. Set aside 1 and a half cups of crumb mixture for topping. Press the remainder into a 9" by 13" baking pan. Bake at 180C/350F for 15 minutes. Spread with cranberry mixture and sprinkle with remaining crumbs. Bake for another 30 minutes. Yummy! Printable version Chocolate Yule Log Cake (for people who can't do swiss roll!!) 1 chocolate cake baked in a loaf tin - basic chocolate cake recipe here (or 1 chocolate swiss roll if you can do it!!) 1 batch of vegan chocolate 'butter' icing: Beat together half a cup/130g/4oz vegan margarine with 1 and a third cups/210g/7 oz sifted icing sugar and one tablespoon of cocoa (also sifted to avoid lumps). Beat in a few drops of natural vanilla extract. 1 tablespoon of icing sugar for dusting 1 festive cake board or large plate and decorations of your choice (fake flowers or berries, holly leaves, small baubles etc.) Cake Assembly: Cut the corner off one end of the cake and turn it round to look like a branch (excuse rough drawing!) - arrange on the cake board or plate. Secure the branch with some of the icing. With a knife smooth off the corners of the log to make it rounded. Cover the entire cake with the rest of the icing, then use a fork to make lines and knots like a log :) Dust with icing sugar. Decorate to your hearts content. Printable version Little Chocolate logs 1 chocolate cake prepared in a large square tin so it will not be too deep ( visit the chocolate room if you need a recipe for this) vegan marzipan maya gold (preferably though any dark vegan choc. will do) icing sugar for dusting glace cherries and crystallised angelica for decoration or children might prefer Whizzers chocolate beans or other sweets Cut the cake into small rectangles ( 10 cm. X 4 cm. and 2 or 3 cm. deep). Cut thin pieces of marzipan and place on top of the cakes. Pour melted chocolate over the top of each log, decorate to your hearts content and then dust with the icing sugar (snow!). Printable version Easy chocolate-rum truffles Some left over cake, crumbled - about 2 cups 2 tablespoons of Apricot jam 2 tablespoons of rum (or rum flavouring) 1 teaspoon of cocoa 50g./2oz (half a large bar) of vegan chocolate, melted Coating of choice - cocoa, chopped nuts, coconut etc. Mix everything together and then squeeze into balls (about 5 cm. diameter) and roll in the coating. Place in petit four cases. Printable version Festive Sweets Making your own sweets is actually quite fun - children have a great time with this too. They are also nice gifts if placed in a pretty box or packet. Vegan chocolate - I recommend Maya Gold for these - it's orange spiciness is perfect for this time of year. Nuts of your choice (hazel, walnut, pecan, almond, brazil) Vegan marzipan (many supermarkets stock this) Dates Dessicated coconut Cocoa Icing sugar Crystalised angelica Glace cherries Flaked almonds It's very simple! Melt the chocolate and then dip things in it - nuts, marzipan balls, dates - and then place them on a sheet of grease-proof paper to set. Decorate with angelica, glace cherries (can be made to look like holly) and flaked almonds before the chocolate sets and then you can sprinkle with cocoa, coconut or icing sugar. Dates can be destoned and stuffed with marzipan for a non-chocolate treat. Place in petit four cases and enjoy! Printable version Also see Chocolate Fudge icing or soft fudge Mincemeat by Catriona 1lb/450g cooking apples, peeled, cored and finely chopped 8oz/225g shredded vegetable suet 12 oz/350g sultanas 16 oz/450g dried apricots 12oz/350g soft dark brown sugar grated rind and juice of 2 oranges grated rind and juice of 2 lemons 2oz/60g whole almonds, slivered 4 tsp mixed spice 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon half a nutmeg, grated 6 tbsp vegan brandy Mix all ingredients ,except the brandy, together in a bowl then cover and leave for 12 hours. To prevent fermentation place the mincemeat in a 120C/ 225F oven for 3 hours. Then allow to cool, stir in brandy and put in clean jars and seal. Printable version Christmas Pud by Catriona 12oz/350g sultanas 4oz/120g glace cherries, halved 10z/300g ground almonds 4oz/120g plain flour 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp grated nutmeg 1/2 tsp ground ginger 1 1/2 tsp mixed spice 8oz/230g dark brown molasses sugar 4oz/120gsoft, fresh wholemeal breadcrumbs 8oz/230g vegetable suet grated zest and juice of 1 lemon 1 tbsp black treacle 4 floz/125ml/half a cup soya milk sherry soak the sultanas in plenty sherry Grease a 2 pint pudding basin. Put the soaked fruit, cherries and ground almonds into a large bowl. Add the flour, salt, spices, sugar, breadcrumbs, suet, lemon zest and juice, treacle, soya milk and 4 tbsp sherry. Mix well to make a soft mixture. Spoon into the basin, cover with two layers of greased foil and tie down. Steam for 4 hours. Cool. Cover with a circle of greaseproof paper and two layers of tinfoil. To reheat steam for three hours as before. (I have to say that when I make it I prick the pudding and feed some more sherry or brandy into it...) and don't forget that after it is reheated pour MORE brandy over it and set it on fire. Printable version Vegan Trifle also by Catriona I loved this so much before I was vegan that I veganised it one year and it is excellent... you can leave off the 'cream' layer if you like but I think it makes it! Make a plain vegan sponge and sandwich it together with jam. Slice it up and put it on the bottom of a trifle dish ( or other suitable deep dish) drain a tin of fruit and put on top of the sponge (or use fresh fruit. I like raspberries). Next make up a vegan jelly and pour on top of everything... leave to set. Make up custard with soya milk and pour that on top of the set jelly. Leave that to set. Now put on a thick soya cream made with...2 tbsp cornflour, 2 oz/60g vegan margarine, 1 oz/30g sugar, 1/2 tsp vanilla essence and 1/2 pt/250ml/1 cup of soya milk... blend the cornflour with a little soya milk. Add the rest of the milk gradually and transfer to a saucepan. Bring to the boil gently and stir until the mixture thickens. Set aside to cool. Cream the margarine with the sugar until pale in colour. Beat in the cooled cornflour mixture a little at a time. Add the vanilla essence. Put the cream layer on top of the chilled custard layer. Decorate with fresh fruit and then eat voraciously. The cream can also be turned into brandy cream by adding a spoonful of brandy...serve with Christmas pudding. Printable version top Links and Books for other recipes and ingredient sources. 'Vegetarian Christmas' by Rose Elliot. Not exclusively vegan but there is a plethora of vegan delights included and most of the lacto-ovo recipes are easily 'veganisable'. Our favourite Christmas dinner of Chestnut and Red wine pate en croute is one of many included here along with lots of advice on taking the work out of Christmas catering. This book is full of ideas for lots of special touches which can be prepared early and frozen - a firm favourite. Buy UK or Buy US 'Have Yourself a very Vegan Christmas' by James Mays. A book choc full of totally vegan Christmas recipes at last!! It is only available from the American branch of Amazon - though they do ship internationally, it may take a few weeks to arrive if you live outside the USA. Buy US 'Cooking by the Seasons - simple vegetarian feasts' - a beautiful collection of recipes divided into the four main seasons. Most recipes are either vegan or very easily veganised - there is even a tofu salad especially for vegan goddesses! Information is given on the eight major sabbats (summer solstice, Yule etc.) along with suggested menus - suggestions for Yule include mulled wine, winter solstice pumpkin soup, red, white and green lasange and hazelnut ice cream and many, many ideas for everyday feasts. There is a really good vegan version of macaroni cheese - baked shells with brocolli and tomato. Yum yum yum. Buy UK or Buy US Festive Children's Books - some recommendations from us. Frugal Christmas - economical ideas for Christmas - shopping, recipes, cards and decorations. Nutties - a great range of vegan hampers including Christmas ones. Kinnerton Confectionery are producing some dairy and nut free advent calendars on a first come first served basis - for full details email g.phillpot@kinnerton.com The Redwood Wholefood Co. - UK based company with turkey roasts etc. - all vegan, available by mail order and in health food shops. Wicken Fen - UK makers of vegetarian foods such as sausages and burgers which are available in many UK supermarkets - most of the range is vegan. Tofurky.com - an American site offering online ordering of vegan turkey substitutes. Kansas' Vegan Christmas Cookies - festive cookie recipes, from Snickerdoodles to Expresso Fudgies! Vegan Christmas Recipes from Parsley Soup - both sweet and savoury festive home cooking. Gift Ideas We like to support vegan companies and charities by doing, at least some of our gift and card shopping with them: UK organisations (most do international orders too) Vegan Family House Gadget Shop - our vegan designs on t-shirts such as the one on the right, mousemats, bags and aprons - you can change the colours, styles etc. to suit yourself or even design your own personal items. Our CafePress Store we have a larger range of products available here - babywear, t-shirts, caps, cards, magnets, badges, bags, mugs and even undies! They ship from the USA but arrive very quickly and have reasonable postage rates. VIVA (Vegetarians and Vegans Voice for Animals) chocolates, wine, toys, books, mugs, badges, clothing, cards. Online ordering. Animal Aid chocolate, wine, clothing, footwear, toiletries, books, cards, mugs, magnets. Online ordering Veganstore.co.uk lots of food items (yes, including chocolate!), T-shirts, books, footwear, badges and magnets, candles, toiletries - now stocking foil wrapped tree decorations and chocolate snowmen!! Online ordering. UK Vegan Society - T-shirts, mugs, chocolates, footwear, wine, candles, games, books, e-mail or phone them on 01424 427393 to request a full catalogue. Respect for Animals - merchandise sold in aid of this campaign against the fur trade - includes mugs, T-shirts and vegan chocolate. Dr.Hadwen Trust - boxed chocolates, fudge, chocolate dipped honeycomb (non-animal), turkish delight - mail order or available online at Cruelty Free Shop American Organisations A Different Daisy - online vegan store selling many different products. Snooty Jewelry - vegan jewelry online. And don't forget our own Bookstore with vegan cookbooks, parenting, nature, spiritual and health titles and fiction section and The Kid's Bookstore (with great titles from Harry Potter to Herb the Vegetarian Dragon and Dr. Seuss !) (International shipping from both the UK and the USA) Have a good festive season home . vegan . kids . surgery . bookstore . kids books . fiction . support . celebrity . earth kitchen . printable recipes . chocolate . soups . salads . sauces . entrees . cakes . foodlinks Daniel . Charlotte . furry friends . family photos . festive . Christmas . Easter . winter . summer links . kidslinks . banners . what's new? . webrings . email . mailing list . guestbook . add a link

Christmas gifts. That means

buynothingchristmas - Alternatives home alternatives resources stories questions media about contact us To help you celebrate your Buy Nothing Christmas. Many of the following ideas were borrowed from Bill McKibben's Hundred Dollar Holiday and from the Center for a New American Dream . You are welcome to give us your gift ideas . Well, our buy-nothing circle spread just a little wider this Christmas, and I'd like to share a few highlights. They include some "transition" gift ideas too, for those who can't handle BNC just yet: - One friend saved us a lot of money by simply handing us some RAM for our PC. He knew we needed it and he had extra. It was great! - Two family members got creative and made by hand an "action figure" of my husband and a marionette of me! Of course, this wouldn't work if the individuals didn't happen to be so artistically talented, but what unique and personal gifts! - Another friend who makes pottery simply gave us a lovely bowl more special than anything we could have bought. - Parents bought us necessities that we would have had to buy anyway. - We made writing paper with hand-drawn silly little doodles and hand-folded envelopes for some friends. - For most of those who weren't ready to move to a buy-nothing Christmas, we bought organic herbal teas and fair-trade coffees... they don't add to the clutter because they're enjoyed and gone, and they support sustainable businesses! Small steps ... but in the right direction. - Sara Parks Ricker Brilliant website and ideas. You get my full support. As an another idea, try www.oxfamunwrapped.com . It allows you to send a gift to the 3rd World and depending on your budget you can buy chickens, blankets, radios, right up to a travelling theatre! Our 10 year old son has 'traded in' some store gift vouchers to buy a goat. We have sent friends and families christmas 'gifts'from this site. Best wishes - Chris, Nottingham, UK At our house, we try to make all Christmas gifts. That means that December is a flurry of activity as our children make salt dough ornamments and then paint them to give to teachers and other adult friends. Last year, one boy made playdough, and one made a crayon ball to give to the other. For our friends, we've painted white candles with Christian symbols; these have become tradition. For our extended families, we made books with old pictures and memories. Our children especially love hand-made gifts; in this age where everything is plastic, they relish the idea of love in a sweater. - Molly I have been going down to my local recycling centre to see what's on offer. To my surprise, I found 10 glass coffee containers. Which are now glassed painted and filled with goodies for kids. - Sophia I am putting together a booklet of favorite family recipes, I will give From a recent news story : Giving More by Giving Less It takes only a bit of creative thinking to come up with alternatives to excessive consumerism. Some ideas: * Students at Trinity Western University [Langley, BC, Canada] set up a free store, bringing things they didn't need and trading with each other. * One family does a "make or bake" among siblings, exchanging names and producing one homemade gift each. * Some families now include sponsoring a child overseas or providing a goat or chickens for a micro-enterprise as a means of teaching their children to reach out to others. Or they help out at a soup kitchen or deliver Christmas hampers together. * Time is often a bigger gift than money. Creating coupons that offer free babysitting or housecleaning, a neck massage or a special treat can mean more than a stocking stuffer. * Offer to teach someone a skill you have. * Write a poem, tell a story, draw a picture or take a photograph and present it in a creative way. * Give fairly traded coffee, tea or chocolate, get beautiful items at garage sales or buy gifts from shops that support artisans in poorer countries. * Make your own cards from recycled paper. * Avoid commercial wrapping paper, ribbons, bows and tape, which are not recyclable, and opt for gift bags, tea towels or nice boxes, which are eco-friendly. From an article by Debra Fieguth in Faith Today , Nov/Dec 2004. everyone a copy. A couple of years ago I did a calendar for the family with everyone's photos and birthdays. That was a big hit. - Karin Last year we had a cookie exchange instead of a big party for work. Everyone brought cookies or treats - whatever their specialty was (one person made tree ornaments instead). We RSVP'd so we knew how many cookies to make, one for each person because we had so many people. We all went home with piles of cookies and treats. It was great, and so much fun. - Annika Sangster What about bumper stickers? I'd love to puchase some of these posters in bumper sticker format. Available? - schrills Editors response: Hmm... I'm already feeling like we have too much stuff on our website. Would we sell the bumper stickers on the Buy Nothing Christmas website? Maybe start off with a colour printout of your favourite poster, laminate it and then glue it on your bumper. I know, sounds dumb, and like a lot of work. But the more time you spend creating your own world, your own messages, the more alive you become. I can help with re-formatting graphics or text for printouts. Let me know how it goes. If you have some success with bumper stickers, let me know and I'll try to spread the word. Best, Aiden. I'm going to give my art this Christmas. It gave me the motivation to finish the production of a demo CD. The first copies will go to my family and friends. —Gabriel Give Linux for Christmas! It's free and it works like a charm! These days, distributions include not only the operation system that runs your computer, but applications such as word processing, spreadsheets, picture and sound editing, etc. And give a hand installing it. It's not that it's too difficult, but some people's tech-savvyness is rather limited. —Gilles Pelletier We have just launched a new scheme in the UK called Wedding List Giving Ltd. It allows the prospective bride and groom to choose a charity and ask guests to donate towards the "gifts of their choice." Hannah Crouch [Editor's note: the site includes charities like the Alzheimers Society, Amnesty International, Cancer Research UK, Children's Express, Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace, Oxfam, Tearfund and others.] Just try make a spiritual gift, not material, not an object. I prefer doing something - singing a song, writing a poem - for a person. Plus a little beatiful card, because most people want to "have something in the hands," it's just a habit. —Matania, Russia Great site, lovely idea. Some friends of mine have a jumble exchange; it works like this. Everyone brings clothes, books, ornaments or toys that they don't really use any more. It all gets laid out on tables or a tarpaulin in the garden (or in the house if you have room). Everyone picks out what they want (no money changes hands). At the end there's a "grand holding up" where everyone is shown what is left. If no-one wants it, it goes to a charity shop (thrift store). Usually there are three or four big bags left over to go to the charity shop. Another idea is to write out some nice poetry in calligraphy style and frame it. To avoid buying the frame, you could make it out of driftwood or broken china mosaic, or pebbles. —Yvonne Aburrow We bought wax and made homemade candles. My husband carved stamps, we made our own paper and made greeting cards on recycled paper. Most of all, we vow to get the Christmas spending craziness under control and pay attention to our families and each other instead of the mall! If you still want to give a gift, there are so many more worthy causes than supporting the manufacture of plastic toys. I work for a nonprofit organization that supports grassroots groups working to live sustainably, preserve biodiversity, and gain a voice in their future. See www.greengrants.org . Other groups doing similar work include www.globalfundforwomen.org , www.globalfundforchildren.org . For more information on global giving in general, see www.gwob.org —Erika Carlson For your husband: Go to your favourite market or second hand shop and get a nice frame. With your most creative writing, write your wedding vows. — Maud Ray I usually make fudge (it helps to find a really good recipe) and put it in tins. I also buy old frames for cards, etc., I think the person would enjoy. I don't buy for anyone that is not either my child or parents/inlaws. And other than for the kids, I refuse to pay a lot. The cheaper it is the more personal it is sometimes. — Shelley, Prince Edward Island, Canada For me, environment and peace issues are interrelated, inseparable even. Some gift purchases help the environment and peace: Give people CFL bulbs to save energy. Give Fair Trade coffee, tea and chocolate made in people-friendly and earth-friendly ways. Buy recycled paper for people. If possible pay someone to buy clean electricity which is still more expensive than dirty electricity. And one of our special concerns: Purchase a Peace Bond from the Nonviolent Peaceforce which even now has peace teams in Sri Lanka. "Upon Maturity the Bearer will See a Large International Team Trained for Nonviolent Conflict Intervention Around the World". Go to NonviolentPeaceforce.org to learn more. Keep up the good work. — A. Palmer, Swarthmore, Pennsylvania Perhaps an alternative to department stores is Ten Thousand Villages which provides vital, fair income to Third World artisans by marketing their handicrafts and telling their stories in North America. This alternative emphasizes the fair distribution of wealth while still in a consumerism context. — Shalom, Carl Make a sweater from yarn found at goodwill/used clothing store. — Kristina Giggz Look through your (and your kids') old clothes, cut out squares of fabrics they will remember, and make a little wall hanging or pillow or stuffed toy or whatever. Pick a nice quote or scripture verse and write it up in calligraphy or a nice handwriting. — Gwenyth When i was little my parents always recorded a tape of me singing christmas caroles and/or reading stories for my grandparents and other family that lived far away. When i got older i started to make little comics for my friends, that were about us and things we had done. always with an added twist and some inside humour. This is totally fun to do- even if you're drawings are crappy. i think that this year i will write stories for my friends and family telling them why i love them! — T.B. Make pillows or stuffed animals. Cut out soft pieces of felt and hot glue them on to the pillow to personalize them with messages or make cute faces. — Kaitlin Give something you don't use any more. A sweater that you only wore once; a set of drinking glasses you forgot you owned. Clean them up and give them as gifts. I have found all sorts of things in my apartment that I have no need for, but know someone who would appreciate and enjoy it! — Jessica When someone asks what I want for Christmas I tell them, "Peace on Earth. Goodwill for all". If they explore the idea further (usually with, "No, really. What do you want?") I tell them to pick a charity and give to them whatever they would have spent on me. It makes me feel good that someone who really needs it is getting something. And ... It always fits! — Bill Budenholzer Babysitting coupons for the new parents. Grow your own veggies, can or freeze them and give them away at Christmas/Solstice. Spend more time with your family and friends...when you're dead you won't be able to. Decide as a family to work less hours, spend less and have more time together. Shovel the sidewalk for your neighbour. Plant trees. — Lee Make a small drawing of your select person's living room or other room in their house and give it to them. — Julian van Mossel-Forrester I have been giving more gifts that consist of certificates of gift from the Heifer Project . This year the only exception is my 9 year old granddaughter. — Paul Shankland I am making several batches of biscuits ("cookies" your side of the pond!) and boxes from some lovely dark red recycled card. — Alice Crawford Plant plants, now, to give for Christmas. Herbs, in particular. This is one way to always be present in your loved one's days for a while to come. — jeela Buy a used book and in the inside cover explain why you chose the book for that person. Make tree ornaments out of old CDs. Purchase gifts at a fair-trade shop, garage sale or thrift shop. Make hand-made soap or candles. If you are skilled in a particular area, offer a lesson or class. Make a birdseed ball. Make a soothing, herb pillow filled with lavender, rose, etc. Collect quotes that make you think of someone. Stamp and address postcards for family members. For the elderly people in your life, research newspaper and magazine articles from their youth and present in a creative fashion. Make a calendar with pictures of family members and/or scenery. Wrap gifts in newspaper, maps, scarves or interesting clothing. Fill an old trunk or suitcase with fun clothing, hats and gaudy jewelry for your children to play dress-up. Make a puppet from a sock. Give away a valued possession. Frame a piece of your artwork. Fill a basket with home-made goodies. Bake your favourite holiday treat and pack in a recycled tin. Paint an empty wine bottle with non-toxic paint and fill with olive oil. Top with an oil pour spout that can be found at a gourmet cooking shop. Videotape and interview your elderly parents about childhood memories, how they met, etc., and give to siblings or children. Compile a list of memories and arrange them in a creative fashion. Do something exciting and challenging together (e.g., long walk, bike ride, hike, art course). Knit a stocking, hat, socks, etc. Write and illustrate a book for the young people in your life. Collect meaningful photos for the gift recipient, make colour photocopies and create a collage. Create a menu of various culinary delights (e.g., Tantalizing Thai, Mexican Fiesta, etc.) and have the gift recipient choose one of the options. Create coupons for a massage, spring cleaning, child-minding, manicure, etc.

Housewarming Gift Idea A

Housewarming Gift Idea - Housewarming Gift Basket Housewarming Gift Idea - Housewarming Gift Basket Housewarming Gift Idea A Housewarming Gift Idea from Harry and David can bring a smile to the face of any new homeowner. Look no further for the perfect housewarming gif idea. Housewarming Gift Basket Our 9 star All Occasion Housewarming Gift Basket is our biggest occasion gift basket. This delightful housewarming gift basket contains fruits, nuts, candy and more. Next time you have to choose a housewarming gift idea choose the perfect housewarming gift basket from Harry and David. OCCASIONS Last Minute Gifts All Occasion Gifts Americana Anniversary Back to Campus Birthday Congratulations Get Well Housewarming New Baby Sympathy Thank You Thinking of You Wedding Gifts Halloween Thanksgiving Christmas Hanukkah New Year's Holiday Early Bird Sale You are here: Occasions > Housewarming NEW 9-Star All-Occasion Basket Impressive presentation for a large family or office. They'll receive the finest, freshest Harry and David quality all the way. Delight them with the sweetest Pears and Apples of the season, Cheddar and Jack Cheeses, Strawberry Preserves, Honey Roasted Nuts, Smoked Sausage, Cranberry-Orange Cake, Strawberry and Blueberry Candies and Moose Munch caramel popcorn. Net wt. 9 lbs. Available to ship year round. Choose One: NEW 9-Star All-Occasion Basket Item No. 4202Z $ 89.95 NEW Grand Fruit Basket ( details ) Over eleven pounds of incredible gourmet food. Item No. 8Z $ 99.95 Sign in to access your address book Send To: Recipient List Me Or: Add New Name Need Help? We'll ask for shipping info at checkout Our Guarantee : You must be delighted, or we'll make it right. Subscribe to receive special updates and exclusive offers. Services: Register Now | Customer Service | Gift Services | Gift Card | Catalog Quick Order | Same Day Delivery Gift Finder | My Giftlist™ | Order History | Catalog Request | International APO/FPO Information: Homepage | Harvest Report | Privacy Policy | Browser Requirements | Site Map | About Us Order toll free anytime 1-877-322-1200 © 2005, Harry and David. All Rights Reserved. Harry and David is a registered trademark. [4]