The holiday season is officially upon us. I have found and received many great inexpensive and green gift ideas for the holidays. Following is a round up everyone’s suggestions:

1. Handmade Children’s Toys: I know I suggested checking out etsy in the last post, but I really liked this Rainbow Bunting Set that Queen City Craft highlighted in a recent post. It is a great gift for young children and made locally! Green Mountain Wee Woolies also has plenty of other handmade creations.

2. CD Covers: Roxy Jewelry had a great post about recycled CD/DVD covers made from old Magic Eye books. As she suggests, what a great idea to make a music mix and wrap it up in something special–this is an easy, thoughtful, and inexpensive gift anyone would appreciate. Though she has run out of this design, she has Grand Canyon covers available and it is also easy to make your own!

3. Cookie Molds: Do you have friends or family members who love to bake? Check out Brown Bag Designs. For the second year in a row, they have created a cookie mold whose sale benefits a different non-profit. This year they chose Heifer International and created a beautiful “Heifer and Friends” cookie mold. They cost $19.95 with $12 of the sale going directly to Heifer International.

4. Books: For all of you book-lovers and friend of book-lovers, how about putting together a collection of used and vintage titles? A post on Thrifty Chicks has inspired me to put together a collection of children’s books for my nephew. Whether you have a friend or family member who loves classics, mysteries, romance, or history, browsing through Goodwill and other second-hand stores is sure to be successful.

5. Candles: How about homemade candles? Check out this post about how to make candles in your crockpot!

6. Lip Balm: Don’t let your friends’ lips get chapped! Lip balm is fun and easy to make. Try this simple recipe at Green Bee or check out this post if you would like to make a bunch at once.

7. Food: Who doesn’t like to eat? How about putting together a basket of local foods from Maine, New Hampshire, or Vermont? You are sure to find these products at your local grocery stores or specialty shops. Maple syrup, oatmeal, ployes, granola…there is lots of great local food that would make for excellent presents.

Final Thoughts…

Not to drag down all this holiday cheer, but the holiday can produce lots of waste: wrapping paper, ribbons, bows, bags…you get the picture. I read a great post on the Lean Green Family about some easy steps you can take to reduce holiday waste.

Finally, this is the time of year for giving. If you’re not sure what to buy someone, rather than get them stuff you they may not want or need, consider making a donation to an organization they care about in their name. This is a gift anyone will appreciate. Read more about giving on the Lean Green Family’s “Spend Less, Give More” post.

Please stay tuned for more posts this month about affordable holiday options, including some great finds at Goodwill stores!