Buying gifts for your loved ones can be pure torture especially when they have everything. So, here are some practical eco-friendly gift ideas for the holidays. In fact, I have all the relative bases covered. Read on.
1. The Exerciser:
Not many of you know, but I love Zumba. In fact, I love any exercise where I can dance. It beats the crap out of walking on the treadmill.
Raul, one of my instructors, makes Zumba so much fun, that I don’t realize that I am a sweat mess by the end of the class. Thank goodness for my trusty water bottle to keep me hydrated!
So, if you have exercise lovers in your family, a stainless steel bottle is a must to keep your water nice and cold.
But why not plastic, you ask.
Plastic is just plain horrible for the environment and your health. (Yeah. I am a broken record about my relationship with plastic, but just in case that I need to convince you again, read here how stainless steel kicks the heck out of plastic.)
I love my Klean Kanteen’s stainless steel bottle because it is durable and well-made. So for those family members who already stated their New Year’s resolution is to lose weight and get in shape, put a stainless steel water bottle in their stocking as an incentive.
2. The “I want to eat healthier” family member
While we are on the health kick subject, this year, I made a conscious effort to bring my lunch wherever I go. Lately, with my food limitations, reusable containers have been a life saver for me. I love my stainless steel containers from both Klean Kanteen and Life Without Plastic.
So, if you know a loved one whose goal is to eat healthier, consider buying the whole enchilada: a lunch box, stainless steel containers, and fork and knife from Mighty Nest. Read my friend, Trina’s review of their products.
P.S. Aren’t those California rolls pictured above making you hungry? I thought so. Be sure to watch the video how to make your own California rolls to munch on during the day.
3. The Dry Skin Sufferer.
Actually, I could use a cream for my hands the whole year. I don’t treat them very well. They are stuck in dirt, get snagged on rose bushes, and get burnt by my hot jam. (Man, that hurt.) If they could leave me, they would.
They obviously need some love. My friend, Karen, constantly tells me to buy Earth Mama Angel Baby’s nipple butter to soothe my boo-boos. It is toxin-free and doesn’t have parabens or other harmful preservatives.
Although the product is meant to soothe chapped nipples from breastfeeding, Karen swears by its healing properties. She bought it to soothe her son’s eczema. Read her review here. She says it works magic for old mamas and babies too.
Your loved one’s hands/elbows/legs will thank you.
By the way, Earth Mama makes great products, so check out their website as well.
4. The Gardener
In case you missed my last post, I listed a myriad of wonderful gardening items to buy for your gardening obsessed family member (or yourself) My all time favorite item is potato bags. I have 16 of them and love, love, love them. You can buy them here.
5. The Energy Nut.
Okay, that would be me. Years ago, I received a Black and Decker Thermal Leak Detector. I drove hubs crazy looking for leaks around the windows, fireplaces, and doors. I couldn’t wait until it got bitter cold outside so I could play Energy Sherlock Holmes.
In all honesty, I did discover where my sliding glass doors were leaking and have been working with a window company to stop the leakage.
Let’s be honest. This leak detector isn’t an infrared high tech machine but it does an excellent job pointing out where there is air infiltration.
6. The Music Lover
Most headsets are made of plastic, especially PVC. So what do you get a person who dislike plastic but loves music? Thinksound Wood Headphones are the perfect gift. My friend, Beth writes in her review:
“The cables are PVC-free, and the housing is made from wood (the company is working on getting FSC certified) and aluminum instead of plastic. In fact, these headphones probably contain the least amount of plastic on the market. Even the ear inserts are made from silicone instead of petroleum-based plastic.”
They are pricey but my friend, Beth, raves about them. So, plastic free+great sound=happy relative. Sounds like a plan.
7. The Cook
I could go on and on about products that I love from my stainless steel dehydrator to my bad boy Presto canner. However, I am in the honeymoon phase with my new 14 cup BPA-free Cuisinart food processor. It is so much fun to use.
The food processor is such a time saver since the bowl can handle big jobs.
I had an inherited food processor that was over 30 years old, but it was so hard to operate. The Cuisinart is so effortless. Press a button and it just does its thing–slice, dice, and shred.
I would be remiss if I didn’t tell you. This machine is heavy so if you have available counter space, just leave it there.
So, if one of your family members love to cook, this Cuisinart is the perfect gift.
Join the Conversation:
- What are you buying your family members for the holidays?
- What are your favorite eco-friendly gift ideas for the holidays?
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. Purchasing a product through these links helps Green Talk to continue to create awesome content. Thanks for the support.
Photo of the lunchbox items by ecokaren. All other photos are from Amazon.com.
James Paulson says
Excellent list! Thanks for sharing! I’ve in a bit of a bind right now for last-minute Xmas gifts, so these will come in handy!
Suzanne Holt says
Wow! I have never even heard of wood head phones. Where would you pick up something like that? The link was broken. I’ll have to do a little research. That sounds interesting!
Anna@Green Talk says
Suzanne, thanks for the heads up. I fixed the link. Anna