Free e-book Friday: It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

Need a little inspiration without spending hours on Pinterest? This week's free e-books feature focuses on DIY gift ideas for Christmas, Hanukkah and other gift-giving needs.

 

DIY Christmas Gifts: Create Simple DIY Gifts That Wow Friends And Family (Christmas - Hanukkah - Holidays - Gifts - DIY) 

 

Homemade Christmas Gifts: 14 Gift Ideas & DIY Home Decor

Favorite Christmas Cookies

 

Best Christmas Cookie Recipes: Easy Holiday Cookies 2014

 

Christmas Gifts They'll Actually Like! 25 Easy, Homemade Gift Ideas - Plus Instructions 

 

Craft-Less Bundle: Easy, DIY, Budget Gift Ideas for Men and Boys & Greeting Card Gifts for Kids, Teens and Adults

And don't forget to check out Cherie Lowe's Keep the Happy in Your Holidays. Read my review here before you buy.

Free e-books Friday: Christmas and Holiday Season

Since the weather outside is supposed to be frightful, I thought I'd share some free e-book readings to get you in the mood for the next set of holidays:

• Favorite Christmas Cookies 
• Homemade Christmas Gifts: 14 Gift Ideas & DIY Home Decor 
• The Perfect Pie: A Handbook for Pie Lovers 
• Mrs. Claus' Christmas Cookies: Make Impressive Holiday Treats 
• Holiday Dinners: Recipes, Articles and Equipment 
• Gingerbread Houses 
• Craft-Less Bundle: Easy, DIY, Budget Gift Ideas for Men and Boys & Greeting Card Gifts for Kids, Teens and Adults 
• Decorating for Christmas: Your Guide To Simple, Fun and Inexpensive DIY Decorations and Crafts for Christmas 
• A Paleo Christmas - Quick, Easy, and Delicious Paleo Recipes For The Holidays

Need more ideas? I'm also excited to be part of the launch team for The Queen of Free's newest e-book -Keep the Happy in Your Holidays: 21 Ways to Save Time, Money, and Your Sanity This Christmas Season. (It's not free today, but a mere $1.99 at Amazon.)

While I've worked hard the last few years to NOT have additional lingering debt after the Christmas gift-giving season, I'm always on the lookout for new ideas to save money without sacrificing our traditions. Check it out!

Prayer Kneelers for Kids

Helping my children learn to pray is once of the greatest joys - and challenges - I have had as a parent.

While perusing the garden clearance, I was inspired to make prayer kneelers for my kids. I had seen this idea last summer on Catholic Icing, initially considering this as part of our Brownie troop's Family of God religious award journey, but would think about gathering supplies for the project when it was definitely out of season.

Lately I've noticed that my youngest has created a "prayer spot," completely unprovoked, in his room. There is an "Our Father" poster he made in kindergarten, as well as a cross and the various crafts he's made during Vacation Bible School. I thought a prayer kneeler would be a great addition.

I found these apple-shaped garden kneelers on clearance at Walgreens for $2 each, and I used marker to decorate them with a rosary and children's names to create portable prayer kneelers for my godchild and for my children. 

(Why portable? Of course the kids are going to carry things around. Everywhere...)

The kids' prayer kneelers will be packaged with some inspirational reading for Christmas gifts. (I can also see it as a gift for First Communion, or a craft project for Vacation Bible School or Sunday school class.)

On the back, it says "When life gets too hard to stand, kneel." I hope the kids take it to heart.

Giving and receiving: When your loved one is struggling

"To learn to give, you have to learn to receive," a sister told me years ago.


It is the toughest advice I ever had to swallow but one I think I benefit from each day.

My baby boy was just a baby, my husband was out of work, and the great recession was in its beginnings. Everyone was scared. And so was I.

This was the year that Christmas came from loved ones - and many secret Santas I'm still grateful for. They blessed us with diapers, clothes, toys for the children. I spent that Christmas day in half tears, devastated by the fact we ourselves couldn't provide things for our family. The Kroger gift card - giving us a week's worth of groceries - drove the point home. Never intended, but our situation was too raw.

I learned my "lesson" that year and despite our financial situation tucked away a few things over the year (clearance summer clothes, etc.), determined not to be empty under the tree.

But it took even longer for me to learn the real lesson. Whatever we have - no matter how little - is a gift from God, and we always have the chance to grace others and share blessings.

Here are some ways we've learned to bless others - and some tips for friends and family who are on the "other side" wanting to help:

Blessing When You're Broke

• Time and talent: I always try to remember that in our church they talk about gifts of time, talent and treasure. (Note the treasure is last!) Gifts of time and talent can make such a difference - whether it's donating time to a charitable organization or making an upcycled gift.
  
  In the last few years, while we try to recover from our financial upset, we have redoubled our efforts to help, whether it's at school, scouts or church. Not only does it provide needed volunteer support, but my children will remember that mom and dad were there! Maybe you can't donate to the Angel Tree; can you help wrap gifts or deliver them?
  
  The gift of time is simple too. While I don't do gifts for friends, we do invite them for cookie making - treasured time when everyone is so busy! Or offer to babysit one night for a dear friend.
• Use ExtraBucks wisely. As we don't have a lot of extra money right now, we are very careful in what we can donate. But I have recently realized that ExtraBuck deals can bless others. Now I buy nearly free diapers for our Gabriel Project at church or free foods or medications for the church food pantry. Every bit helps.
• Reach out. I believe people naturally want to help others but sometimes we need to give them the opportunity. A woman at church knew a family whose home burnt. She certainly couldn't help them in all the ways they needed, so she reached out. And we reached out. A few phone calls later and I had not only clothes for one daughter from us but also clothes for a son and decorations for a Christmas tree I had heard was being donated to the family.

Helping Loved Ones Who are Financially Struggling

• Don't be afraid to ask what they need...and gently encourage them to share. Do the kids need new shoes? PJs? Maybe they need diapers (or maybe cloth ones they can reuse?) or gas cards?  Be specific. Saying to let me know if you need anything, or asking what I can do to help may not get you far.
• Help meet emotional needs. While you're not a therapist, even something as simple as movie tickets and an offer to watch the kids for a night can give parents the emotional break from the constant worry of a situation.
• Be practical without feeling"practical." Sure you could buy groceries, but you can also buy a basket of locally made spaghetti sauces, breads and salad dressings (for example) from the winter farmers market or buy a gift certificate to a local produce delivery service. It makes the ordinary - cooking and worrying about feeding the family - feel a bit more decadent.
• Consider experience gifts for the kids. My mother one year bought the kids soccer and dance lessons at the parks department instead of toys. She likely even saved money, but more importantly, the kids felt a little more "normal" and for once weren't turned down when they asked to do an activity.
• Take the focus, if you can, off money. Invite them for a popcorn and Christmas movie night at your house, take them to a free or low-cost Christmas event, go caroling or looking at the Christmas lights, or invite the kids out for an afternoon of sledding.
• Remember, while they appreciate it, it's also hard to receive. Being in a position of constant worry is difficult, and it's hard to learn to receive gracefully.

American Girl Stocking Stuffer: Make Your Own Sleep Mask

Last Christmas Eve, my daughter threw me for a loop. As we were setting out our stockings that night, suddenly a tiny stocking from the tree appeared for Sophie, her "American Girl" doll. 

I looked confused. Santa only brings for kids, I said. 

But, she argued, the doll was good. 

Fortunately I had a small accessory I had picked up that I quietly switched to Sophie's stocking that night. And I thought that was the end of it.

This year, though, she's already informed her brother that Santa will bring toys for his stuffed animals if he finds a stocking for him!

While I'm still shaking my head about that one, I did come up with a quick stocking stuffer idea for her doll this year. For the craftily challenged, it only takes about 5 minutes and can be done with minimal supplies at home. My daughter loves the sleep mask we had purchased for her for road trips, so why not make one for her doll, too?

Here's what you need for your a sleep mask for your doll.

Felt, craft foam or fabric scrap - approximately business card size or slightly larger.

Ribbon or yarn

Fold the felt in half horizonally and round the corners. Unfold.

Cut the ribbon or yarn in half and thread each half into one end of the sleep mask. Knot it so it doesn't loosen. 

To use, place sleep mask over face and tie around the back of the head. Sweet dreams!

Linked to Motivation Mondays, Titi's Crafty Party, The Mommy Club.

Recycled Reindeer Ornaments

Some old bottle caps and branches from my dormant lilies should put a smile on faces this winter.

Our Brownie troop made Recycled Reindeer Ornaments to decorate a wreath for a local fundraiser recently.

Here's how we did the project - perfect for small gifts by little hands or a snowy day craft. It's quick but the girls enjoyed it.

Supplies:

Plastic bottle lids, cleaned (even if you avoid plastic, certainly a neighbor or coworker doesn't)

wiggle eyes

pom poms

glue

small twigs, branches or sticks

ribbon to adhere to back

marker if you'd like to add other accents, like a mouth

Glue the items together as below. Add ribbon loop on the back.

 Here is the finished wreath! Adorable.

This is linked back to Motivation Mondays and the More the Merrier Mondays.

Gifts that Give Twice (and a giveaway)

Giving a gift always leaves that unanswered question - "Did the person like it? Did it mean anything?"

This year, I'd like you to consider a gift that gives twice. 

One such option is the long-standing World Vision Gift Catalog, which offers more than 30 options for handcrafted items from around the world in addition to opportunities to support causes ranging from nutrition and safe drinking water programs, to poverty relief and community development programs.

The catalog includes hand-crafted gifts (which also include a donation to World Vision), including gifts for foodies, jewelry and scarves, and Christmas ornaments.

We had the opportunity to check out the Prosperity Cinnamon gift box, which includes Vietnam's renowned sweet cinnamon, sold to benefit generations of hard working families. I absolutely love the wooden box, adorned with the symbol or prosperity, and have to say it may be the best cinnamon we have tasted.

A great thing about this cinnamon, beside the taste, is that it comes from a renewable resource - the Cassia tree. Logging and slash-and-burn agricultural practices have contributed to soil degradation and deforestation in Vietnam. Other environmental issues include water pollution, overfishing, contaminated potable water supplies, and urbanization.

I invite you to check out the World Vision site for this and other foodie gifts for this holiday season. World Vision is also giving away one Prosperity Cinnamon gift box to one lucky Going Green Mama reader.

You can enter by:

1. Posting below. What gift from the catalog would you most like to give?
2. Tweet about the giveaway. Tag @goinggreenmama1.
3. Pin this giveaway.
4. Like https://www.facebook.com/worldvisionWorld Vision on Facebook.
5. Like Going Green Mama on Facebook. 

We will draw one winner on Dec. 14, and we will contact the winner for World Vision to ship it to you.

World Vision is a Christian relief and development organization dedicated to helping children, families, and communities worldwide reach their full potential by tackling the causes of poverty and injustice. It works in nearly 100 countries, including the United States, through interventions such as nutrition and safe drinking water programs, poverty relief and community development programs, disaster assistance, and more.In 2012, 85 percent of World Vision's total operating expenses were used for programs that benefit children, families, and communities in need. Visit them on Facebook or Twitter.

Disclosure: I did receive a sample from World VIsion, and the organization is providing the giveaway.

Santa's not stuffing us with toys

Santa's not stuffing us with toys this year. And I am so excited.

We've really tried to watch our consumption of toys and stuff, and have been doing considerable purging of late. Even this Christmas has been lighter from a "stuff" perspective. We still got the kids three gifts each, but they were smaller, like small Lego sets and photo books of our day at Disney World. It was a relief to have October arrive and not have to sweating Christmas gifts for my kids - or where to put them.

But what about from Santa?

We realize this may be the last year both my children "believe," and we don't want to diminish the joy of stockings on Christmas morning. But again, we didn't want to fill our kids up with candy or lots of trinky toys.

Our solution: Simple. Santa got each child a book for their stocking and a small item to quietly play with Christmas morning (my daughter is getting washi tape; my son a mini Lego set that was free with purpose.) But the "Santa gift" will be the best surprise of all. We found a Living Social deal for a trip to an indoor water park to knock off the winter blahs.

We're excited that this year Mr. Claus is giving the gift of experience. Hopefully it will be lighter on his sleigh, too.

Looking for experiential gifts? Here are some ideas:

 Family Experiences

• trip to a museum
• trip to the zoo
• an afternoon movie
• tickets to a children’s show at a local theatre or the movies
• ice skating
• rollerskating
• tobaggoning
• going to a minor league baseball game
• train ride
• trip to the beach
• skiing

Recycled Jesse Tree Ornaments

I'd been kicking the idea of a Jesse Tree for a few years now, but it usually was in the middle of December, when it was far too late.

Then I got the email yesterday morning: Walking the Seasons had a last-minute need for a Jesse Tree ornament swap, and would I be interested? 

Interested, yes. Time and cash-strapped, most definitely. Add in the fact that I needed to get them in the mail this weekend, and I just eliminated any hope of running to the store for last-second supplies.

The solution? A recycled Jesse Tree ornament that ended up being a whole-family affair.

Here's how we pulled off 28 ornaments in little time, all by using items in our home.

1) We took cardboard boxes we'd yet to recycle and mod-podged scrapbook paper to it for a background.

2) We traced a cup lid for the round ornament shape and cut them out. We free-hand cut tear drops, the shape we were assigned to, and adhered them to the ornament, then covered them all with a layer of Modgpodge to ensure no loose ends.

3) I had  bottle of pearlized coating for stamping that my mother had given me some time ago that I had not used, so we used a small layer on that to add additional shine to our tears.

4) We punched a hole in the top and threaded some leftover ribbon through.

Simple but effective for symbolizing tears of pain and abandonment in the Old Testament.

I'm excited to see how the others turn out and introducing this new tradition into our home!

Jenny's Cranberry Sauce

This fresh cranberry sauce recipe was brought to our department pitch-in last year and was a huge hit.

Jenny's Cranberry Sauce

Combine in medium saucepan:

2 bags cranberries

2 cups white sugar (I did use Splenda in my recipe)

3 tablespoons light brown sugar

Grated zest from 1 orange

Juice from 1 orange, about 1/2 cup

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 1/2 cups water

Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until sugar is dissolved and the berries start to pop. Reduce heat to simmer and continue to cook until the syrup thickens slightly. If it still tastes too tart for you, add a little more brown sugar and cinnamon and cook a little longer on low heat.

Savory Christmas brunch

After all the candies, cookies, chocolates and desserts, who really wants more sweets for breakfast on Christmas Day? (Unless of course, you're under 10 years old.)

But many Christmas morning treats just add to the sugar blitz. And that's fine, but sometime's you need a reprieve from the sweets!

Instead, you might consider something simpler for the morning rush. In our home, we've enjoyed baked French toast for years on Christmas morning. It's easy to prepare once the children have gone to bed, and you can pop it into the oven in the morning.

Last year, we deviated from the sweeter French toast recipes that abound and tried this savory recipe. While mustard, chives and gruyere cheese don't sound like the typical makings of a French toast, this recipe is well worth it. We paired it with bacon, yogurt, fresh fruit and leftover apple streudel and povotica for those who couldn't bear not to have something sweet on the table.

Savory Baked French Toast

8 eggs
2 cups milk
2 tablespoons stone-ground mustard
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup snipped chives (fresh is best)
16-oz. loaf day-old French bread, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
6 ounce Gruyère, shredded (original recipe also suggested Swiss as an alternate)

Grease 9x12 baking dish. In medium bowl, whisk eggs, milk , mustard, salt and freshly ground black pepper until well blended. Stir in chives.

Arrange half of bread in bottom of prepared baking dish, overlapping slices to fit. Pour half of egg mixture over bread and sprinkle with two-thirds of Gruyère. Cover with remaining bread, overlapping slices. Pour remaining egg mixture over bread; gently press down to help bread absorb egg mixture. Sprinkle with remaining one-third of Gruyère. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove the French toast dish from the refrigerator 20 minutes before baking.

Bake 50 to 60 minutes or until puffed and golden and tip of knife inserted in center comes out clean, covering top during last 15 minutes if browning too quickly.

Let stand 10 minutes to set custard before serving. Sprinkle with snipped chives.

Peppermint Patties recipe and cooking with peppermint essential oil

Peppermint patties are a wonderful treat! But I hated the idea of adding in the alcoholy-smelling peppermint extract from our pantry.

Recently I stumbled on this recipe using peppermint (or even orange, cinnamon or cassia) essential oil. What I love about using essential oils in cooking is that you need so little. It took two drops of peppermint oil to turn a ho-hum box of brownie mix into the fastest-eaten dessert at my neighbor's card party.

You can find other tips for cooking with peppermint essential oil here. If you are looking for a therapeutic grade essential oil, I'd recommend DoTERRA, which we use for cooking and for our family. It's worth the expense and the bottles truly go a long way!

What other recipes do you recommend for peppermint essential oil?

Note: The link in this post is my referral link.

Stained-glass cookies

Stained-glass cookies are a Christmastime treat that I recall having as a child but hadn't reattempted until recently. They are a great way to use up the last of those Halloween candies, especially leftover lollipops.


Stained-glass cookies
1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. salt
2 1/2 cups flour
crushed candies, sorted by flavor/color

Cream butter and sugar; beat in egg until mixed, then vanilla and salt. Add flour until blended. Divide the dough in half, flatten each into a disk and cover in plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight or place in freezer for about 20 minutes.

Remove dough. let warm slightly, and roll to 1/4 inch thickness.

Preheat oven to 375. Cover baking sheet with foil and coat with cooking spray. Cut out cookies with larger cookie cutters, then with smaller cutters (or a clean top to a soda bottle) cut shapes within each.

Place on cookie sheet and sprinkle candies inside.

You will want to make sure the candies all are inside the centers, or they will melt into the cookie. (Read: If you want a perfectly "unstained" cookie, this may not be the part for helpers!)

Bake 10-12 minutes. Let centers cool thoroughly before removing from the pan.

Advent season: Slowing down

Advent was a season I had never given much thought to in years past. Beyond the candles burning at Sunday masses, an evening reconcilliation service and the promise of a Nativity scene, Advent didn't really register to me.

Until I started to slow things down.

First, I cut out a lot of clutter around the holidays. Over the years, I've worked most of my Christmas shopping to where my gift buying was completed over months, not weeks or days. Instead of a mad scramble to find something that "fit" the person on Black Friday, I slowly discovered gift ideas over the seasons. Come this Thanksgiving, I really only had a gift or two left to purchase, December birthdays included.

Further slowing my life down was my husband's unemployment/underemployment the last few years. Suddenly dinners out and shows seemed like unnecessary extravagances. Would I like to see Transiberian Orchestra? Of course. And some year it may happen. Just not this one. Instead I've begun searching for Christmas activities in our community that don't necessitate a $100 outlay. Like community Christmas tree services. Or a visit to Santa. Or the free day at the holiday trains at Garfield Park. Or the Nativity show at our parish.

Putting a focus on the Christmas season has helped our family put it back in the right focus. This year, I've made an ardent effort not to schedule non-Christmasy things on our calendar. Yes, we missed Scout night at the circus, and stayed home and played games and watched Rudolph. And other than a small family dinner and treats at the daycare, my son's birthday will be celebrated with friends after the Christmas business dies down. I don't know that either will be missed.

Instead of being stressed about errands, I can focus on my family. We can bake a batch of cookie if we want. Or read Christmas stories from around the world from the library. Or bring out more Christmas decorations. Or take them to play at the park for hours on a warm day without thinking about the "I need to do" list. Or (gasp!) even focus on cleaning our house for our Christmas company.

Is it tough to make a conscious choice to slow down during the Christmas season? You bet. But trading off the calendar items, the unneccessay errands, the stressed shoppers and children, it makes it all worth it. And I hope my family is happier for it.

Stretching your holiday giving

Helping others in need is one of the greatest signs of the Christmas season, one that I worry is getting ignored more and more.

So many organizations and people need help. So many in fact, that it seems people turn a blind eye anymore to the "noise" of cries for help.

This year, the first in my decade at my work, my department opted not to adopt a family for Christmas. I know for a few, money was an issue, though with some creative efforts and a small sacrifice of a lunch out, we could have pulled together something for a family in need. It breaks my heart; this was one thing that we truly did as a team, and one that touched little children's lives. How would you explain to your child that he or she was overlooked by Santa on Christmas Day?

The reality is, we all have a lot of gifts to bear. Many of them in our own homes, if we choose to look beyond the clutter, to really look at the unloved toys and things among our excess.

This year, we are still tight on budgets as we are working to rebuild after three years of my husband being out of full-time work. But a little creativity is going to help a single mom of two, who's in college and looking for work, this Christmas.

All in all, I spent $1.25 out of pocket for two little girls. Seriously. Here's how we did it:

• We looked at gifts that were given but never used by our children. That included two PBS-themed plush puppets, two travel Etch-a-sketches that were used once and then ignored, and a stuffed dog from the Grinch.


• We looked at what was outgrown but still in pristine condition. That included two children's cookbooks (a Sesame Street story/cookbook and a duplicate Princess and the Frog cookbook), two stashed-away but unused children's winter plates, a Dora fleece blanket and a stack of outgrown Halloween costumes and dress-ups.


• We looked at our excess. We knew the mom needed many of the basics for everyday living, so we packed a reusable shopping bag with toiletries that we'd bought with register rewards and coupons. We can always watch for future sales and replenish.


• The $1.25? Spent on a pair of cute pants on clearance for the toddler.

What do you have that you are blessing others with this Christmas season?

Local Indiana food gifts

Holidays and hometown foods just make sense. When it comes to Christmas gift giving, a taste of home can be a good thing.

For our family, a decade out of Kansas City, there's the Strawberry Hill povitica we used to get each year. Or the Velvet Creme popcorn that my in-laws send that the kids will just dive into a tub from. Or, of course, bottles of Vignoles or Tailgate Red from Holy-Field Winery.

But finding Indiana concoctions has taken some time for me to find. I still vividly remember years ago asking a friend what Indiana was known for for food, since a visiting friend wanted to try it. I got a blank stare.

Recent years have led me to some great treat ideas. And as I started shopping for an old college friend, with whom I still exchange fun treats each Christmas season, I thought local is best. And I wasn't disappointed in my search.

Here are some of my favorite food finds in Indiana, some of which I'll be sharing this holiday season:

For the sweets fan

Try funky artisian marshmallows from 240Sweet in Columbus. We discovered these treats at a winter market a few years back, and the kids are always itching for tastes! These come in crazy flavors for every palate, from Bourbon Sugar Churro with Cajeta to Chocolate Hazelnut Swirl to Bacon Maple Toffee.

Carmel lovers will be thrilled with the homemade chewy goodness from Abbott's Candy in Hagerstown. Our graphic design agency shares these with us each Christmas season, and they disappear. Quickly.

Chocolate lovers will like the Indiana-made Endangered Species Chocolate (dark chocolate is fabulous!) or the artisian Chocolate for the Spirit, a new chocolate company out of Shelbyville I discovered at last weekend's Carmel Winter Market. Let me just say "Wow." If you haven't heard of them, you will soon. They were featured in yesterday's Indianapolis Star, and their Mayan Spirit Bars were selected among the top 5 favorites at NY Chocolate Show by gourmet magazine, "The Nibble."

For the wine lover

Locally, I love to visit Mallow Run Winery in Bargersville, but a new favorite for me may be Simmons Winery's Vignoles wine, which I found much drier than the Vignoles I'm used to from Holy-Field in Kansas City.

For the cook

Cooks may want to tap into oils, flavored sugars and spices from Artisano's Spices and Oils in north Indianapolis (also at the Carmel and Indianapolis winter markets). My sister-in-law quickly squirreled away the blueberry-flavored sugar last Christmas, and a good friend and I can just spend an afternoon snacking on bread with their fabulous flavored oils.

You might also check out a cookbook from Daniel Orr from FARMBloomington. We love to dive into his FARMFood cookbook, which focuses on seasonal eating year-round, and I understand he has a new Carribean-inspired cookbook as well.

Sometimes, a taste of home is well worth it this holiday season.

Christmas wishes

Today at the Green Phone Booth, I'm writing about the challenges of drafting a wish list without emphasizing the getting of stuff. Check it out.

Santas in shoeboxes

Santa isn’t just a chubby old man with cold feet and a warm heart. In our home, we stress that we are Santas for other people, regardless of time of year.

I never want my children to forget that they have an opportunity, in fact, a duty, to be there for other people and share the resources they’ve been given. And I’ve been humbled time and again how they have held up to their part.

My children offer outgrown shoes to “Haiti” (actually a fundraising sale for a mission there). They offer well-loved toys, even ones they still play with often, to share with others. They proudly share the few coins they have to Faith Filled Fridays at school or other drives. And they are an example to me. One I should pay attention to more.

Each winter, for as long as I can recall, the preschool class at my daughter’s school does a shoebox drive for the St. Vincent de Paul food pantry at our church. I suppose it is much like Operation Christmas Child, only on a much smaller scale.

The children wrap a shoebox (top only or the full box) and include a gently loved toy, book, a few candies, apple and orange, and a note of hope for the holidays. These are distributed to young children in families helped with food baskets and other Christmastime support at the church.

It’s such a simple thing, but I love that it’s grown beyond the preschool, stretching to the Moms group, the Girl Scouts and other volunteers who’ve learned about it. A Santa in a shoebox. That’s what Christmas is about.

Clutter-free Christmas Gifts for Grown-Ups

The best Christmas gifts are meaningful or useful. And while I'm all about fun, sometimes, having a clutter-free home counts too.

I don't know about you, but I'm drowning in t-shirts from my alma mater, supplies for my scrapbooking, holiday decorations from craft shows, bottles of lotion, and other things. What I need is a clutter-free Christmas. Who knows if I will get it.

If you're looking for painless ideas for gift-giving this year, here are some helpful, clutter-less gift ideas.

• Tickets for movies, sporting activities, shows or other events. It doesn't have to be the best seat in the house, and with Groupon and other discount sites, you might find it fairly budget-friendly. Particularly if you're a parent, the dual cost of activities and babysitting can damper plans.




• Even better? An offer to babysit!




• Local wines, beers or coffees, particularly if the "local" is from another city.




• Treats from local vendors




• Certificates for a local/organic food delivery service




• Gift cards to a home improvement store. As fewer people are buying homes, the need to maintain or improve one's home they live in is more important than ever!




• Make a meal. My sitter loved the fact that instead of a kitchy present, I got her a kitchen one: Dinner to go! (Simply put, it was salad, dressing, pasta, a fancy sauce and French bread. But it took the pressure off for one evening!)




• Find out what needs to be replaced or repaired. In tight times, sometimes needed repairs are being held off.




• If you know someone who's returned to school, a gift certificate to Amazon or another online book store can go a long way!




• Finally the gift of time is something not to be shrugged off. Get off line and share some time with a friend you've been meaning to see!

What other clutter-free solutions do you have for holiday gift giving?

Seeing Green at Black Friday

Black Friday and green consumerism don't seem to go hand in hand. But holiday shopping can be more about the deep sales.

I can't remember a year when I didn't spend part of Thanksgiving Day pouring over the Black Friday ads--and only one year when, pregnant and miserable, I just stayed home.

Everything about Black Friday, on its surface, is about more, more, more. More sales. More early hours. More lines. More stuff that you didn't know you needed. More waiting in lines and driving circles around the parking lot. I can see why it turns a lot of folks off.

But my Black Friday shopping has evolved in recent years, particularly since my family has grown. I've transitioned more out of the "buy everything...now" mentality to using it as an opportunity to buy things my family did need at a deep discount. Like replacement items, winter clothing or tools for the home.

But recent years and my shift toward being more sustainable have cut my Friday-morning sales even more.

By planning better, I'm able to find gently used clothing and books for my children throughout the year at a fraction of the price of even those fabulous Black Friday sales. Are they new? To them.. (I admit I can't always find what I need at a resale shop or sale, but it helps dramatically.) And my daughter, a new "chapter book reader," as she calls it, is getting a shoebox full of animal books for Christmas, bought for just a few dollars.

By listening more, I've found great ideas for gift-giving, instead of just buying something so that I can check that person off the list. My brother? Desperate to figure out how to landscape his shady scrap of land. I found the perfect book on shade gardening, at a library sale. I doubt I would find it if I'd waited until December, even on Amazon. My brother-in-law, a new dad? Literally wants a nap. So I'll give him free babysitting time during their visit.

By sharing more, I will have helped others and my family. We have always adopted someone for the holidays, no matter how tight things are. But the last few seasons, instead of racing to buy things, I've gotten more creative in my gift-giving there too. Last year, our daycare adopted a family with a little boy my son's age. I'd just gotten a huge bag of train tracks and accessories at the used children's store, and divided them up among my son and this boy. Sure, the boy got a new Thomas too, but it was a way to stretch my resources and bring more joy. My son never missed what he didn't have. This year, the daycare is adopting two little girls whose mother is a college student but can't find work. I posted on our employee classifieds that we're looking for clothes in their size, and people are coming through. And my children, bless their hearts, have always come through with my requests to "be a Santa" and donate an outgrown toy to a child in need.

This year, I suspect my shopping outlay will be even smaller than before. Many of my gifts this year have leaned on the practical, spiritual or creative sides. And I've encouraged my family, whom I still know will buy the toys, to subsidize experiences for my children this year.

Will I still go out for Black Friday? Yes, and here's why. My mom and I have, since I was little, created a tradition of early-morning (I said morning, not middle of the night) shopping followed by breakfas t and a few other mixed errands. I'd miss that one-on-one time too much to go without it. But maybe this year, I'll leave my wallet at home.

Posted at the Green Phone Booth Nov. 5, 2011