As a child the holiday season didn't start until after Thanksgiving.  Now Halloween stuff starts appearing in stores in Aug and the holiday season begins sometime in Sept.  As a small business the purchases made for family and friends keep us in business.  I know you've heard this message before but please shop small, indie, women owned.....  Support the businesses that work hard with passion.

And celebrate sustainability.  What does this mean?  The first step is to think about what you value during the holiday season.   What memories do you want to hold dear?  Work from there.   

In order to add sustainability to your holiday you need to plan ahead and be organized.  Giving is not as simple as rushing to the mall and buying a bunch of stuff.  Which means I don't feel guilty writing this blog before Thanksgiving.

Planning ahead is crucial if you want to make gifts.  Gift making is a holiday memory I hold dear.  Often this memory involves only me- it's an activity I do by myself.  I put on the music and craft away.  Think about organizing a crafty/gift making party especially for kids- this is a gift for kids and their busy parents.  Take the time to gather all your materials needed for your project.  It's so frustrating to wander around the house looking for one item or not doing your project because you don't want to go shopping. 

A great idea is to stuff a sock with more lonely full of holes socks to make into a dog ball.  Here's the link from one of my favorite sites for sustainably 1 Million Women- Easy Dog Toys

A shopping bag made from an old T-shirt is another easy project and the version from mommypotamus is no sew.  You do need to be able to tie knots.

Both projects are easy, fun and sustainable.  

A really great gift is the gift of experience.  An experience is simply an activity.  So many to choose from including movie tickets, dinner out, a day trip to a museum, a concert, ski pass.  The list goes on and on.

I like to add reusable containers to my gift giving list.  Each year I pick one type of item and purchase for my loved ones.  One year travel mugs, another year reusable bags.  This year I'm hoping to make beeswax wraps for everyone.

Give love.  Call your parents, sister or brother that you haven't talked to in awhile.

Give plants.  One of my favorite gifts is to fill a bowl with pebbles and pop in some paper whites. The gift of green. 

I hope this blog inspires you to think about how you want to celebrate the dark days with cheer and create less waste in the process.