Thriving traditions: "Green" holiday treats

Stocking stuffers, advent calendars, Christmas crackers. We want to fill them with creative and interesting things, but it's hard to find lots of meaningful little items. And what we end up with are little plastic trinkets, candy, and maybe an orange. But this year, we thought we might try to make our stockings a little bit more imaginative by making them a little bit greener. This year, we're looking for things that are recyclable or organic or just not "stuff." We've come up with more than a few ideas, none of which are things that your children will toss aside as boring. If you have any more, please add them in the comments section below!

Little Playthings
Matchbox cars: The die-cast metal is much more earth-friendly than plastic
Mary's soft dough: Made from natural ingredients
Stickers: A book of stickers, instead of plastic trinkets, will keep your child entertained and work on their fine motor skills
Under the Nile: Sweet and soft loveys made from organic fabrics and filling
Photo album: Fill a 4x6 size photo album with pictures of things your baby loves

Sweet Treats
Sjaaks chocolate: Fair trade and organic, vegan chocolate treats
Bug Bites: Little chocolate treats and 10% of the profits are donated to help save endangered animals
Late July cookies - Small packs of organic crackers and hand-dipped cookies

Clothes Can Be Fun, Too
Hanna Andersson: Organic cotton undies come in fun colors and prints for the newly potty-trained kiddos
Baby Legs: Stripey leg warmers for the kids and arm warmers for mom and dad

Things We All Can Use
WaterColors Nail Enamel: Eco-friendly nail polish in colors kids and moms will love
Burt's Bees: Natural lotions and lip balms for the cold, wintry days
Kiss My Face: Everything else you could possibly imagine - soap, toothpaste, shampoo...

Things That Aren't Really Things
Coupons: Give your child an afternoon in the park or a trip to the ice cream shop or a family movie night
iTunes: Kids love music. Give them a chance to download some of their favorites

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