Holiday Gift Giving Ideas and Gift Exchange this weekend…join us.

One Persons Trash Is Another Person’s Treasure Rewrapping our Thoughts about Consuming

With Winter upon us, and the holidays so near – the gift giving spirit is closing in. Every year my husband and I sit and contemplate various gift giving and gift making ideas, as the girls frantically make out their list of various things that they are wishing for. We have made donations to amazing organizations, made gifts for friends and family, and purchased gifts for the girls at thrift stores to buy reused…in an attempt not to get swept up in the holiday consumption. Realizing that time is of the essence…we have time to rethink and rewrap our minds around the whole idea of giving and receiving.

Consuming

So here is our idea based upon one person’s trash is another person’s treasure:

We put our heads together as we sorted through our home in an attempt to simplify our living space…and through this cleansing realized that so much of what is in the girls room is just gathering dust in a corner, on a shelf or in the closet somewhere. The true testament to this is that we did a clean out and on their return, not a peep that anything was even missing!

We are calling ALL parents to gather; sort and get together all of their kids stuff – clothes, toys, books, etc…and then gather to exchange stuff.

Whatever is left over will then be donated! Think of it as a time to cleanse your space, and also a time to search for gifts for your kids for the winter holidays…embracing the gift of giving but by not consuming, reusing and saving yourself the lines at the stores and the money!

I went through the girls things last night and have SO many amazing things that someone else will be sure to love – tons of never opened art kits, books, and outgrown cute clothes that another child will truly enjoy!

So the date for the exchange is DECEMBER 8th at the Rancho Embarcadero Community Center in Goleta (224 Vereda Leyenda, Goleta, CA 93117 ) from 12pm to 4pm.

Bring you stuff in a box or two or three and we will lay it all out and you can feel free to give and take.

We were hoping for the adults to come so that the element of surprise for the holidays will be kept sacred…and so your kids will not know what they are getting.

Donating
There are so many amazing charities that you can donate gifts to and here are some of our favorites:

KIVA

Kiva is a non-profit that is revolutionizing the fight against global poverty by enabling people to connect with and making person loans – of as little as $25 – to low income entrepreneurs in the developing world.

Most of the poor in developing countries are self-employed entrepreneurs and a small loan to purchase business related items such as sewing machines or livestock can empower them to ear their way out of poverty. You select an entrepreneur and make a small loan, and then Kiva transfers funds abroad to a microfinance partner who administers the
loan. You watch as your entrepreneur’s small business grows via email updates. Within months you get repaid and you can withdraw your money or lend again!

HEIFER PROJECT INTERNATIONAL

Heifer’s Mission to End Hunger

Heifer envisions…A world of communities living together in peace and equitably sharing the resources of a healthy planet.

Heifer’s mission is…To work with communities to end hunger and poverty and to care for the earth.

Heifer’s strategy is…To “pass on the gift.” As people share their animals’ offspring with others – along with their knowledge, resources, and skills – an expanding network of hope, dignity, and self-reliance is created that reaches around the globe.

Heifer’s History…This simple idea of giving families a source of food rather than short-term relief caught on and has continued for over 60 years. Today, millions
of families in 128 countries have been given the gifts of self-reliance and hope.

Give Locally…

Search for various organizations that you and your family believes in! We have donated to the Transition House, the Environmental Defense Center; Art from Scrap, SBCAN, and the list goes on. Here are some websites to help you find local organizations that
resonate with you:

http://www.santabarbara.com/community/organizations/

http://www.santabarbaradirect.com/sbshopping/listings/nonprofit.htm

Making Gifts

Gift making is always the most fun of all gift-giving options, but it also is the most time consuming. Here are a few suggestions for some easy AND fun family projects.

Stationary Sets: Have your kids (or adults) paint on large pieces of construction paper. Think Jackson Pollock…anything goes. A big hit is usually the handprint or footprint for kids. Cut the paper into various card shapes and viola you have perfect cards made! You can score cheap envelopes at Art from Scrap! Put sets together and your family members will LOVE them.

Decoupage Picture Frames: Dust off the stack of old frames sitting around and revitalize them with hot glue and fun nature inspired treasures – beach glass, shells, small rocks, glass marbles, leaves, etc. Bust out the hot glue gun (a gift makers best friend) and
glue away! We then put some of the girls’ paintings in the frame to add a little flair. The thrift stores have SO many amazingly cheap frames, as does the 99 cent store, Art from Scrap and Ross.

Terra Cotta Pots and Succulents: Who doesn’t LOVE plants! Buy some terra cotta pots, or wash all the ones off that have been sitting in the backyard, get some metallic paints and give them new life! Put the call out for succulent clippings from friends, and have a planting party! Kids love painting pots, and planting. It is a great way to get them involved in the whole gift making process.

Cookies (and more) In a Jar: We love making this gift as much as receiving them. All of the ingredients layered in a jar – soups, biscuits, cookies, brownies, you name it! Here are a few of our links for this fun gift:

http://members.tripod.com/~MaryMae/jarlinks.htm
http://www.thatsmyhome.com/
http://www.mixinajar.com

The most important part of gift making is the intention you are putting to the creation – so start early, do a little bit at a time, and enJOY the process as much as the product!

Rewrapping Gift Wrapping

We are all guilty of buying winter themed gift-wrap, nly to watch in horror as it gets torn off and tossed n less time then it took you to stick on the tape. I ave found alternative ways to “wrap” or let’s say ewrap my mind around the whole concept of gift-wrapping.

FUROSHIKI
The Japanese “furoshiki,” or “cloth for the bath,” was first used in the 14th century as a way to wrap one’s clothes while taking a public bath. Over the years, its uses were limited only by imagination and technique. That is, until the plastic bag went big in Japan (and everywhere). As Yuriko Koike, Japan ’s Minister of the Environment points out, this seems like a pretty good time to bring wrap back on a global scale. It’s reusable, durable and versatile–and it takes wrapping and carrying stuff a heck of a lot more stylish than your typical sack of polyethylene. Many can be found here, but Koike has released her own version, its gorgeous birds-and-flowers motif on fiber manufactured from recycled PET bottles, apparently available only in Japan for now. She adds the word “mottainai” to indicate how shameful it is to waste something that hasn’t fully been used. And how wonderful it would be to use the furoshiki (or any big, durable and pretty cloth) this holiday as both wrapping and present.

By taking fabric we can set the example for others, by using reusable gift-wrapping. The fabric becomes a part of the gift, and then can be reused by the gift receiver to wrap someone’s gift down the road. Check out:
www.furoshiki.com

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2006/12/its_a_wrap_redu.php

We can all do our part in making this holiday season full of peace and serenity by feeling good about the choices we are making…

Please pass this on to people who may be interested!

Together we can change the world and rethink what it means to give…and receive…

Peacefully
The LoaTree Family