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Have Yourself an Organic Little Holiday
Natural Ideas for a Healthful Season of Giving
By Jacqueline M. Duda
If you're not creatively inclined to whip up a basket on your own, many grocery stores, local co-ops and natural food stores can prepare and mail organic gift baskets just about anywhere in the world. Givens also recommends local farmer's markets for their unique selections and high quality.
Miessense products, recommended by organic consumer Ronit Rosen, are the world's first certified line of organic skin and body care, with yummy selections like Jaffa Lip Balm. In the mood for something exotic? She's got the answer as well. "My boyfriend recently sent me a box filled with absolutely perfect avocados, mangos, kiwi, oranges and bananas, plus two small packets of dried fruit and nut mix from Cherry Moon Farms," she says. "All organic and all delicious!"
Stymied for organic kid gifts? Joe Thoron, online co-proprietor of the Organic Gift Shop (www.organicgiftshop.com), agrees that it's difficult to find certified organic toys. "Apart from stuffed animals made of 100 percent, certified-organic cotton, the next best thing is high-quality wooden toys made by companies who operate on the same ethical principles as organic food producers – safe workplaces, sustainably-produced raw materials and healthy final products," Thoron says. The German company Selecta (www.oompa.com), for example, crafts wooden toys for babies and kids using food-safe color and natural beeswax finishes.
Thoron's tips include searching for toys that can be played with in many different ways to heighten a child's imagination, and choosing playthings that are built to last. "They may cost more, but they'll last for generations, a much better value for your family and the environment," he says.
