1. Locally made arts and crafts.

   Purchasing locally made products, not only is environmentally friendly, it is also socially and economically friendly. It reduces environmental impact from transportation of goods, while at the same time, boosting the local economy.

2. Antiques.

   Antiques by there very nature are environmentally friendly because they have already been produced and would otherwise be discarded. Some antiques will increase in value over the years, thus your gift will grow in monetary value, assuming you do not mind them selling it down the road. 

3. Out of Print books.

   You might be concerned about giving a used book as a gift, however, for the right person, an “out of print book” which can no longer be purchased new, can be a real treasure. First editions are valued by collectors. 

4. Vintage clothing and jewelry.

   Like the above, this can only be given to the right person, somebody who appreciates things on a different level. Vintage clothing and jewelry come from a time when products were not mass produced and great care was taken in their creation. 

5. Locally made staples, such as jams and jellies.

   Fruit baskets from locally grown sources, assuming you live in the right climate for such, make terrific gifts too. As with locally made arts and crafts, transportation impact is greatly reduced. Plus you can get some very unique items this way. 

6. Rechargeable batteries, and recharger.

   Most households consume batteries, then discard them in the landfill. Although rechargeable batteries do end up in landfills as well, their lifespan is longer, thus reducing this impact. As an added note, if you give a battery charger, make sure you give the right kind of batteries too. 

7. Rainforest-grown coffee or nuts.

   Although there is some concern about transportation impact, the benefits are that the rain forest needs to be kept intact so that these products may be harvested. After all, the rain forests are the lungs of the earth. 

8. “Fair Trade Products”.

   If you are not familiar with this term, it refers to products made by indigenous peoples in other countries, often using sustainably harvested goods. Ideally, by providing these people with an income, they do not have to resort to clear cutting the forests to sell wood or poaching animals for income. 

9. Gift Certificates for garden centers.

   Planting a tree, or any thing may not be possible at Christmas time, especially if you live in the north. So this is a great idea for them go rush out and plant a tree in the spring. To be even more green, you can specify that the gift certificate is for a “fruit tree” of their choice. 

10. Live indoor plants for the home.

    
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    One interesting suggestion would be an indoor orange or small banana tree. Any house plant is good, they add color and help purify the air.

11. “Green products” like solar lights and energy efficient light bulbs.

    Okay it might be odd to give somebody a light bulb as a gift, but if you do this right, as part of a gift basket, then it will be welcomed by the recipient who is looking to green up their home. There are also portable solar panels to be used with rechargeable power tools.

12. Beeswax candles, and homemade, all natural, soaps.

    Even soy candles are a step up from the regular paraffin candle. Many times as well you can buy these from local flea markets or farmers markets and craft sales. Look for ones that contain natural ingredients only.

13. Donations to “Earth Friendly” causes.

    Some people might be offended by this gift, but others will enjoy having a “tree planted in their name”, for example. Look around and see what is available in your area. Even a donation to a local charity may be considered more green than giving a person a product they do not want. When giving this type of gift, you may want to provide a token gift too, or a certificate for a dinner.

14. Have a star named after the person.

    Like with the donation suggestion above, you may want to provide a token gift when giving this type of present.

15. “Adopt” a zoo animal in their name.

    
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    Not available everywhere, but for a concerned animal lover, this is a great idea. Again the token gift, of something they like, can accompany the card (printed on recycled paper of course).

Make your Christmas shopping list in advance

There’s nothing worse than sitting down on your computer and clicking away, looking at all the wonderful gifts you can buy on the Internet, waiting for the presents to arrive, and once they have you find out you’ve forgotten someone! Of course, you can be guaranteed by that point it is simply too late to order anymore presents and you still have to rush around the town getting the presents you forgot.

To avoid this sort of shopping hassle, make sure you write down each person you are going to buy a gift for, as well as the type of presents they like. Keep this near your computer, and once you have purchased the present cross them off the list. This should ensure that you purchase the right number of presents. Not only that, if you are buying many gifts from one store, you will only have to pay for one shipping fee rather than many.

Start your shopping early

Internet shopping is great, however if you are last minute shopping you can often be disappointed, as the stores will sell out very quickly of the more popular items. If you start your shopping earlier in the year, you should be able to make sure you get all the gifts you want. An added bonus of starting Internet Christmas shopping earlier is that you will be much more organized and you are able to buy many products at a cheaper rate in the sales. All prices seem to rise just before Christmas, as consumers do their last minute shopping online and in the stores.

Review, review, review

Internet shopping can be a wonderful experience, especially if everything goes smoothly. However, occasionally things can go wrong. Internet crime is rife; there are plenty of people out there who will steal your money or your credit card details. To prevent this from happening to you, make sure you read reviews on the sites you are looking at purchasing from. There are many companies on the Internet which accept reviews from the public on shops and products, view and read a range of these and you should be able to determine if the company are trust worthy.

Save time on your wrapping

For many people, having to wrap loads of Christmas gifts can be a nightmare, and often a chore that gets left to the last minute. Luckily many online stores offer a gift wrapping service, and often it costs very little extra. By using the gift wrapping service you can relive yourself of a little extra stress as well as having beautifully wrapped gifts.

Check the delivery dates

The final and probably most important tip is to make sure you check all the delivery and last order dates, to ensure you are getting your gifts in good time for Christmas, not in the New Year. Also make sure you check the stock levels, as any items that are low on stock or out of stock may take much longer to deliver which means you will not be able to give your Christmas gifts to your friends and family in time for Christmas.