Green toys for Christmas? Bah humbug

I often find myself overwhelmed with decisions, particularly when it comes to making product choices. I mean, I always want to make the right, eco-healthy choices, but sometimes it's hard to figure out what that really means. Modern life hasn't really caught up with the green mindset yet. So as I've pondered Christmas presents for my kids, my inner dialog (which is often spoken with a Scottish accent) can't quite come to terms with the 'right' choices. Hell, it doesn't even know what the right choices are! (And tends to get distracted by shiny objects.) So suffice it to say, we're having a new-out-of-the-box Christmas for these kids.

Unlike last year when I scored some great second-hand gifts, I've done no rummaging or Craigslisting this year. I'm just buying stuff the kids want. A plastic Star Wars fighter ship? Bring it. A pre-packaged sewing kit? Brand new books and games? Yes. A Magic Eight Ball? Well, Grandma can get that one. We're buying less than we have in previous years, but none of it is particularly green. (As in, reused or manufactured in a manner that does not contribute to the overall destruction of the planet. Whoa.) The best I can say is that only one gift was purchased in stupid packaging; the rest contained recyclable or no packaging.

(OK, I just re-read that linked post above, and dang I was earnest last year! So motivated and righteous and fired up! I just feel really tired now.)

As my kids get older (5 and 8 now) I find it harder to shield them from commercialization. No they haven't heard of the Zhu Zhu yet (thank goodness) but Star Wars, Littlest Pet Shop, Legos & Company are all on the radar. I almost choked when I saw 'Baby Alive' on my daughter's list -- this from a girl who has never played with babies. "But I saw it on TV! And it eats!" I like the image of my children happily playing with a basket of logs cut from branches blown down in the last wind storm. Or that sad little dried apple doll that Laura Ingalls Wilder loved so dearly in the big woods, but that's NOT going to fly. So we did our best to buy toys and books and games that we hope they'll love and take care of for years to come. My brother and I have many, many plastic toys saved from our childhood, which our kids now play with.

Maybe next year I'll set aside the time and energy to have another Christmas of mostly second-hand or low-impact gifts. This year I'm on sabbatical. What about you? Are you giving new? used? handmade? Or a delightful combination of all?