Welcome to the November 2013 Carnival of Natural Mothering!
This article is a part of the Carnival of Natural Mothering hosted by GrowingSlower, Every Breath I Take, I Thought I Knew Mama, African Babies Don’t Cry, and Adventures of Captain Destructo. This month’s topic is Incorporating Natural Into the Holidays. Be sure to check out all of the participants’ posts through the links at the bottom of this page.
Bloggers, visit GrowingSlower to sign up to be a part of next month’s carnival.
As we head into the holidays, we get bombarded with commercials for processed foods and plastic toy bonanzas. It’s easy to get caught up in the whirlwind of it all, but if you slow down, you can have natural holidays in five easy steps.
1) Source your meats locally and naturally
Photo courtesy of Griggstown Farm
Check out localharvest.org to see if you can source local turkeys, geese, ducks or other meats in your area. You can easily find out how the animals are raised and what they are fed by speaking with the farmers. You can preserve natural holidays by keeping your eco footprint at a minimum with how far your food is travelling. If you are in the NJ area, farms like Griggstown Quail Farm are a good spot to look for locally raised birds and turkeys.
2) Source your veggies and fruits locally too!
Grab winter squash and sweet potatoes now and roast them and freeze them. You will have made them at their peak and freezing them in dinner portion sizes lets you enjoy them whenever you need them during any of the late fall or winter holidays. Roasting local root veggies in the winter months is one of my favorite go to sides for holiday meals. Putting up applesauce in bulk can also help you to have quick and easy snacks on hand on the days that you are prepping your big meals while trying to maintain natural holidays.
3) Shop for wooden, non-toxic, handmade toys
Photo courtesy of Little Sapling Toys
We are huge fans of the Little Sapling Toys line and have shopped with them yearly since Tomato was born. They offer games, puzzles and Christmas ornaments that are made from sustainably sourced woods and are crafted in the USA. Their toys are a lovely step back into how those before us celebrated natural holidays.
4) Give the gift of nature
We have incredibly supportive grandparents for Tomato and they have purchased year long memberships to the local aquarium in past years. We have also bought memberships to the Morris Arboretum, Longwood Gardens and the Philadelphia Zoo in order to help us incorporate the study of biology, botany and nature into Tomato’s world. These types of gifts are the ones that keep on giving throughout the year.
5) Get outside
Whether it be a family hike, cutting of a fresh Christmas tree or simply birdwatching in the snow, stepping outside to get fresh air and de-stress during the holidays is key. Make your holidays truly natural holidays by pledging to step outside each day and take in what surrounds you.
What are your best tips for keeping natural holidays?
{ 29 comments… read them below or add one }
Great tips! I *adore* the wooden matching game. We don’t do electronic toys in our home yet…so I think I may have to get those for my little guy. I’m also a fan of gifting experiences, not things. I think a membership to the Zoo or a trip to the zoo would be super.
Little Sapling has amazing products and I love that they are Made in USA too!
All great ideas! I love the idea of giving experience gifts to enjoy with grandparents. Tomato is blessed to have hers so close!!
We love those experience gifts since they last the whole year long!
I love these tips, thanks for sharing. In this fast passed world sometimes we need to just settle down and make time. We eat way to much processed food, and give our children toys that are filled with chemicals. By giving children more natural toys we are also helping small business. I love this whole greener environment thing and I hope that more people will catch on.
Thanks, Renee!
Great tips. I love roasted vegetables and don’t do them often enough. This is the perfect season to start. I also agree with you about the types of naturally-made toys that kids should be playing with instead of the plethora of chemical-laden, plastic, land polluting junk that’s out there.
Estelle
The few plastic things we have are what our little one plays with the least. Wooden toys prevail!
We buy our turkey from a local farm!
I always have a goal to do a 100 mile Thanksgiving. I’ll have to start seeing what we need to plan for next year.
Great tips! I love the wooden toys! This year I’m going to be hand making a lot of gifts as well!
Have a great time making gifts! I love giving and receiving handmade!
Great tips! I love that you are encouraging people to get outside. We go Christmas caroling on the Winter Solstice.
Great idea, Jessica!
I love these ideas! What a great post. Working hard to make sure my Christmas is both green and nontoxic!
Thanks, Gina!
These are GREAT tips Becky! We get our turkey from a local farm every year and our veggies too. I’ll be looking into handmade toys more this year too:)
Thanks, Lauryn!
Love your tips! This year, I’m going to work on incorporating more natural elements in my decorating. I’ve already picked up 2 live plants for the front porch.
Good idea, Barb! I have to look into getting some fresh pieces for the mantel this year.
Thanks for the reminder, I forgot I need to order my turkey from the farm by tomorrow. Awesome tips!
Thanks, Carrie!
I love these ideas. Thank you for the NJ farm recommendation. We also get a fresh tree every year too.
Happy to pass on the NJ love, Jennifer!
These are all wonderful ideas which would work well at any time of year but especially at holiday time 🙂
Thanks! It’s always great to keep what you are doing during the holidays!
This is awesome! Thank you! I am going ot refer to this in the next 6 weeks many times as a reminder how it can be done. Thank you.
Thanks, Mary Ellen!
All fantastic ideas! Love them 🙂
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