This holiday season, parents will flock to stores to buy all types of gifts for their children. We’ve all seen the videos of parents fighting over the hottest new figurine or doll. This year, shirk the plastic type toys and instead invest in some wooden toys.

Wooden toys were the first type of toys kids knew. Dads would whittle a piece of wood to create toys in the shapes of animals, wooden dolls, puppets on strings, and toy cars. Kids would play for hours with these toys. Once the kids outgrew them, they could be passed on to younger kids.

Wooden toys have not lost their luster or durability but they have been passed over for the more colorful plastic types that talk and move. When kids are young, the one thing they have is their imagination. Wooden toys inspire the use of the imagination during play.

Wooden toys are also environmentally friendly. Many are used in their natural wooden state. Paints used on eco friendly toys are non-toxic and safe for kids.

When other toys are broken or the kids get tired of them, they are thrown away. Each year something new will replace the old favorite and they will no longer like it as much. In a landfill, those toys just sit and take up space.

Lots of toys that are thrown away still have their batteries inside. Toys that are filled with substances still contain them when they are disposed of. These chemicals can be released into the ground as the housings break down. This poses a potential hazard.

When wooden toys are broken, they can be fixed. If you know someone good with their hands, they can fix it for you. The point is that you don’t have to throw them away. Wooden toys can be passed down from generation to generation.

They maintain their shape and if scratched, the imperfection can be sanded out. Wooden toys hold together better than modern toys created on an assembly line. Small parts that break off of new toys can choke a young child.

If wooden toys are old and no longer usable, they can be disposed of. Because they are made of natural wood, they can be chopped up and used in compost. Colored wooden toys can’t be used for that, but maybe they can be refurbished and donated to local charitable organizations.

Introduce kids to wooden toys when they are young. Puzzles come in wooden and paper shapes instead of plastic. Most wooden toys have rounded edges so they are safer to play with and handle. Even if they gnaw on wood it won’t hurt them.

Choose wooden toys for the young’uns. They are environmentally friendly, safe for young children, durable, and repairable if they are damaged.

The world is going green. That’s not a bad thing. When we respect the environment it respects us. Besides, the fewer chemicals floating around in the air, the better our bodies feel as well. For Christmas this year, consider giving some of the folks on your list a less tangible but more sentimental gift.

You know the people in your circle better than anyone. For those who would appreciate an environmentally correct gift there are a few ideas to choose from. The first is making charitable donations in their names.

Everyone is not as appreciative of donation gift giving so be sure that the recipients are the sentimental type. People, who like to donate to charities and campaign for causes, are more likely to find this a worthy type of Christmas gift. If you know their favorite charity, contribute in their name. Adopt a whale, adopt a dog or cat, or donate money in their name to the local homeless shelter. These organizations can send you a confirmation that can be placed in a Christmas envelope and presented to the people on your list.

Who says that a Christmas gift has to fit into a package? Instead of bringing the gift to them, bring them to the gift. This Christmas, think of gifts that won’t leave any waste behind.

Instead of buying a CD for a friend who likes music, treat them to a concert. Wrap up two tickets to an upcoming concert or a night of jazz on the town. Live music sounds better than recorded anyway. This is an excuse to dress up in our best evening wear.

Tickets for other shows are appropriately eco friendly as well. Take the kids to the zoo, the aquarium, or a science show as a part of their Christmas present. Younger kids seem to appreciate this type of activity more.

For a person who wants to go “green” help them out with a useful Christmas gift. Call it a “go green” starter pack. The present can be as simple as a composing bin for someone who likes to work outside. Use a gift basket to display the gifts. A fruit or nut basket leaves only the basket behind when the gift is gone.

People scoff at those monthly clubs that send foods and other items but the sentiment is a gift that keeps on giving throughout the year. For a gift recipient who is into jams, fruits, and the like, the timely arrival of a package each month is great. Check with sites like www.ecoexpress.com for organic monthly clubs of this type for your friends.

For Christmas, it is not so much about what we take but what we give. With eco friendly gifts, we are giving back to the environment and taking only what we need.

For many, Christmas has become a commercial holiday. Instead of being a season of giving, we have bought into the media circus and it has become a season of greed and excess. This year tailor your shopping to be a bit more responsible in the items that you purchase.

Shopping responsibly doesn’t stop at spending frugally for what we need or want. It is also a matter of global implication. By that, we mean that we look at the people behind the products that we invest our monies into.

For example, let’s say that you wanted to buy a diamond ring for the wife this year. There are several jewelry stores in your area but which is the best one to use? One jewelry store may get their diamonds from a mine in South Africa that employs unsafe practices for workers or pays less than fair wages. By patronizing that store, you are condoning the practices by which they received their merchandise.

Who would have ever thought that buying and selling would come to such a level, but it has. People who do not value human rights are counting on us to let our wants overshadow any responsibility we have to our enslaved brothers or the environment. Eco friendly groups work to inform us about what is going on in the world and how we can make a positive difference.

The biggest way that can happen is through our shopping. We spend billions of dollars during the holiday season for gifts, decorations, and other things. Make the purchases mean something to someone besides just the recipient.

Shopping responsibly leads to helping the environment. Purchase recycled wrapping paper, low energy lighting for Christmas trees, organic cotton for creating clothing, and recycled ornaments and decorations. This supports the recycling industry. All paper that is recycled may not be suitable for paper bags in grocery stores, but it will make Christmas cards, gift tags, and wrapping paper.

Visiting fair trade merchants supports cooperatives and groups working in favor of oppressed and impoverished peoples in countries all over the world. These artisans use recycled goods and natural products like stone and coal to create ornaments, decorations, baskets, utensils, and more to be sold on the open market.

Fair trade merchandise can be purchased at a variety of stores including Wal-Mart, Target, Harris Teeter grocery stores, Whole Foods Market, and Costco. For a longer list of stores, go to www.transfairusa.org. Put in city and state or zip code to find merchants in your area who are fair trade certified.

Along those same lines, local merchants need your help and your patronage. Consider their wares when looking for unique gifts and decorations this year. Visit local farmers markets, flea markets, and trade shows to see who the local artisans are.

Save the planet and prevent waste but making informed choices this holiday season. In the process you will discover a world of new products you never knew existed.