Ethical christmas stocking

[sophy]

Despite my best intentions, I cannot fathom out a No-Shopping way of filling my dss stockings. Anyway they both still think that Father Xmas is the donor.

So am just trying to fill as ethically as possible, with stuff from charity shops, recycled etc.

DS1 needs new colouring pencils for school -- which is more ethical, to buy recycled from ethical superstore, or to support local independent toyshop during recession and buy bog-standard pencils?

Any other ethical stocking suggestions (apart from packets of seeds)? I've got boys.

They are nearly 7 and 9, ButterflyEffect.

Bit old for cuddly toys.

What is felt soap?

Like the Bath bomb idea, are they easy to make?

I do felt soap

It's basically a bar of soap that you wrap with merino fibre (well any fibre that will felt but merino is probably the best). You need to make sure you wrap it in more than one direction, so put one bit on one way then the next at right angles iyswim. Then add hot water (hand hot) and keep patting gently, add more water to keep it wet - I do it over a bowl of hot water. As it felts you can rub rather than pat until it all 'felts' together. Then rinse in cold water (which will also help the felting process).

There's loads of tutorials on YouTube.

Nice festive food? Is that ethical - they can enjoy getting it and then eat it?

I would also like to tell you my opinion on the ethical thing...please don't be offended, ignore my post if you are!

It is more relevant what you do with "stuff" after you have finished with it. If you get something new and then once you are finished with it, immediately pass it to someone who can use it (via eBay, charity shop, MN, whatever) then IMO, it's fine to get new. For people to get things 2nd hand, someone has to buy them new. IMO, it's much more of an ethical "crime" to keep something that you no longer need/use in a drawer/cupboard for years rather than making sure it goes to someone who can use it. When you get the thing out of the drawer after years, etc, it may be obsolete/deteriorated etc.

Crokky, I agree with you.

I have been on a No Shopping crusade during 2008, where I have only bought consumables - food, basic toiletries and cleaning products. That has included children's clothes and presents for birthday parties -- if we didn't have something to recycle from the present drawer, they got things to plant in the garden.

But the stockings have got me stumped, cannot just fill with nice food, and seeds, although those will be included.

So they are getting socks and pants which they need (bought from M&S, not Primark), bubble bath (in recyclable bottle), Club Penguin vouchers, new pencils for school. Maybe a 2nd hand book if anything good in charity shop. Actually I think that's probably almost enough stuff.

I have been having the thought that all the little placcy things out of the stockings get played with for an hour or so until they are let loose on their big pressies. They are then discarded and never played with again. So why not find all the tiny toys from under beds, etc., rewrap them, and pop them back in the stocking?
My resolve on this one is strengthened by the fact that when I was in Hawkins Bazaar yesterday with my 11 yr old, he was excitedly playing with loads of things which he's been given in previous years and doesn't seem to remember.....
Call me Scrooge if you like....

Truly, I have been known to do that before too!

They never notice!

Big gingerbread iced cookie?
Little bag of homemade fudge?
homemade old fashioned kite kit
knitted scarf
handmade sock puppets?

i have done mainly art and craft stuff this year
i know it will all be used, which is a good thought

I fill the stockings with mostly second hand stuff from charity shops and car boot sales and Christmas fetes. Little toys, books. Then you can add fair trade chocolate coins, a few other bits of fair trade chocolate, maybe satsuma and nuts.

I don't view buying second hand toys and books as contributing to overall waste, a lot of it goes back to the charity shops again after a year or so.

As for supporting local shops v ethical online, I dither between both of those. either is fine really.

Or, to keep with no-shopping, can you try and swap some toys and books with another family? Our school had a book swap recently, the dds took in 10 books and came home with 20, without paying a thing.

We got some of these [[http://www.ethicalsuperstore.com/products/divine-chocolate/divine-fairtrade-milk-chocolate-coins/] choccy coins] last year - actually I got them as part of a Lakeland order but this website might be handy for other bits and bobs

one day I'll learn to do links properly

How old are your boys?? Could you print off colouring pages and make a colouring book or print off instructions to make paper models - you can recycle at the end. Or put together craft kits - borrow a 'things to make' book from library and gather all the stuff from about the home they need to make toys, science experiments etc.

Lots of great ideas.

Fennel, I am organising a school book /toy swap so I hope that will yield some good stuff!

Scrappy have done that colouring pages thing for party bags in past, it's a good one.

And the Fairtrade choc coins Grimma -- although most years the dc get deluged with chocolate from the inlaws so I am just going to siphon some off for the stockings this year.

I always found it easy and great fun to fill stockings with car boot and charity shop things when the kids were little and I have done that since they were born, but mine are now 12 and 14 and it is much harder because of advertising and peer pressure but I think that, because they are so used to EVERYTHING in our lives being bought from these sources, they are used to it!

About 3 years ago my eldest said that she thought that Father Christmas had been shopping in Help the Aged!! they don't care at all, and as long as I mix it with things that they need like socks and pants and toothbrushes and such like, they accept it.

My local newsagent has always been very enterprising and she sells off the freebies that come stuck to magazines and comics for 10 or 20p and I have added them too. Maybe your local newsagent may be willing to do the same. I then sell them years later at the car boot sale so it all goes around in circles!

No money and being concerned with waste makes one very inventive and enterprising..homemade blackcurrant gin for all the relatives this year I've decided!!