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Greetings!
Happy Holidays to our faithful Blue Sky Guide supporters! We wish
you many blessings as the year comes to an end.
For this
year's gift guide, we made an effort to encourage gifts of
experience over the material, time over money and the authentic over
the artificial. Whether you're celebrating the seasonal shift of
light or the traditional Christmas or Hanukah holidays, may you
enjoy an abundance of friends, family and good health.
Note: We've bolded the vendors below that offer
coupons in the 2005 Blue Sky Guide this year.
| Support Local Artisans |
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 This holiday season, make a
commitment to buy your holiday gifts from local artists to
support their creative efforts and your community. These are
gifts that help keep your money local. There are a number of
artists selling their wares at shows throughout the Twin
Cities. Here are a few options.
Arts
& Crafts Show and Sale at the Edina Art Center
Now
through Dec 23rd
Featuring one-of-a-kind handcrafted items
by local artists.
Edina Art Center
4701 West 64th St,
Edina 612-915-6600
Arts
of the Holidays Juried Show and Sale
Now through Dec
23rd.
Featuring glassware, wood, multimedia, jewelry,
paintings, ceramics, sculpture and fiber art.
Minnetonka
Center for the Arts
2240 North Shore Dr, Wayzata
952-473-7361 ext 21
Holiday
Exhibition and Sale
Now through Dec 30
An open house
with demonstrations and treats will feature over 40 artists.
Northern Clay Center
2424 Franklin Ave East,
Minneapolis 612-339-8007
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| Year-Long Gifts |
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Give a membership to a local organization such as an
environmental, social justice or political group that you and
your gift recipient want to support this year. Year-long
memberships often come with a newsletter and other perks, not
to mention the good feeling you get when supporting a great
organization. Our top recommendations are:
Land
Stewardship Project
Minnesota
Landscape Arboretum
Minnesotans
for an Energy Efficient Economy
Nature
Conservancy
A donation in your gift recipient's
name is another gift for the person who has all she needs.
Again, choose from a variety of organizations such as Eco
Education, Twin
Cities Habitat for Humanity, or Second
Harvest Heartland.
Another monthly reminder of the
gift-giver's thoughtfulness is a subscription to a magazine or
newsletter. Take a look at Ode, National Geographic, Mother
Jones, our very own Sustainable
Industries Journal, Orion, YES!, Vegetarian
Times or the New York Sunday Times.
Of
course, there is the gift that gives and keeps on giving all
year-round - Chinook Book (Portland or Seattle)
or Blue Sky Guide (Twin Cities). Introduce your
friends and co-workers to their local Coupon Book for
Healthy Living. These make great gifts for your
babysitter, handyman, co-worker or child's teacher.
Don't forget the gift of transportation! How about a
Metro
Transit pass for the bus or light rail champion on your
list?
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| Trade, Barter, Share |
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 Trade creative talents with
friends. If you knit and your friend bakes, agree to make
double and you can give out two handmade gifts this year. Or,
widen your circle and include jewelry makers, painters,
photographers, calligraphers - use your imagination.
Give certificates of your time and/or skill. These are
VERY appreciated. Consider babysitting, a home-cooked meal
(lasagna or big pot of soup), pet or housesitting, gardening
(2 hours of weeding), oil change, assistance with moving or a
painting project, car wash or anything else that comes to
mind.
Write out a fun certificate, decorate with
abandon and put in an envelope for dramatic presentation.
There you have the ideal gift - sustainable - practical - from
the Heart - thoughtful - and no returns!
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| Vote with your Dollar |
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For the more tangible gifts that will last longer than
cookies or chutney, shop for gifts from local sustainable,
mindful companies. Find natural and organic toys and baby care
products at Peapods, or gifts made from recycled paper
at Three Rooms. Secondhand clothing is worth a second
look - kid's clothing with minimal wear can be found at Oh
Cool Baby, Giraffes & Unicorns and Once Upon a
Child, or new clothing made from natural fibers from
Hanna Andersson and The Nest. My Sister's
Closet, Turn Style, Every Day People, and Arc Value
Village also carry a wide selection of used clothing for
adults and kids.
Gifts of the homemade variety from
recycled bike parts, glass, aluminum, wood and other materials
can be found at Green Glass Inc, Ten Thousand
Villages, and Past Lives. If 'retro' is what you're
after, check out Succotash, Practical Goods, Lula, or
Tatters.
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| From the Ground Up |
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 How about a gift bursting with
life or the promise of life to come? A simple, elegant gift of
a paper white bulb nestled in some recycled glass chips in a
small planter is sure to delight. Pick out a native plant for
the avid gardener on your list or organic seed packets coupled
with a small terra cotta pot. Depending on your budget, you
can add a small hand tool, gardening book, rubber gloves and
shea butter cream for a little TLC for the hands. For your
gardening gift goodies, try Bloomsbury Market, Yardware,
Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, Tangletown Gardens, Lotus Lawn
& Garden, Minnesota Horticultural Society, Mother Earth
Gardens, Noble Landscape & Garden Center, Outback Nursery
or Interior Gardens.
Consider buying your holiday
tree with the roots intact (in a pot or burlapped and balled).
Purchasing an evergreen with its roots intact will give your
family the option to plant it this coming spring and watch it
grow each year. Ask your nursery about options and winter care
recommendations.
For an early peek at the blooms,
check out the annual holiday flower show at the Marjorie
McNeely Conservatory at Como Park (Sunken Garden)
Dec
4th through Jan 23rd, 2005
1325 Aida Place, St Paul
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| Create a Ritual (Free!) |
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 Give your kids a "Special Day"
certificate. They can redeem it over the holiday break and
they get to choose the activity. Give them financial and time
boundaries and then give them free reign to make their day -
museum outing, children's theater show, Science Museum of
Minnesota, sledding, skiing, a playdate with a special
friend, making cookies or their favorite treat or hot
chocolate with extra whipped cream at a local coffee shop.
Give the gift of yourself to your kids!
For the adults
on your list, plan a field trip with activities that your
partner or friend enjoys. Breakfast at a local eatery
(French Meadow Bakery, Barbette, or May Day Cafe),
cross-country ski around the lakes or take in a live show at
The Jungle Theater, Theatre de la Jeune Lune or Theatre in
the Round. Write out his or her itinerary and present the
scroll tied with a ribbon.
Rituals can be as simple as
honoring the Solstice with candles lit throughout your home,
decorating your Christmas tree with the family, lighting the
Menorah or baking holiday cookies.
Two Celilo Group
staffers shared their family rituals for the season:
Solstice
December is the month of Winter
Solstice -- early darkness gives way to a tiny bit more light
each day, leading us back to spring. Winter Solstice is
traditionally celebrated in Sweden with a tribute to Santa
Lucia, the patron saint of light. There are local Lucia
festivals that consist of a beautiful girl with candles on her
head and her court singing traditional holiday songs. We
celebrate it in our home with our boys (boys can be a part of
the court, too!) along with homemade cinnamon rolls and hot
mulled wine. -- April Streeter
Christmas Eve
Every Christmas Eve, my family hangs around the kitchen,
lit by candles, with holiday music playing in the background
(which I use to agonize over as a teen) and talks casually
about our past year, our plans for the following year, and
memories of holiday's past. We have such a good time, usually
over wine and finger foods, that the evening carries on early
into the morning. This is something that evolved over the
years, being embraced by all of us, rather than planning it --
which makes it extra special. We also, always, take this day
to play tricks on my Dad, who plays tricks on us year round.
We do all sorts of silly things, like hide his gifts, wrap
things he already owns, etc. -- Jenn Adams
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| The Rap on Wrap |
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Garbage seems to pile up over the holiday season. You can
do something about that. No matter what the gift, there is an
eco-friendly wrapper for it.
- First, consider not wrapping your gift! Make the gift
recipient work for it. Have them go on a treasure hunt
around the house and they can find their gift inside the
toaster oven (make sure it is off).
- The handy among us can stamp brown kraft paper or paper
grocery bags with decorative holiday stamps.
- Wrap your gift in newsprint, reused wrapping paper, bits
of fabric, old Christmas or birthday cards or tissue paper
(sans wax or plastic coating).
- Look for Wrapsacks
- beautiful, fabric bags that come in all sizes, perfect for
wine bottles, small books, journals or candles. These bags
are completely reusable and can be passed around for years.
- Other options include a dishtowel, hand towel, cloth
napkin, placemat, a pretty scarf or table runner and
terracotta pots or coffee mugs.
- Head on over to ArtStart,
to get a wide variety of creative materials to wrap your
gifts.
- Pack your gifts to be shipped in popcorn (oil-free) or
reusable peanuts, newspaper or plastic bags that are taking
up space in your cabinets. Leave a note for the recipient
that all these materials are either reusable or recyclable,
to ensure the cycle continues.
- If you're feeling really ambitious, buy a stamp that
reads "Please Recycle" and use liberally on packaging and
other recyclables.
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| Closing the Loop |
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The holidays are over! You did it. You shopped thoughtfully
with a critical eye cast toward waste and excess. Your gift
recipients were thrilled. Now, for clean up.
- Keep and reuse bows, ribbons, packing material and
wrapping paper. Stow away for use next year.
- Visit GreenGuardian.com http://www.greenguardian.com for
information about recycling Christmas trees in your county.
You will find curb-side pick-up information, as well as
drop-off locations. Or, re-use your Christmas tree. Place
the tree in your yard as a home for birds and other wild
life; the branches will provide shelter, and you can hang
suet or pine cones covered in seeds and nut butter for food.
Another option - trim off the tree branches and use them as
winter mulch on your perennials.
- Donate usable items to local charities. Some good
options are Arc
Value Village, Project for Pride and Living (612-
789-3322), East Metro Women's Council (651-773- 8401), and
Anoka Washington County Headstart (651-459-0633).
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Gifts from your Kitchen |
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Homemade for the holidays is easier than you think. Reserve
an afternoon or a couple of weekday evenings to work your
magic in the kitchen. Connect with your Midwestern roots, and
try your hand at Finnish cardamom coffee bread, toasted
hazelnuts, sugar cookies or seasonal preserves. Look for these
recipes and more in Savoring the Seasons of the Northern
Heartland by Lucia Watson and Beth Dooley. Or try your
hand making flavored olive oils. Try citrus peel, garlic or
fresh herbs from the winter farmer's market. Decant into
re-used glass bottles and decorate with ribbon or whimisical
labels for a personal touch. Shop at your local natural foods
or gourmet markets: Natural Food Co-ops, Clancey's Meats
and Fish, Fresh and Natural Foods, Whole Foods, Kowalski's
Markets, or Lunds and Byerly's.
Pair your homemade
gift with a pound of organic, fair- trade coffee from Peace
Coffee or Equal Exchange. The following local coffeeshops
serve and sell fair- trade coffees: Birchwood Cafe, Ginkgo
Coffeehouse, Swede Hollow Cafe, Fire Roast Mountain Cafe,
Black Dog Coffee & Wine Bar, Blue Moon, Café of the
Americas, Riverview Cafe, Garden View Café and Old Man
River Cafe. Look for chocolates and breads made with
organic and fair-trade ingredients. You can find delightful
treats from Midnight Chocolate, River Chocolate Company, A
Toast to Bread, and French Meadow Bakery & Cafe.
Send Minnesota grown foodstuffs such as turkey,
buffalo, lamb, pork and beef to far away friends and
relatives. Humanely raised and hormone- and antibiotic-free,
these cuts of meat are a far cry from the industrial farms
that produce the bulk of our country's meats. Try Hidden
Stream Farm, Buffalo
Gal/Money Creek Buffalo Farm, or Hill and Vale Farms
(507-352-4441).
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Chocolate Truffles
1 ¼ cups heavy
cream
1 lb. Bittersweet chocolate or couverture chocolate,
grated
1 ½ cups unsweetened cocoa powder (try
Dagoba), sifted
Pour the cream into a heavy
saucepan or the top of a double boiler and bring to a boil.
Remove the pan from the heat and let cool until lukewarm. Add
the grated chocolate and beat with an electric mixer for about
5 minutes. Set aside to cool, then beat the mixture for a
further 5 minutes. Transfer the bowl to the refrigerator and
chill at least 10 minutes or until the mixture is firm enough
to shape with your hands.
Sift the cocoa into a deep
bowl or spread a thick later on a baking sheet. Make sure your
hands are clean and dry, then dust them with cocoa and, using
about 2 heaped teaspoons of the mixture, quickly shape into a
ball and roll in the cocoa. Put in little paper cases and
store in airtight containers.
Coconut and Vanilla
Truffles Add ½ -1 cup unsweetened desiccated coconut and 1
tablespoon vanilla extract. Shape the mixture into small
balls. Dip them into 1 ½ lb. melted chocolate and roll in
cocoa as in the main recipe
Rum-Raisin Truffles
Add 2 tablespoons of rum and ½ - 1 cup seedless raisins. Shape
the mixture into small balls and roll each one in chocolate
threads or sprinkles, about 4 oz.
Coffee and Nut
Truffles Add 2-3 tablespoons instant coffee granules to
the hot cream, stir until dissolved, and proceed as in the
main recipe. Pipe the mixture into small paper or foil
confectionary cases and sprinkle with finely chopped nuts,
about 1 cup.
Note: When making chocolates, always buy
the best brand of chocolate available and grate it or break it
into small pieces before melting.
Chocolate should
never come into contact with direct heat or water, so if
possible use a double boiler. Excess heat, or even a drip of
moisture will cause the chocolate to "seize" - become grainy-
burn, or turn bitter, and there is no way to retrieve the
mess.
Cranberry and Raisin Chutney
4
cups fresh cranberries
½ cup white wine vinegar or cider
vinegar
½ cup seedless raisins
2/3 cup chopped nuts
(hazelnuts are great)
finely grated zest and juice of 2
lemons
½ teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon paprika
½
teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon sea salt
2 cups
sugar
a preserving pan
4 x 1-cup preserving jars,
sterilized
Makes 4 cups
Put all the ingredients,
except the cranberries, into a preserving pan or heavy
stainless steel saucepan. Add ¾ cup water, bring to a boil,
reduce the heat, and simmer until tender. Add the cranberries
and simmer for 40 minutes or until the fruit is soft but not
disintegrated, about 45 minutes.
Spoon into prepared
jars. Cover and seal tightly, label, and date. Store in a cool
dark place for 2-3 weeks before using. After opening, use
within 3 months.
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