Last-minute, low-impact gift ideas

Yes, Christmas is Friday and time to find last-minute gifts is quickly evaporating. If you still need ideas for this year, below are some you can make, usually from found objects around your house that will have no impact or little impact on the Earth and its resources.

Homemade gifts sometimes get a bad wrap, but these are worth giving — and getting.

For kids

Simple Pleasures

- Rather than spend money on a hunk of plastic destined for the dump in a few weeks, how about giving a child something simple, yet lasting. Make a small bag out of fabric scraps or old clothes and fill it with natural objects, like rocks or seashells you found. You also could put old glass marbles, interesting old buttons or other things to help spark a collection.

Dressing Up

- One of the best things about childhood is dressing up and playing pretend. Dig through your closet (or maybe even Grandma and Grandpa’s attic) for interesting old clothes, like fancy dresses, hats or jackets. Fold them up and place them in a basket you have laying around or even an old suitcase.

For friends and family

Homemade cookbooks

- Those who love to cook usually have an assortment of favorite recipes. Why not share them with your friends and family by making your own cookbook?

If you have the time and patience, buy a small notebook made from recycled paper and hand-write recipes, along with tips and notes. You also could paste copies of recipes that you’ve clipped out of newspapers or magazines. If you want to make a cookbook faster, photocopy or print out recipes and either paste them in a book or make your own, using old cardboard, a hole punch and ribbon. Use recycled paper or even notebooks in your house and soy-based ink for the least impact.

Food mixes in jars

- Share a favorite food by making homemade mixes and putting them in nice jars or containers. Mixes could be for soup, pancakes, cookies, bread or even hot chocolate. Ingredients can be bought in bulk to save money and packaging.

Use jars from around the house or bought from thrift stores for the lowest impact. Search online for “homemade recipe mixes” or “jar mix recipes” for countless recipes and ideas. Also, go to www.newsadvance.com for links to a few of our favorites. Instructions vary based on the type of mix, but the idea is to take a pretty glass jar and gradually add ingredients in layers, forming a nice design. Tie a hand-written recipe card to the lid with a ribbon so the recipient knows what to do.

Re-gifting

- A sometimes-controversial method, that when done right, brings someone joy without sending an unwanted object to the dump. Basic rules include: don’t give something in poor condition, something the original owner might see or items that are custom or obviously re-gifted unless you think the recipient would really want it. Go online for more detailed etiquette.

Other ways to celebrate the holidays with a lower environmental impact include:

- Rather than buying gifts for everyone in a large family, pool your money and give to a charity. You could sponsor schoolchildren in Third World countries or give to charities closer to home.

- Give the gift of time by volunteering for friends or local organizations. The act would have much meaning and provide needed service. Ideas could be offering to baby-sit for friends and family, helping with chores or cooking a nice meal.

- Wrap gifts in colorful newspaper pages, old magazines, old maps or other paper. The idea is to reuse what would normally be sent to the recycling bin or tossed out.

Recipes

Rainbow Bean Soup

Dried Bean Mix:
½ cup each kidney beans, small red beans, red lentils split yellow peas, split green peas and black beans.
Layer each type of bean in a 24-ounce clear gift jar.

Seasoning Mix:
1 tablespoon dried sweet pepper flakes
2 teaspoons chicken bouillon granules
2 teaspoons dried minced onion
1½ teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
½ teaspoon black pepper
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon celery seed
4 tablespoons brown sugar
Combine ingredients. Store in a resealable plastic bag. Attach to jar and give with recipe for Rainbow Bean Soup. Yields about 3 cups dried bean mix and ¼ cup seasoning mix.

Attach these instructions to the jar:
Rainbow Bean Soup:
Dried Bean Mix
2 14½ ounce cans tomatoes
Seasoning Mix
1 teaspoon Liquid Smoke (optional)
Rinse beans and place in large Dutch oven or stockpot
Pour 4 cups boiling water over beans; cover and let soak overnight.
Drain beans and return to stockpot. Add 6 cups water, cover, and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer 1 to 1½ hours or until beans are almost tender.
Add tomatoes and seasoning mix. Stirring occasionally, cover and simmer 30 minutes. Uncover beans and continue to simmer about 1 hour longer or until beans are tender and soup thickens. Serve warm.
Yields about 10 cups soup.

Hot Chocolate Mix
3 cups skim milk powder
3 cups white sugar
1½ cups unsweetened cocoa
1½ cups non-dairy creamer
Directions:
In a large bowl, combine ingredients. Divide the mixture between two 1-quart jars. Seal and decorate as desired. These can be stored in a dry area for up to 3 months.
Attach a tag with the following instructions: Hot Cocoa: Dissolve 1/3 cup of cocoa mix in 1 cup boiling water.
Yields 8 cups of mix or 24 servings

Variations:
- Substitute non-dairy creamer powder with flavored non-dairy creamer powder.
- Add 3 teaspoons cinnamon and ¼ tsp cayenne pepper for spicy hot chocolate.
- Add ½ cup mini-chocolate chips for extra richness.
- Substitute homemade vanilla sugar for the regular sugar.
- Spread 1 cup miniature marshmallows on a baking sheet and leave out overnight to remove moisture. Add to the mix.
- For raspberry hot cocoa, add one packet of unsweetened raspberry drink mix. Increase sugar amount by one cup.