ecobites.com

Making your life greener - one bite at a time.

Your Party shouldn't cost the Earth - in more ways than one! Environmentally friendly frugal parties are just as easy to throw, with a little planning and choosing local, organic, recycled or reusable items. Throwing an eco party is simple, and can add ambiance and character, and not add to landfill by re-purposing what you already have, buying only what you need, or sharing and swapping. Ask guests to bring a favorite dish using seasonal fruits and vegetables. Make your cocktails eco-friendly and green the party. How?

St. Patrick's Day - celebrated worldwide by Irish people and increasingly by many of non-Irish descent (Usually in the US and Ireland) hence the phrase "Every one is Irish on St. Patrick's day". Celebrations are generally themed around all things green and Irish; both Christians and non-Christians celebrate the secular version of the holiday by wearing green, eating Irish food, imbibing Irish drink, and attending parades.

Weeks of shopping, days of wrapping, hours of decorating and carefully arranging gifts underneath the tree -- and it's all over in a few minutes. While the kids chortle over new toys, you contend with a mountain of shredded paper, ribbon, and bows. It leaves you wishing you'd asked for a bulldozer.

Finding just the right Christmas gift can sometimes seem like an insur-mountable challenge. Luckily there are a few tricks to creating or buying just the right gift - and making Christmas giving a pleasure that is low on stress and over consumption. Remember that gift-giving isn't about the price tag, it's about the thought behind the gift and the time taken to find or make it that will make the difference. Gifts selected for thoughtfulness, longevity, and quality over quantity. Take a few moments to sit down and really think about each person you're intending to give a gift to. What are their interests? What do they do with their spare time? What genre of books do they read? What style of clothing do they wear? What do they most often talk about? What are their favorite foods/cuisine? What are their favorite colors, cosmetics, music, DVDs etc? What are their dreams, both realistic and hopeful? There is such a wealth of information that we know about the special people in our lives without even realising it.

With a little planning anyone can give Christmas presents that are thoughtful, original, recycled and homemade that make a difference to the environment.

Try to picture a world without gifts. There would be no colorfully wrapped presents, nothing under the Christmas tree or in Santa's stockings.

Christmas gift giving is a tradition that has been passed down for countless generations.