Our Holiday Gift Ideas for 2017!

For anyone wanting a toxin-free home

Started by three women who are super passionate about helping people avoid toxins in their daily lives, Branch Basics is offering a brand new formula that is truly safe and works. Their new concentrate replaces every cleaner in your home: removes grease and food stains, cleans all countertops and floors, washes dishes, makes jewelry sparkle, removes eye makeup and can wash your produce, body and baby. Seriously – I feel like a salesperson for them rattling all of this off, but this is one product that I truly love and use all the time.

Used at full strength, one 32 oz bottle does 192 loads of laundry. And yep, we parents are no strangers to laundry, right?! Empty spray bottles and a foamer bottle, labeled for different uses, make diluting and using the concentrate really easy. Also, their Oxygen Boost is great for whitening and brightening clothes, removing tough stains and making tile grout look new again! Their Starter Kit is the perfect holiday gift idea to let your recipient get started with their new, toxin-free cleaning regime.

Super snacks for real foodies

I can’t think of a holiday that doesn’t include some food gift. I mean, everyone likes to eat, so chances are they’ll use it. A perfect stocking stuffer to add to the mix is from one of my family’s favorite snack companies, Made in Nature. For a limited time, they are offering a Holiday Snack Box which is packed with 5 of their most popular Supersnacks. What I love about Made in Nature is that their products are just that – made in nature and void of other fillers/nonsense ingredients. Who has time for that?! These are perfect for stockings, super to gift to the postal service person, dog walker or teacher, and also so good for those busy shopping days when you’re out and about longer than planned. Stash them in your bag for a healthy pick-me-up. Here’s what’s included in the pack:

• Cranberry Pistachio Figgy Pops, 4.2 oz
• Mocha Almond Nut Butter Filled Figgy Pops, 3.8 oz
• Italian Espresso Coconut Chips, 3 oz (looooove these)
• Dried Mangoes, 3 oz (my kids will fight over these)
• Maple Balsamic Nut Fusions, 4 oz

>> Our gift to you: use code “holiday” at checkout to get free shipping on the Holiday Snack Box

For the foodie who has everything

For the person who believes that cinnamon is the spice of life or the one who has not yet tasted freshly ground cinnamon, which makes SUCH a difference in taste, we have just the thing. A beautifully designed cinnamon grater made in the UK combined with fresh cinnamon sticks  (Ceylon cinnamon and Saigon cinnamon, both harvested in 2017) make a uniquely wonderful gift that the recipient will be able to enjoy for years to come.

Lisa has one of the graters and has said that she “cannot believe the difference” in taste. Choose from a beautiful hand-made oak grater or a sleek black plastic grater; each comes with fresh cinnamon sticks, and individual sticks can be purchased in the future, as well.

The gift of experience: travel

Over the last few years, I’ve become a fan of a slightly different approach to gifting, but one that I’m extremely fond of: the gift of experiences, and in this case, the gift of travel. With 4 kids, I’m sure that you can appreciate the fact that we have more puzzles, coloring books, art supplies, toy cars and balls than needed since each child has been fortunate enough to get one or another at various times. I’ve also realized that what we value so much more is time together … so why not give a gift to bring everyone together?

The Family Backpack has come up with some holiday gift ideas that combine material presents with the gift of travel. Because if you are giving the gift of travel, it is still fun to have something to open to help paint the picture of what’s to come. These presents are great for kids, and you can give the list to grandparents or aunts and uncles as well. You can also set up an account with websites like iSow that create platforms to raise money for special events or trips. Asking family members to contribute towards the larger gift of an upcoming trip is another way to give the gift of travel to your children and teach them about saving up for a goal (love this idea).