Christmas!!

I know its very early for a Christmas blog but the wonderful Belinda (@WhiteLilyMummy) has set herself a #WLMXmasChallenge on Twitter and I couldn't not join in!  Belinda has set herself a challenge to buy 70% of her Christmas gifts this year from independent British shops which is very impressive.  More information on her blog: http://whitelilymummy.wordpress.com/2012/09/13/wlm-christmas-challenge/

Buying from independent shops is something I also believe quite strongly in (especially when I own one!)  But I do know that it is not easy when most towns in this country are dominated by large chain stores so for Belinda to pledge to buy 70% of her gifts from independents is really very impressive.

I am going to join her in this challenge but with a difference.  I also like to support independent businesses and I too will buy a lot of my Christmas presents from them.  There is a fantastic hashtag #Twitmas run by @soc1albutterfly with a large number of independent brands showcasing their lovely products.  (Which is also a Facebook)  So I will be using this to find some of my Christmas presents.

However, I also feel quite strongly about the amount of waste that Christmas can cause.  I have 2 young children and a lot of family which means they are thoroughly spoilt at Christmas time which is great (and I am as guily as anyone in buying them too much!)  But it often ends up with an enourmous amount of toys, which are very often plastic.  So when my children have finished with these toys they are very likely to end up in landfill (have you seen Toy Story 3?).  Now I do not want my children to miss out just because I am concerned about the environmental impact of their new toys.  So I have decided to buy a lot of their toys second hand!  This will save these toys from ending up in landfill, will give my children some lovely Christmas presents, avoid me visiting the large chain stores in Town and hopefully save me some money!  I will also be selling or donating a lot of their old toys in the run up to Christmas.

This is something I have already started and I will write another blog on the wonderful gifts that I have purchased which includes lots of Playmobil toys for both children, a game and some of my daughter's 4th Birthday present!

If you fancy buying some gorgeous baby clothes which are also organic please check out Organic Tots!