Sue writes…

If you want to have a green, eco Christmas and are wondering about how to decorate your house for the festive season, you’ll love the Christmas ideas on Nigelsecostore.com.

I’m always looking for something unusual for my Christmas tree, and these recycled CD Christmas Tree Decorations are just the thing. Their simple designs will co-ordinate well with any other decorations you may have, and their shiny surfaces will catch the light and make them sparkle – children will love hanging these on the tree. The decorations can be bought separately for £3.99 each or you can buy a set for £10.49

Fairy lights can look magical in the garden and these outdoor solar lights are ideal if you’d like to decorate the trees in your garden. The lights are waterproof and come with an integrated controller so that you can select various options such as continuous, burst, pulse, flashing etc. The lights have a sensor so that they only come on when it’s dark. 50 fairy lights cost £19.99 and 100 fairy lights cost £29.99.

Finally, if you need a new Christmas tree this year, why not consider one of Nigelsecostore’s Grow Your Own Christmas Trees. Real Christmas trees are more eco-friendly than artificial trees as they are carbon neutral, absorbing as much carbon dioxide as they grow as they will emit when burnt or left to decompose. My favourite is the Norway Spruce Christmas Tree. A 60-75cm tree costs £32.99 and comes ready planted in its own pot.

Nigels Eco Store at present are offering 10% off their christmas range, if you order before midnight of the 13th December 2008.

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Brenda writes…

Here are my top 6 “Green” discount codes for you and your family/friends to share this December.

Olli & Lime - 25% off, code BG01, ends on the 26/12/08

Ethical Superstore - 10% off on spends over £25, code TGF10, ends on the 31/12/08

Dam Tam - 10% off, code BAMBINO, no end date

Biome Lifestyle - 10% off, code ILOVEXMAS08, ends on the 19/12/08

Bibaloo - 10% off, code Bambino, ends on the 20/12/08

Noolibird - 10% off, code 1234, ends on the 31/01/09

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Rachel writes…

TGF would like to welcome Rachel to the family.  Rachel is a contributor over on Bambino Goodies and has turned reviewer for TGF today.

Made from super-absorbent hemp (rather than the usual cotton), the Baby Beehinds hemp nappy is a birth to potty nappy whose unique selling point is a natty system of poppers to adjust the size and absorbency. Hemp is also a good pick for the eco-friendly parent, since it needs less water and chemicals to grow.

As for me, I’m a relatively recent cloth nappy convert, using re-usables regularly on my five month old, but still sticking to disposables at night, or when we’re staying away from home.

Hold your horses
Once you have your nappy (or nappies) then you can’t just jump straight in and try them out. Or, rather, you could, but you’re instructed to wash it three times before use to ensure it’s absorbent enough. The instructions further add that the nappy only reaches its full absorbency after an eye-watering ten washes! Since it’s slow-drying and I wanted to get this review written sometime before 2009, I went with the three washes before cracking on and getting it in use. Read the full article

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Erica writes …

I’m a sucker for reversible items - 2 outfits for the price of one can’t be bad, can it?

So I love this reversible hat on from Organics for Kids. On one side you have stripes and on the other spots and it’s available in 4 different colours. There are two sizes which will take your baby up to a year old. Organics for Kids make a number of matching items too. It’s made from organic cotton and is ethically produced.  Price is £8.20.

9J Reversible Trousers

These are a lovely pair of smart trousers which are coffee coloured cords on one side and a stone colour on the reverse.  They have a cute lion motif for design.  Available in size 2-3 years.  UK made, which is great.  Available from Twigs 4 Kids for £18. Read the full article

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Brenda writes…

Here are a few of the best sales around at the moment.  If you know of anymore, please get in touch with us via the contact page.

Sones - Have on sale their Tunic Tops and Frill Bootlegs, just perfect for this time of year.  Both are available in sizes 18-24 months to 4-5 years.  The tunic tops are available in berry pink and denim blue and the frill bootlegs are available in purple/mink.  Both reduced to £8.50.

Arabella Miller - Have on sale their funky ladybird baby t-shirts. Available in sizes 6 - 24 months.  Now reduced to £9.99.

Natural Nursery - Have a great sale on babies and childrens organic clothes.  Available for both boys and girls and available in sizes from newborn to 4 years.

Buy Organics - Have a brilliant special offers page, which includes sweat shirts from the Tatty Bumpkin range and organic herbs to name a couple, all at reduced prices.

Ethical Superstore - This is your one stop eco-friendly superstore.  It has a special offers page, which includes products from the following departments: groceries, fashion, electrical appliances, beauty and many more, all at reduced prices.

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Sue writes…

I have always felt a bit ‘guilty’ about using disposable wipes on my 18 month-old daughter, so I was really pleased to try Beaming Baby Certified Organic Baby Wipes. Beaming Baby have even thought about us busy mums too, and I was lucky enough to be able to try their Organic Facial Cleansing Wipes too.

Why would you want to buy these products?

There are lots of baby wipes and facial cleansing wipes available in the shops, so why choose Beaming Baby products? I have never felt happy about using traditional baby wipes as they often have a variety of nasty ingredients listed and they are rarely bio-degradable. The Beaming Baby Certified Organic Baby Wipes are free from parabens, alcohol and sodium laureth sulphate. They are also flushable, hypoallergenic, 100% biodegradable and and totally chlorine free. Perfect!

Beaming Baby also support several charities. 10% of the profit when buying these wipes go to SANCCOB, a charity which rescues penguins form oil slicks on the African Coast and to ‘Baby Lifeline’, giving hospital equipment to baby care units.

What are the products like to use?

Both products are very convenient to use, so are great for when you are in a hurry, or for when you are out. The Certified Organic Baby Wipes come in a neat little pack with a very secure peel open lid. They are great for keeping in your changing bag so that you can use them to clean your baby when you are out or when you are travelling away from home. The Organic Facial Cleansing Wipes also come in a very small, neat pack, so can easily be packed into a washbag for overnight stays away from home.

Any negatives? None.

Price: Both products are great value for money. The Baby wipes cost £2.99 for 72 wipes and the Facial Wipes cost £2.49 for 25.

Overall Rating: 5/5

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Brenda writes…

We are going to try and highlight the best Green, Organic, Fair-Trade, Eco-friendly, and Handmade gifts around for you and your family to enjoy this year. These gifts are all under £10 today, ideal for chrismas stocking fillers.

Dudy Shake

Made from rubberwood and coated in non-toxic paints, this environmentally friendly rattle, will help your baby’s development. It is bright and colourful, with cute crinkly feet and textured wings, helping to shape your baby’s hand and eye co-ordination. Available from Beaming Baby for £7.49.

Onya Side Messenger Bag

This is a very handy reusable bag, that can go anywhere with you. It comes with easy to attach clips, which are contained within its own pouch. Available in a choice of 5 colours. Available from Blue-Daisy for £9.50.

Pre Shave face wash

This all natural face wash, contains aloe vera, cypress and citrus which help soften and look after your man’s skin. It is a product suitable to be used by people suffering from eczema and psoriasis. For 125ml, it is priced at £8.99. Available from Green People.

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Erica writes…

I have a bit of a thing about boxes: It’s always a temptation to buy nice boxes and it’s easy to justify a purchase as they’re so practical too.

This mango wood box as a lovely cut-out heart feature on the top and comes in either burnt white or pale green. You could use them anywhere around the home, but I think I would either use in the bedroom or the bathroom. I really like using boxes in these rooms as they hide away clutter and makes a room seem more calming. The colour options also seem to lend themselves to these rooms. As they are made from sustainably produced wood and are fairtrade too, you can buy with a clear conscience. Available from Biome Lifestyle for £10.

These CD boxes are also a favourite. They are available in cherry, black, brown and turquoise so should suit most rooms. They hold 10 CDs so they are probably not a choice for your main CD collection, but would be useful if you keep CDs around the house - I have a selection that I play regularly in the kitchen for instance, and another small collection in the bedroom. They’d also be good for travelling. Again they are produced in a fairtrade manner and are made from waste materials from the clothing industry. Available from Biome Lifestyle for £11.50.

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Brenda writes…

This week’s competition prize has been kindly donated by Alexandra from Green Eyed Monster, who specialise in ethical kids wear.

The Snowman is a classic, that is very popular around Christmas time. I have personally taken my kids to see it re-enacted in the theatre as a Christmas treat, and they loved it. It’s a definite must do, if you can.

The Snowman Complete Giftset, comes in a choice of two colours, pink or blue. The giftset includes: a hat, gloves, and a scarf (all of which are made from alpaca wool, which is non-itchy and supersoft, so great for kiddies with sensitive skin). The alpaca wool is fairly traded from Peru and all items feature the signature of Raymond Briggs, the creator.

The giftset will arrive wrapped up in tissue paper, in a recycled card giftbox along with a postcard still taken from the animated classic.

The retail value of this prize is £40.

To win this gorgeous giftset, tell me whose signature features on the items in the giftset?

Email your name, your address and the answer to competitions [at] thegreenfamilia.co.uk by 12pm, Friday 4th December 2008, please do not forget to add the @ sign.

Please note that in entering this competition you are already subscribed too or are agreeing to subscribe to the weekly email update which highlights the posts from The Green Familia. There is no longer a ‘no mailout’ option.

1. Prize draw is open to UK & Ireland residents only.

2. Competition prize is one of The Snowman’s Complete Giftset worth approximately £40 and you will be notified by email if you have won and can expect to receive your prize up to 7 days after that.

3. By entering this competition you agree to be added to the The Green Familia Weekly Update mailing list. Your details will not be shared with others. If you’d prefer not to be added to the list, please do not enter.

4. The winner will be drawn at random on the 4th December 2008. Please ensure that all of the requested information is included in your email otherwise it may be exempt from the draw.

5. No cash alternative will be offered for any prize.

Full terms and conditions apply.

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