As Christmas rolls around again, you have yet another chance to force Earth-friendly gifts onto your not-so-Earth-friendly family. But these selections are so beautiful it won't matter that they're made from recycled hogwash. Here are a few ideas from our annual, eco-friendly gift guide:
SUCCULENTS
Cute li'l succulents are drought-tolerant and lovely. Buy a grip of them at your local nursery, then find curious vessels at the thrift store. If time's an issue, Stella Designs on Etsy (stelladesignsshop.etsy.com) will ship painted mason jar planters with the succulents ready to go.
WATER CARAFE
Giving someone a reusable water bottle when he or she wasn't hoping for one is awkward, unless it's real purdy. The water carafe from Black + Blum is an organic, modern design and work of art. It takes the act of filtering tap water and puts it into a curvy glass bottle with an exposed charcoal stick, topped with a cork stopper. Super classy. black-blum.com.
COMPOST CONTAINER
Compost bins usually take up a lot of room, attract flies and are damn ugly. The Stoneware Compost Container is less than 1 foot tall and made of smooth, white-and-black ceramic, with a sophisticated, metal-clamp system. The bin looks straight out of Pottery Barn and won't even smell up the kitchen. uncommongoods.com.
RECYCLED NECKTIE
For menfolk, consider splurging on the Sonic Fabric Necktie. It's made from 50 percent recycled cassette tape that the artist supposedly recorded on the streets of New York or someplace equally pretentious. The skinny ties are pretty sexy—and you can hear them. sonicfabric.com.
WRAPPING
Brown paper bags or newspaper accented by twigs and baker's twine make for charming wrapping—just don't use OC Weekly (seriously, that ink will get all over your hands) or, probably, the OC Register, as that would require finding actual copies.
