If you have ever traveled on a dark country road or had the power go out on you will appreciate the notion of a LED wind up flashlight that will be there for you in emergencies forever- or at least the next 20 years. We gave these flashlights out as gifts to our staff a number of months ago and during a recent bad storm the power went out in our offices. Imagine trying to use a bathroom when it was pitch black! Our staff just whipped out those wind up flashlights and we were all set. This is just one of those useful things that everyone should have around and with no batteries being used they are eco friendly to boot.

One of the most creative and tiniest humidifiers I have seen in recent months is one which does not have a water tank of its own but relies on a standard water bottle. This teeny portable humidifier can easily tuck into your over night bag for travel or sit unobtrusively on your desk top. One of our staff sits with this bottle humidifier on her desk and swears by it. A perfect gift to oneself or that member of your family who tends to get sinusitis or nose bleeds.

When in doubt give someone a green gift certificate as a gift and they will have great fun exploring our GreenandMore.com web site which has an amazing selection of delectable green gift items. We have given these gift certificates to relatives for wedding gifts with great success. Of course I am prejudiced as they feature my animal and nature photography work from a safari tour I went on a couple of years ago.

The Electrolux Pronto cordless vacuum is one of those little extra vacuums that is so handy to have around the house when you want to do a quick pick up without using a full size vacuum. It is one of my favorite accessories and I love it because it is very light and I most often use it as a stick vacuum although it does come apart so you can use it as a cordless handheld vacuum. Be clear, this vacuum cleaner does not do as good a job as a regular vacuum and to substitute it for one would be foolish. However, for cleaning up crumbs off the kitchen floor or in cases of unexpected guests arriving in 15 minute, the Electrolux Pronto can come to the rescue. It is the vacuum I use on a daily basis while waiting for my cleaning lady to do that deep cleaning that she does so well.

This is also an ideal vacuum cleaner for the college dorm room where perfection is not required but any clean up would be welcome. The dust collection cup is by its very design limited in size and can get clogged up if you get too ambitious and push this vacuum beyond what it was meant to do- and trust me I have pushed it. But all in all, I like the Pronto and have given it as a gift to family and friends which in itself tells you something.

Plastic trash bags will last in a landfill for 1000 years, so I was just tickled when I found a source of biodegradable trash bags for all occasions and chores that completely biodergrade in 90 days. I think the problem is that most people just are not aware that environmentaly friendly trash bags exists and continue to use the harmful plastic type. Try these biodegradable trash bags and let us know what you think.

It is easy to forget that these eco friendly teak cutting boards are made out of young teak trees thinned out so that other trees can grow. The truth is they are just plain gorgeous- stunning in fact- and bound to cause a smile to the face of anyone who gets one of these as a gift. As a cheese board or for a display of hors D’oevres these teak chopping boards are magnificent. They are so beautiful it actually seems like a travesty to chop on them. My husband immediately said they were the next thing on his list to give his children. He then showed them to friends of ours who immediately reacted the same way, and wanted to give them to their adult kids this holiday season. We gave one as a gift this last week and scored a big hit. There are two main patterns and I would recommend either the largest rectangular or the large circular shapes. Quite honestly, you cannot go wrong and these teak cutting boards are very modestly priced for what you get.

When I first unpacked these LED torch lights I was a little disappointed, and then as I assembled and later used them, I was simply delighted! So be warned, if you intend to give them as a gift, preassemble them for the recipient to insure the lights are used and not re-gifted.

When you have gotten through rolling the colored vellum papers and putting in batteries, what you discover is that you have a charming set of long lasting LED torch lights each giving off the equivalent of 15 watts of incandescent power.45 Watts in total which is only 3 watts of LED power.

I was simply entranced with these lights and have used them on our deck for mood lighting when taking a long soak in the bathtub and even or emergency lighting in power outage. Our grandchildren also thought that the torch lights were splendid and the five year twin girls carried them solemnly throughout the house. Just this last weekend my husband took the yellow one on his nightly walk through our condo complex so these torch lights have a myriad of uses.

On a recent trip to England I smiled when I saw my sister hanging her clothes on her outdoor clothes line, the way my family has been drying their clothes for centuries. From her perspective it saves energy [6% of your energy bill] over drying them in the dryer [yes she does have a dryer!],the clothes last longer, and they smell better having dried outdoors. So it might seem like a very retro thing to do, but amazingly outdoor clothes lines are selling up a storm. Of course condo owners and apartment dwellers cannot take advantage but for those of you who live in more rural areas- try it you might like it!

Get your friends and family off to a green start with Green Gift Baskets which are very substantial looking and well presented. Choose between an introduction to Green Cleaning supplies for $44.95; or perhaps you know someone with a green thumb who would like the Gardening Basket at $64.95? Or who has just recently had a Baby and could use a Baby Gift Basket at $59.95?.

I have had great success this year in giving magnificent teak cutting boards, either in round or rectangular shapes to our children, who are constantly entertaining their wide circle of friends and family. These Cutting Boards from $17.99 are made of the sapling teak trees thinned out to make room for the larger trees. I would recommend the 14” round one - it is a knockout and makes an unusual gift. On my own personal shopping list is the Soda and Seltzer Maker starting at $89.99 which I have been eying for a long time. I will use it for our office holiday party and then take it off home afterwards! I drink about a liter of mineral water or seltzer every day, so in three months my new seltzer maker will have paid for itself. One of my staff has had one for 10 years, so I reckon I will be saving money and being good to the environment as the same time - no more plastic bottles to recycle.

My sister chose the recycled black wool poppy bag Wool Poppy String Bag at $159.99 for herself on a recent trip from England. It was so pretty and well made that both myself and a girlfriend are getting one as a holiday gift to ourselves and for going to parties with a little purse conveniently dangling from ones wrist, the little Wool Droplet Purse is on my list.

My 17 year old niece on the other hand reports back that her choice of a Recycled License Purse starting at $59.99 has been the subject of great admiration from her friends who think it is very cool, so if you are at a loss on how to please a teenager, here is an idea for you. When I was told we were going to carry a line of purses and travel bags made out of recycled inner tubes I was very skeptical - even though I was told they were quite the rage. However, I have to tell you that the line up of messenger bags Pascal is quite something. Either the Large Messenger Bag (for $234.99) or the Brief Messenger Bags (for $249.99) would be a perfect gift for the man in your life. I would buy one for my husband, but I bought him something similar last year and do not believe in lining up duplicates in his closet - but they are very handsome indeed.

I am also going to spruce up my kitchen with some beautiful Organic Kitchen Towels, $26.99 for a set of three and also give some to my friends as hostess gifts. I am tired of looking at the sorry towels that are hanging in my kitchen right now - time to throw them out. I have also found that my Reuseable Shopping Bags at $24.99 for a set of 4, get left in my car or a myriad of other places, and I never have them to hand when I shop. So both I and my friends are going to get treated to some bags which fold up so small they can be stashed in one’s purse, where they are likely to be found and actually used.

Also for use in the kitchen and entertaining are some very handsome Soapstone Casserole Dish for $110.00 and Soapstone Griddle just $94.99 as well as a Soapstone Wine Holder for $51.00. These are not gifts for your grandmother as they are quite heavy, but soapstone which is a natural substance is naturally stick free, and retains heat or cold for much longer than other materials.

Our grandchildren are getting the cutest little eco friendly Child Back Packs at $48.99 and also our Kitty Crank Flashlights sweet at $14.99. Our LED Torchlights at $59.99 were used with great success by us this summer on our deck provide emergency lighting, and my husband uses one on his walk at night for safety reasons and is known in our community as the “flashlight guy”. These were admired by a good friend, so guess what she gets in their holiday stocking! Another great gadget gift for a grandchild, or even one of those “big kids” in your family who is also a cyclist, is the Hymini solar and wind charger at $49.99 for a cell phone and other small accessories. Just clip this baby onto your bike, go for a bike ride and its little fan whirls around charging itself up like crazy.

We are going on a trip next spring and are taking some travel Soy Memory Foam Pillows starting at $46.99 with us. We have given them to all our kids this year who have given them rave reviews, and use them for the grandchildren to fall asleep on in the car, so we thought we would try some out for ourselves! Also in use around both our house and our kids are Soybean Bathrobes at $118.00. These are the softest bathrobes imaginable and my husband loves to lounge on a Sunday morning in this bathrobe reading the Sunday newspapers and eating his blueberry pancakes.

If the man in your life is a real do-it-yourselfer type then he will appreciate both the Touchless Faucet at $59.99 which is one of those faucets which senses when you hands are underneath and immediately stops when you remove them. The Kill-A-Watt meter for $39.99 which tells you how much electricity each of your appliances is consuming was very popular last year. Also if the guy in your life is an outdoors type, we have some pretty nice rugged Solar Back Packs starting at $129.99 which do double duty as a backpack and for emergency recharging of your cell phone in the wild - just think of how many lives could have been saved in winter accidents if people could only have charged up their cell phones.

When all else fails give a GreenandMore.com Online Gift Certificates. They have some beautiful photographs taken from my safari trip a couple of years back. They come in denominations starting at $25.

Dear Everyone,

At this time of year my husband and some close friends come to me for gift ideas. We have a nice selection on our AllergyBuyersClub.com web site of healthy gifts, and a treasure trove of green, energy saving and natural gifts from our sister site GreenandMore.com which I encourage you to visit if you have not done so yet. Also if you spend over $150 at GreenandMore.com you will get a free gift of a rechargeable cat flashlight which is both adorable and practical.
I would like to remind you that we have just launched a new feature on our product pages at AllergyBuyersClub.com in which you can continue in our tradition by offering detailed and honest reviews to our web site visitors. We have always believed that it helps consumers make educated choices if they know the pluses and minuses of any product before they buy - and it is rare that we ourselves find a perfect product! So if you could add your two cents to our own product reviews that would be splendid!
We prefer reviews which are thoughtful, and sufficiently detailed to help a future customer with their purchasing decisions. It is also preferable to do a balanced review, pointing out both the product’s virtues and vices- although we are not trying to suppress your exuberance or candor!
 

  Mercia Tapping  President  AllergyBuyersClub.com

If you are in need of an air purifier, the Blueair 205C air purifier is packaged with an extra VOC filter, for a savings of $180 and is a wonderful little air cleaner for small rooms. It even comes with a FREE $100 AirPod personal air purifier until Dec 31st - for a total of $280 savings which is an incredible deal. The Blueair 205C is on sale for $249.95. If you need something larger, Blueair is offering a free Airpod with any full size Blueair air purifier purchase, a $100 extra value but again only till December 31st. I happen to be a big Blueair fan and have used their air purifiers in my bedroom since they first launched in the USA.

Also along the air purification line is the new Verilux UV-C Sanitizing Pocket Wand priced at $69.95 which is great for the traveler who likes to make sure that everything in a hotel room is actually sanitary, or the mother for sanitizing her children’s pacifier and toys, as well as those at work for sanitizing door knobs and phones - one of the chief culprits for spreading winter germs. For more Ultra Violet Sanitization Products take a look at our whole department.
 

Keeping dry and a good stocking stuffer is the Eva-Dry Mini Dehumidifier priced at $59.95 or our Digital Hygrometer/Thermometer at $39.95 for measuring the humidity level in your house, which is a must for those allergic to mold or dust mites. My favorite new humidifiers perfect for sinus sufferers are the Air-O-Swiss 7144 Warm & Cool Mist Humidifier priced at $199.95 that I am now using in my summer home where I live at weekends, and the new Germ Guardian Portable Humidifier at $49.95 is a must for the traveler and for the desk top at work. It works like a charm, and the mist is surprisingly powerful. If you have post nasal drip or constant sinusitis, then there is nothing quite like a Grossan Nasal Irrigator priced at $97.00 to clear out sinuses.
 

Great stocking stuffers from our water department are our Water Filter Pitcher at $29.95 which is an exceptionally good one as it filters out more contaminants than others in its class, so your water is safer and just simply tastes better. We also have an extensive choice of Shower Filters and I have always found that they are appreciated by recipients - even more so when you pop in an extra replacement filter. If you have not washed your hair in chlorine free water you are in for a treat! Many people live in areas where the water quality is suspect to say the least, so a good quality counter Water Filter for the kitchen is very reasonably priced. My favorites are the Crown Water Filters at $199.95 or the Fresh Water Works Filter at $49.95. You can not go wrong with either of them.

Last year the staff favorite was our Sheepskin Slippers - so popular with our customers at $59.95, they went out of stock early in the season - so be warned. They are made in Australia at the same factory that makes Ugg, so in addition to being very thick and plush, they have a thick rugged sole which is great for going outdoors in the early morning to get your newspaper. The same factory also makes Baby Sheepskin Booties at $39.95 which have pink and blue laces - totally adorable.

The holidays is always a good time to treat oneself to a bedding makeover, or perhaps do over the bed of an elderly relative who does not realize that their bedding has seen better days. I did over my father’s bed a few months before he passed away earlier this year, and will never forget the smile on his face as he lay back for the first time in his new bedding. I know it gave him pleasure and comfort when there was little else left in his life. If I was doing over a bed, I would start with pillows since most people keep them far too long. Latex Pillows (starting at $84.95) are my own personal favorite as they are dust mite resistant and amazingly comfortable especially when you order them soft - perfect for side sleepers who like to squish up their pillow. My husband loves his Hypodown Pillow since he is allergic to feathers. The fusion of very high quality goose down with a pinch of Syriaca makes for the unique hypoallergenic properties of Hypodown pillows starting at $109.95. We like them soft but many people prefer the medium softness. They also last longer when they are a little bit plumper.
 

A Sheepskin Mattress Cover starting at $159.95 will add a bit of luxury to your mattress, especially if it is too hard and for sheets that are incredibly soft-try Bamboo Sheets at $400 for a complete set, they are really a treat. Personally, I am a fan of having a Silk Duvet Cover and Pillow Cover and it is way to treat myself without going over the top in expense starting at $56 for silk pillow covers. If you live in a warm climate, then a Silk Filled Comforter is simply deliciously light while still being an affordable luxury starting at $150. I use one in summer but in winter I turn to a medium Wool Comforter by Euphoria starting at $325 which is surprisingly lightweight, but keeps me toasty warm even when the furnace failed as it did recently overnight.

When all else fails, and you have left to the last minute then give an AllergyBuyersClub.com online Gift Certificate!

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