candles

The countdown is on and the last day for online-shipping by December 24th is here. And, as always, many of us still have a few people left on our holiday gift list.

The holidays shouldn't be about stress and they definitely shouldn't be about giving friends and family things they don't need. Hopefully, the last thing any of us want to do is add clutter to our friends' lives. In that spirit, we've gathered a few gift ideas to help you out. These gifts are easy to find, green, and, for the most part, consumable -- because, remember, we're avoiding clutter.

Japanese Peace Lily -- Anyone who's seen the movie Hot Fuzz, will remember Sgt. Angel's attachment to the plant. Any potted plant is a thoughtful and green gift -- with a little care (or even composting), most won't ever end up in a landfill.

Green & Black's Organic Chocolate -- This chocolate is absolutely fantastic, organic, available at most Targets, and not overpriced. Friends with a sweet-tooth will thank you for this!

Frog's Leap Sauvignon Blanc -- We like this Napa Valley winemaker because their wines are not only organic, they're also responsibly farmed. And, Frog's Leap Winery is 100% solar powered. If you can't find Frog's Leap, just ask for an organic recommendation from your local wine merchant.

Method Home For The Holidays Kit -- This collection of household products from Method smells like the holidays -- hollyberry, peppermint vanilla, cinnamon bark -- and includes aroma beads, a candle, countertop spray, aroma sticks, and hand wash. Again, most Method products are available at Target.

What green gifts are you giving this season?

Image via lusi; sxc.hu

Italian food has firmly staked its claim as one of the world's most popular cuisines. A treat for the eyes, nose, and taste buds, it's easy to see why the kings and queens of pasta live such happy and healthy lives.

The sights and smells of the Italian countryside serve as inspiration for California based Nomine's line of soy candles. Pronounced "noh-mi-neh", Nomine "simply means 'name' in Latin and was chosen to celebrate the power of the meaning behind names."

Started by Nancy Covello as part of her dedication to alternative health therapies and a vegetarian lifestyle, all of Nomine's burning beauties are made from only soybean wax and essential oils - 100% free of petroleum ingredients found in "traditional" paraffin candles.

Our wax burns longer, cooler, and clearer than paraffin candle waxes, with little to NO carbon build-up. Soy wax does not produce black soot, which can leave residue on furnishings and walls. The wax is made predominantly from domestically grown crops supporting U.S. farmers and the economy.

Available in both jars and as tea lights, there are four scents in the Nomine collection, each representing one of the four seasons. You can buy each candle individually from the Nomine website, or as set of all four seasons (shown above, includes a box of matches). Each of the candles in the "Botanical Jar Collection" feature a beautifully applied image on their glass jars, adding both pleasant smells and sights to your own eco-abode.

Zem at Ecofabulous got us thinking about candles today. We were particularly surprised by the statistic she cites stating that seven in ten American households burn candles regularly. Who knew we were such a romantic culture?

Ordinary paraffin candles are made with petroleum byproducts, and produce soot when burned that, while perhaps not a statistically significant factor in global warming, is certainly a lung irritant to those who inhale the fumes. Soy or beeswax candles are the way to go. To read more about the virtues of soy vs. paraffin candles, check out ecomall's shopping guide. But we have a soft spot for beeswax candles, with their heady natural aroma and golden color. Care2 explains why beeswax rules: "Beeswax candle fuel is the only fuel that actually produces negative ions, which not only helps remove pollution from the air but increases the ratio of negative ions to positive ions, the ideal and necessary scenario for clean air."

We love giving--and getting--candles as gifts. Decorative objects that produce hours of sensual pleasure, they are things we tend never to buy for ourselves--at least not the heavenly-scented, fancy kind. Beeswax Candleworks sells every shape of candle you can imagine, from tapers and pillars to tiki idols and christmas trees, at reasonable prices. Kathleen Lewis makes scented beeswax candles that come in jars--perfect for bringing with you to personalize a hotel room with lavender or sage if you're travelling this season. Fusion Home has an assortment of gorgeous candles for holidays and beyond, including the witty pine cone replicas pictured here.

By now we have all grokked that compact fluorescents are every bit as warm and flattering as incandescents. But still, sometimes you want lighting to be just a bit less perscriptive and a bit more fun. We laughed at Inhabitat's take on Die Electric's CanDull (pictured), a witty candleholder intended to remind us to power down. Back in college thrift store days, we used an ornate vintage pedestal lamp as a candelabra--it turns out that ordinary tapers do fit into standard light bulb sockets with very little coaxing (tin foil can help, just remember not to forget and plug the lamp in!).

Speaking of lighting, one of the drawbacks of CFLs has been that they do require small amounts of mercury to manufacture--mercury being a toxic metal that is found concentrated in certain fish, including tuna and salmon. Today, we heard a wonderful example of the circle of life in action, or nature's comeuppance. According to EcoGeek: "Recently, Professor Andrew Steckl, a University of Cincinnati researcher, has found that he can improve the efficiency of LEDs by using DNA, specifically, from salmon sperm."

Some things to think about next time you dine on salmon by candlelight.