My Ultimate Christmas and Holiday Guide!

Here it is, folks: all my favorite Christmas and holiday and gift-giving and Advent links! You'll probably notice that this is in no way ultimate, like the title says, and that I didn't give any links for Christmas food or drink recipes, alternative Christmas celebrations such as solstice, hand-made ornament patterns, etc. I just like the word "ultimate" and wanted to share these links since they're my own personal favorites : )

Oh, and just for the record, I am NOT making/buying all the things listed here!

For my local friends, here are some links:

2013 St. Louis Holiday Events Guide

Amy's 2013 Small Business Gift Guide

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Here are home-made gift ideas:

Easy Hand-made Hands-on Toys for Babies and Toddlers

Little Lantern Child {free knitting pattern}

Do-It-Yourself Holiday Gift Ideas

Wurm: the Best Winter Hat {free knitting pattern from Ravelry}

For children ages 3-8ish: put together a small box of seasonal, personal, and unique items so they can start their own Nature Table (check out more ideas here)

Make these cute crafts as gifts to give or put together a kit for a child to make later

Unravelling the Year Ahead: say goodbye to this year and prepare for the new one {print out and gift to a friend along with some nice pens and a journal, maybe?} Side note: yes, this is the 2013 guide, but check back soon for the 2014 update!

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Here are other wonderful gift ideas:

Simple Stocking Stuffers

6 Gifts That Encourage Child-Directed Play

The Ultimate Ethical Shopping Guide: a List of Good Companies with a Conscience {PLEASE read!}

62 Educational Toys and Games, divided into age groups

Gift Ideas for Journal Lovers

Battery Free Toys for Babies and Toddlers

Issues from the first year of Kindred, a beautiful new magazine "that uses the power of story to bring people together"

Issues from the delicious seasonal series of Taproot, a magazine that explores "living fully, digging deeper"

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Here are some other holiday articles that I am excited to share:

A List of What NOT to Buy for Children! {please read if you're buying any child a gift this year!}

A Return to Simple Holiday Pleasures {many more useful links here}