‘Tis the season of giving, and who better to gift than those who gave to you during the year. That is to say, your clients and customers. This year, avoid useless doodads designed to promote your business and give them gifts that won’t be absentmindedly stuck in a desk drawer. I know that in these economically challenging times, this giving philosophy brings up the delicate matter of cost. You don’t want to bankrupt yourself giving gifts but you do want to let clients and customers know you appreciate them especially around the holidays.

Below are 5 eco-friendly gift ideas that will show your thoughtful appreciation without breaking the bank.

1. A Gift Of Bonus Time or Product

A wonderful gift for clients or customers is a coupon for a complimentary service –maybe a free hour of your time, a bonus consulting or coaching session, or a free copy of a book you wrote or cherish. Another great idea is to partner with a local business or a business that offers something of value to them and give them a free introductory service or product. This is a great way to increase visibility for your marketing partner without burning a hole in your pocket. Just make sure that the item or service is something that truly adds value and isn’t something they are already getting from a variety of sources like calendars or pre-printed mailing address labels!

2. Charity Gift Cards

Giving charity gift cards is a wonderful way to be philanthropic while enhancing your corporate image. The best part about this gift is that everyone wins! You and your company give a meaningful tax-deductible gift that supports a valuable cause. The recipient chooses a charity they like from over 150 well-known charities and the charity recipients benefit. For more info visit TheGiftThatGives.com

3. Give Clients A Break!

Here’s a unique take on audio books … give your clients a little mental break with Sniplits MP3 Audio Short Stories! Perfectly-sized for busy lives, Sniplits has stories in many genres from more than 90 authors worldwide (from under 5-min to 1 hour).They can be played on MP3 players, mobile phones, e-readers, and laptops. For more info visit Sniplits.

4. Send A Net. Save A Life.

Send a mosquito bite –preventing bed net to a family in Africa, where every thirty seconds a child dies from malaria. It’s simple. For just $10, you can send a net and save a life. 100% of the contribution goes directly to purchasing bed nets, distributing them, and educating communities on how to use them. Your customers or clients will be impressed by your compassion, and you will both have had a part in saving (at least) one child’s life. For more info visit Nothing But Nets.

5. High Quality Spa and Aromatherapy Products

Nothing says ‘thank you’ better than natural, healthy, eco-friendly gifts that make people feel and smell great! Who among us couldn’t benefit from a little extra help when it comes to stress relief or attitude adjustment? Our our clean-burning Aromatherapy Soy Candles , Revitalize Spa Gift Set and Energizing Trio of Aromatic Spray Misters are among many beautiful aromatherapy products that create soothing and nurturing environments and focused states of mind! That makes them a perfect choice for gifting clients or customers who will delight in and remember your extraordinary thoughtfulness.

Whether you work one-on-one with clients or serve a large customer base, imagine how the gift of aromatherapy can positively influence their perceptions of you, increase loyalty to your brand, and deepen your connection with them!

For more amazing aromatherapy gifts and gift ideas, visit our Holiday Gift Buying Guide.

This holiday season why not give the people you love the gift of wonderful cleansing and nurturing smells for the home? There’s nothing more gratifying than entering a clean, fresh, and pleasant smelling home – especially after a long and grueling day, or after being away for a length of time. Having a clean smelling home not only makes people feel good, it makes visitors and guests feel welcome and at ease. This is especially true during the holidays when we tend to entertain more or have guests from out of town.

Diffusing essential oils is one of the healthiest and most efficient ways to scent a room or space, and can be the most effective, non-toxic way to eliminate odors and airborne bacteria too. Our ScentBall Electric Diffuser Kit makes a great gift for the home. Be sure to throw in some essential oils or an essential oil blend like our Air Purify Diffuser Blend. Essential oils of Lemon, Lavender, or Geranium are a great way to brighten up the bedroom or hallway. The kitchen is also an ideal spot for a diffuser, quickly neutralizing heavy odors that linger after cooking.

The easiest way to diffuse essential oils in the home is with an aromatherapy mister spray. Try making your own mister gifts this season. Just add 8-10 drops of lemon, rosemary, pine or lavender essential oil or a blend for every 2.5 cups (or 20 ounces) of water and place in a plant sprayer bottle. These misters can be used to spray the air, furniture and furnishings, even the walls, on a regular basis to keep them smelling clean and fresh. Our Calming Blend Mister Trio and Energizing Blend Mister Trio make great gifts if you don’t feel like dabbling in homemade gifts this year. Or try our limited edition Holiday Cheer Mister.

Aromatherapy soy candles also make wonderful scrumptious-smelling gifts for the home. Our Holiday Cheer Soy Candle is a perfect Christmas stocking stuffer. Our soy candles also come in Enchant, Inspiration, Revitalize, and Soothe blends.

Essential oils can be used in many ways all over the home. Try combining some of our high quality pure essential oils with a diffuser into a gift basket. Add an aromatherapy mister and a soy candle to complete it. If they are not familiar with essential oils, typing up or handwriting some of the tips below, is a nice touch:

• Just add 5-10 drops of essential oil (or a mixture of oils) into your liquid laundry detergent or directly to the water to add a fresh, light scent. Or add a few drops of essential oil to a small hand towel and toss it into the dryer with your load.
• All essential oils are anti-bacterial to some extent but some also have antiviral and antifungal properties. Diluted in water, you can use these to clean the bathroom and kitchen. They out-perform their chemical and synthetic counterparts, are safer and much more pleasant.
• An easy, healthy way to deodorize rugs and carpets is to make a simple carpet powder. Just combine baking soda with a couple of drops of essential oil (the proper ratio is 16-20 drops of EO per cup of powder). Sprinkle liberally and let it sit for about 10 minutes then use a vacuum to clean it up.

The Big Cheese. El Jefe. Top Dog. Head Honcho. No matter how you address your boss, choosing the right holiday gift can be tricky business. Whether you love or fear your boss, don’t underestimate the value of giving him or her a thoughtful gift to keep things running monthly between you throughout the year. Exorbitant or highly personal gifts can potentially send the wrong message and may be misinterpreted as a bribe or pandering.

Unless you’re close to your boss and really know their preferences, it’s best to keep it relatively impersonal but at the same time thoughtful. Here are some suggestions to help:

1. Bonsai Golden Gate Ficus or Low Maintenance Plant

This ficus bonsai is a great way to add a little green joyfulness to the boss’s desk this holiday season. Breath some life and healthy fresh air into the top dog’s office. The best part is there’s little to no maintenance required. Any small, low maintenance plant that adds a pleasant touch to their workspace would likely be appreciated. Try ProFlowers.

2. Aromatherapy Car Diffuser

Help your boss start their day off in a good mood! Give them one of our Aromatherapy Car Diffuser Kits so they can fill their car with fresh, clean, soothing, inspiring, or energizing scents on their way to work! A Car Scenter plugin diffuser fits right ito any standard car lighter port. Simply put a few drops of an essential oil or essential oil blend on the re-usable cotton pad and slide the pad into the diffuser. Plug and go. When coupled with the right essential oils this gift can go a long way towards taking the edge off long commutes and it’s portable so it can be taken on business trips or given to the driver of their car service. Ours comes with a bottle of Stay Alert diffuser blend –a potent mix of eucalyptus, peppermint, cinnamon, orange and cedarwood.

3. Spa Gift Certificate

If you’ve got the budget for something more expensive, a SpaFinder Gift Certificate is the perfect gift to loosen the tight shoulders of your boss and bring a smile back to his or her face! Flexible and convenient, these gift certificates are accepted at over 6,000 spas worldwide! In addition, they now can be printed or emailed, so don’t worry about a last minute gift. And they never expire! Find out more at SpaFinder.com and give the gift of relaxation.

4. Basket of Farm Fresh, Local Goodies

A fresh idea is to bring your boss a picnic basket of organic treats from your local farmers market. Include a sweet treat along with a set of bamboo utensils and a cute mug with some Fair Trade coffee to round it out.

5. Calming Trio of Aromatherapy Misters

If you work in a stressful environment, giving your boss the gift of calm is like giving a gift to the entire department! At 2.75 oz, our water-based Calming Trio of Aromatic Spray Misters are a great, portable way to put instant stress relief at your boss’s fingertips! They can be used directly on the face or as room and air fresheners. The trio includes the following misters: Soothe restores balance and calms the mind, Divine is relaxing and even a bit indulgent, Revitalize brings calm and clarity while cleansing the air.

For more great aromatherapy gifts ideas for the workplace visit our Holiday Gift Buying Guide.

Gift giving isn’t always emphasized in the workplace. However, you can find unique, thoughtful gifts that are affordable and allow you to show appreciation to employees and co-workers. Giving gifts to the people you work with can help to boost morale as well as create a more pleasant working environment. It doesn’t matter if you are a corporate CEO, the owner of a small business, or a mid-manager, there are cost-effective solutions to finding gift options for co-workers and employees. Consider some of these options:

1. Succulent Garden

Deck the halls with dazzling succulent gardens. Modern style succulent arrangements are lush and unique, and most importantly, low maintenance. A succulent garden transforms an office space into a botanical sanctuary. Perfect for employees or co-workers who appreciate a little nature in their life. An array of multi-colored succulents offered by ProFlowers come planted in a modern black zinc container making for a very handsome gift.

2. Wine Aerator

Do you work with some wine lovers? Wine connoisseurs know that allowing a vintage wine to “breathe” brings out its rich aromas and subtle flavors, creating a smooth finish. Wine aerators are a good choice for them because they help achieve the ideal mix of wine and oxygen with each pour. This results in a perfectly aerated wine with no decanting and no waiting. Vinturi brand provides separate models for red and white wine ensure optimal aeration for every bottle. This is a thoughtful gift for colleagues who are wine enthusiasts.

3. Local Food Basket

Try to purchase the gift baskets from a local vendor that sells locally grown or produced foods. Local grocery coops, cheese shops, farms and orchards are a good bet. To find a source try LocalHarvest.org, a nationwide database of local food producers and farms.

4. The Gift of Charity

GiveNow Cards can be personalized and enable employees and colleagues donate to the charity of their choice! Select from a variety of e-card designs or choose a traditional gift card and accompany the GiveNow card with your special message making a difference with your considerate gift of charity. Find out more at JustGive.org.

5. Aromatherapy for Inspiration and Stress Relief

We all know that the workplace can be a stressful environment –increasing employee job dissatisfaction while decreasing their motivation and productivity. If left unchecked, this can lead to stress-related illness and absenteeism. A recent medical study showed measurable reduction in stress hormones in the body within 10 minutes of soothing aromatherapy. Aromatherapy can be used to in many ways to instantly diffuse tension and restore harmony as well as life spirits when moral is low in the workplace. A great gift for co-workers and employees is our Inspiration Deluxe Spa Gift Set or our Sampler Gift Box which is filled with a large selection of pocket-sized aromatherapy products. For smaller gifts try our Trial Size Mini Gift Bag or anyone of our holiday Stocking Stuffers. For an extensive selection of aromatherapy gifts ideas visit our Holiday Gift Buying Guide.

Let’s face it, in today’s economic environment, the cost of giving gifts is becoming an increasingly big factor for many of us who want to give but may not have the resources to give as lavishly as we would like to, or as generously as we did in the past when times were a little easier. This needn’t be a deterrent to expressing your love and gratitude this holiday season.

There are so many great ways to give from the heart without breaking the bank. Some ideas I mentioned before include experiences you can share (concert tickets, dinner and a movie, a picnic, a hike, volunteering for a cause, etc.), making something yourself (baked goods, textiles, artwork, jams and jellies, lotions and soaps), giving small but meaningful gifts of charity or support in their name, or (and this is one of my favorites) offer to do something for them you know they need done (computer support, handiwork, cleaning or organizing).

But one of the most impressive (and low cost) gifts you can give is the gift of touch. Studies in brain science show that touch is good medicine for both the body and the brain. Even the simple act of holding hands can significantly relieve stress and anxiety. The best news of all … the far-reaching positive effects of touch are not strictly limited to romantic gestures or even therapeutic bodywork. None of us are immune to the unpleasant effects of holiday stress, so imagine how much a gift like this would be appreciated!

Try gifting a simple hand or foot massage using essential oils – I recommend our Certified Organic Aromatherapy Body Oil, in our cool minty Refresh blend or our heart-warming citrus Inspiration blend. Our Hand & Foot Care Gift Sets have all the essentials you need to make a gift massage or mani-pedi a breeze!

Many of our aromatherapy bath and body products are available in low-cost handy trial sizes that come in a variety of configurations. They’re also excellent gifts for active people on the go or the frequent travelers on your list. Any of the aromatherapy products mentioned above will surely be received with much gratitude, and when combined with a massage, will provide a truly memorable experience they won’t likely forget soon.

A gift is a precious opportunity to express how you feel about someone. It’s your way of showing them gratitude for having them in your life! One of the best gifts you can give is the gift of sharing yourself, your time, or your feelings with someone. Be present with those you care about in a way that reminds them that they mean something to you this holiday season.

p.s. If you’re looking for ways to save a little extra this holiday season and all year round, be sure to sign up for our Health & Beauty Ezine. As a subscriber you get generous offers every month and even more generous holiday discounts. And don’t forget to join us on Facebook for our 12 Days of Christmas promotion. Starting December 1st you will get a different daily offer to shop with on our web site. 12 Days, 12 Great Dropwise Deals!

Handmade gifts are one of my favorites to give and to get! For several years before I started Dropwise Essentials, I was experimenting with recipes for personal care products and made all my friends my guinea pigs by gifting them with various aromatherapy goodies, which they were more than happy to consume. To mix things up a little, one year I made a bunch of infusions in olive oil using herbs from my garden — including lavender and rosemary—which I put into cool glass decanters with sprigs of the herb inside. My intention was to make them for culinary use but one of my friends wasn’t entirely sure if it was for internal or external use! I can’t say I blame him for being a little confused – after all they could be used for both!

Some of the handmade gifts I’ve received over the years include home-made liquor, preserves, chocolate, soaps, body powder, and candles. I think my favorite were a pair of small beeswax candles that looked just like sushi futomaki rolls. How inventive!

It’s a great way to show someone you care about them — using your talents and skill to make them a gift. Great handmade gifts include food (jellies, jams, infused culinary oils and vinegars, all manner of dessert!), bath and body items (soaps, candles, perfumes, lip balms, lotions and creams, eye pillows and sachets), clothing (knitwear, silkscreened or hand-dyed clothing), jewelry, accessories, home décor, pet accessories, other craft items (photos, drawings, paintings, scrap books, etc.). The sky’s the limit! Use your imagination to come up with something memorable – even something as basic as a music mix tape (CD or iPod loaded with a medley of tunes hand-selected by you!

If you don’t have the time or skill then consider buying handmade gifts — it’s not as personal as something that’s made by you but it still holds more value than your run-of-the-mill store-bought items.
For ideas and instructions on how to make your own gifts, check out instructables.com or this interesting blog article with 34 Gifts You Can Make Yourself.

For handmade gifts you can buy, your best bet is Etsy.com –- a shopping site of only handmade goods in a variety of product categories.

While gifts of experiences are the most memorable, gifts from the heart can be equally if not more meaningful for the people you love, and can take on many forms: gifts of time, love, or support. Gifts of time and support are ones that are designed to help make people’s lives easier or to provide support to someone who is overwhelmed or feeling challenged in some way. These typically include things like baby-sitting, house-sitting, pet-sitting, dog-walking, tech support for the computer-challenged, gardening or decorating advice, cooking lessons, house-cleaning, going for a coffee break, preparing a meal for someone or inviting them over for a meal.

When someone you know becomes ill or somehow disabled, your first inclination is to do something nice for them or help them out in some way (run errands for them, clean or cook for them, etc.). Well why wait until something bad happens to them to reach out and do something nice for them?

Maybe they have a project they are working on and can use a little extra help to get it done but wouldn’t think of asking. Think of something your giftee needs, could really use, or you know would make them feel good. Start by asking them ‘what do you need or what can I help you create?’ This way you can help them do or create something that’s important or meaningful to them. You’re building on their idea rather than an idea of your own which may not be as important to them.

If time is a major challenge, then other heart-centered gifts include contributions to charitable causes that are important to the giftee, or gifts from companies that tithe or support similar causes.

Also, consider stepping outside your box of giving to people you know and consider giving or doing something significant for someone you don’t know –someone in need. If you look at your core intention in giving someone a gift then the process should be effortless and rewarding. And if you don’t expect something in return, then it doesn’t matter who you gift. Make the gift in the name of someone you want to give a gift to and double your gift karma!

Here are some resources you can consult for gift ideas:

For gifts to charitable causes, consult the Charity Navigator Holiday Gift Guide to help you evaluate different charities and aid organizations and make the most of your contributions.

For gifts to people in need, take a look at Kiva. Championed by former president Bill Clinton, this organization lets you use your money to make micro-loans to entrepreneurs in poor and rural parts of the world with the goal of helping them achieve economic independence and improved quality of life. Another great option in this category is Heifer International.