If you or your loved ones had a stress-filled year--like so many of us--soothe them this holiday season with gifts designed to calm jumpy nerves and serve as inspiring touchstones for what really matters.
Give a loved one a constant (and pretty) reminder to stick to it--and your unflagging support. This Etsy seller has a few different kinds if you click through. $30
As candles go, beeswax is the safest kind to burn, according to many experts--not only is it non-toxic, it also may clean the air. This site is full of lovely, unbleached options from tiny tealights to tall pillars.
Through the Seva Foundation's incredible programs you can fund a life-altering eye operation to restore sight to the blind. Seva also has other gifts of compassion--all in developing nations of Tibet, Nepal, India, Cambodia or Guatemala. Donations can be at every level and your recipient will receive a gift card.
A classic minty lotion that will have you unclenching those fists and breathing deeply well before you can say "Happy New Year." It's also a great potion for easing headaches. $10
When you give this basket full of three kinds of soup mix--Toni’s Ten Bean, 6-Bean Organic, and no-heat Chili, plus golden cornbread and salsa mix--you not only give easy, delicious feasts, you support the Women's Bean Project, which has been helping women out of poverty since 1989.
Download inspiring videos and audio from Beliefnet's iAmplify store--respected authors and teachers provide everything from health tips to relationship workshops to yoga classes to quiltmaking support.
According to reflexology, there are more than 70,000 nerve endings in your feet, plus trigger points that correspond to your whole body. Work them at adjustable intensities with this new cool, machine. $150
Artist Jeannie Thomma rolls rocks in soft felt and adorns them with a gorgeous bouquet of trinkets. "Each hand-made gratitude stone is a powerful reminder of your own strength, internal light & limitless potential," she says. A perfect uplifting gifty--they really are little works of art. $38
These mini calendars of inspirational quotes are beautiful year-long reminders to keep going, stay with it, and remember that all is never lost. They come in black and white and color. $10
