Holiday Gift Guide

Giving Forever a New Meaning

Offering $300 off of your custom bespoke engagement design to Green Living readers. At Alexandra Brooke Designs, we create custom engagement rings for the sustainable bride. All diamonds are recycled or antique, and 100% of the metal is reclaimed. This is truly the most sustainable and ethical way to buy an engagement ring for your partner. For more information, email info@abrookedesigns.com or visit www.abrookedesigns.com.

A Way to Feel the Ohm

Welcome vibrant color and playful whimsy into your home with the Miss Yoga sculpture. Miss Yoga, part of Copenhagen’s Ambienti collection of decorative sculptures, is hand-painted with bright hues and artistic flair. A creative accent that brings life and artistry to any environment. Find it at at www.CopenhagenLiving.com.

Conscious Care

Hale and Hush Skincare – This product was created and produced locally! It focuses on the special needs of those with sensitivities, including patients undergoing chemotherapy. Stop in to shop at our boutique to pick up this skincare as a gift for someone you love, or as a gift for yourself. Tina’s Treasures in the Virginia G. Piper Cancer Center - open M-F, 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. 480-323-1990.

The Gift of Good Health

Take the guesswork out of what is right for your health. With Genetic Garden, you’ll get a personalized wellness plan based on your current health. Uncover your hormones, toxins, sensitivities, and nutritional deficiencies to create a tailored and targeted plan that’s catered to your specific goals. Emily will provide daily guidance and compassionate support with shopping lists, meal plans, exercise routines and much more. For more information, please contact Emily on her free discovery call link: www.genetic-garden.com/book.

An All-Year Ornament

Add an element of dramatic richness to your space with this striking lacquered green gourd by artist Robert Rivera. Intricately decorated and depicting a buffalo. Great for the holidays on your tree or an any time ornament in your home. For other unique gift ideas please visit us at Buffalo Boutique, 7032 E. Fifth Avenue, Scottsdale, Arizona or visit www.buffalocollection.com.

“Sea” the Difference

Eating a well-balanced diet of fruits and vegetables is the best way to achieve wellness. Due to our busy lives, it is often that we miss elements in our diets that are crucial for our health. Taking Kate’s Sea Moss daily ensures that you are getting all the nutrients your body needs. Find it at www.katesseamoss.com.

Plant-Based Fashion

This unique men’s dress shirt is plant-dyed with coconut shell buttons. Modeled by Kendal Leslie, photographed by Quikflick. The Swiyyah Collection, $225. www.jadestorm.com.

Unique Finds to Feel the Vibration

Looking for a unique gift item that is spiritually bold? This shop’s namesake is just that. Shop for crystals, candles, jewelry, apparel, and water bottles—with a great selection of crystals and stones to choose from—and each has a special meaning. Can’t decide? Purchase a Spiritually Bold gift card—buy $50 and get $10 for free—it makes a great stocking stuffer. www.spirituallybold.com.

Jingle Bell Roxx

2 oz Roxx Vodka 1 oz Drillaud vanilla liqueur ½ oz Coconut pressed water 3 Scoops coconut whipping cream

Rim: White chocolate and dip in coconut flakes & white sprinkles Combine all ingredients in a shaker tin filled with ice, shake vigorously and strain into rimmed martini glass.

Roxx Ornamentini

2 oz Roxx Vodka ¾ oz Chambord 2 oz Pineapple ½ oz Egg white (adds a frothy finish)

Combine all ingredients in a shaker tin filled with ice, shake vigorously, and strain into clear ornament and place in martini glass. (Double the recipe to fill the entire ornament.)

Roxx Desert Holiday

1½ oz Roxx Vodka ¾ oz Elderflower liqueur ½ oz Agave ½ Blood orange (squeezed) Fever Tree Ginger Beer Garnish: Pomegranate seeds & thyme

Combine Roxx, Elderflower liqueur, agave, and blood orange juice in a shaker tin filled with ice, shake vigorously, and strain into a glass filled with ice. Fill the glass with ginger beer and garnish with pomegranate seeds and thyme.

Launched in 2015, Roxx Vodka is an award-winning premium craft vodka imported from Poland, distilled six times using premium highquality grains. Roxx Vodka has created a smooth and refreshing vodka by utilizing crystal clean water from Poland's deepest natural springs and uses a specialized filtration system for the removal of unwanted impurities. The ultra-premium vodka can currently be found across Arizona at restaurants like Nobu, Ocean 44, Steak 44 and Dominick’s Steakhouse. Visit www.roxxvodka.com for more information.

Retreat Centers and Well-Being: Searching for Eudaimonia

A contented state of being happy, healthy and prosperous

BY: TANNER CATERINA-KNORR

TTraveling for wellness or well-being is an act of searching and healing. Travelers who participate in wellness tourism seek ways in which the self can be reformed, recreated, reconnected and recentered. Activities such as meditation, yoga, sweat lodges, massages, etc. ideally allow for a moment of quiet through which travelers may be able to cleanse and detoxify themselves as they reflect upon their lives. Identifying the malalignment within the physical, emotional and/or spiritual self may allow the traveler the perception of being at peace, leading to the potential transcendence into another way of being.

Arizona has a constellation of wellness centers with activities and treatments for both travelers and locals striving to change their lives. Mindfulness, nourishment and balance are common themes typically described in connection with these centers, and often one technique that is used within these centers is a disconnection which leads to a reconnection. Several centers encourage a device-free, unplugged way of being and spending time within the space. By removing the self from the technology and the external connections (disconnection), the participant is thought to have a more rewarding and inspiring experience of selfexploration (reconnection). While not always explicitly stated, many centers here in Arizona utilize somewhat altered Indigenous or Eastern ways of knowing, teaching and doing to facilitate client

transformation. On many websites, centers depict activity facilitators with singing bowls, drums, handmade instruments and beaded jewelry, adorned with stones and crystals from the region. Herbal remedies, detoxifying cuisine, sound treatments and daily rituals are all common within these centers, with the goal of reinvigorating the senses that may have been lost, forgotten or overlooked within a modern, Western context of existence. Some centers claim that their activities are backed by science, negotiating the hesitation of the travelers’ stepping outside the familiar, into the unknown.

For especially high-end centers, the geographical and physical space is important within their advertising campaigns. The landscapes upon which the centers are constructed are semi-altered to showcase the nature of the space while still maintaining the clean, modern architecture of the center. Centers within the Sonoran Desert, for example, are alleged to have healing benefits through not only being within the physical space of the desert, but also digesting the local foods from the area. Particularly, the practice of “desert bathing” is appropriated from the Japanese practice of forest bathing, or shinrin-yoku. Often, these practices and use of culinary ingredients are supported by a time component, stating they are traditional, authentic treatments which have been practiced for hundreds, if not thousands, of years, sometimes by the Indigenous Peoples of the place. Perhaps no other destination in Arizona is more popular or well-known for wellness, healing and spirituality than Sedona. Sedona is full of wellness shops and centers catering to the open-minded traveler as they are encouraged to reconnect with their mind, body and spirit through the land. The red rock formations of the place are thought by some to have powerful and sacred properties, shrouded with mysterious, mystical cosmic forces. Visitors come from around the world to witness and immerse themselves within the swirling centers of energy, commonly referred to as vortexes. Adventure activities and outdoor experiences are also promoted within the area to allow travelers to explore themselves and the space in new ways. Eudaimonia is Aristotle’s term for the condition of human flourishing or living well. This concept within the academic literature has many other names, such as wellbeing, happiness, thriving, vitality and empowerment, but the core of the term is described as an individual’s fullfunctioning and access to their full sense of self. The concept is aspirational, in that, it is thought to be something that can be achieved; something to seek out and find; something that may have been lost, but can be reconnected, and in doing so, producing a feeling of wholeness. Whether retreat centers can invoke a sense of eudaimonia, well-being and completeness, may not always be possible to prove with Western science, but the feeling of being well and healing from within is nevertheless sought after by many travelers the world over. Sometimes, science can only go so far.

16255 N. Scottsdale Road, Suite C-8 Scottsdale, Arizona 85254 480-527-3666

www.spirituallybold.com www.spirituallyboldgroundingstudio.com

GREENShe’s GREENHe’s

BY JENNIFER & JOHN BURKHART

How is it possible that another year has gone by both so slowly and in the blink of an eye? Whew, well, what matters is right now – the present. And presents? Kidding! But, if you are looking for gifts, we chose a few products that could be gifts, or treats for yourself. We hope you all get to spend the holidays with your loved ones and we wish you all the best in health and prosperity for the New Year!

Stumptown Coffee Roasters

Organic Founder's Blend Whole Bean Coffee

He Said: The Pacific Northwest loves their coffee, and we are no exception. I have to get up before sunup most workdays, so I need a good strong cup o' joe just to get me out the door, and this Founder's blend was just what the doctor ordered. A delicious, chocolatey, light to medium roast coffee that was tasty with or without cream and sugar. Yum-my!

She Said: I'm more of the “hey, have some coffee with your sugar” type coffee drinker, but I really do enjoy the taste of a medium roast coffee. It's just tough to find one that I can enjoy straight-up. I was stoked to find this “Founder's” blend, which I could drink black if I reeeeeally wanted to, though it was perfect with a sprinkle of sugar to bring out those vanilla and cocoa aromas. Good Karma

Plant-Based Holiday Nog

He Said: This one gets a plant-based holiday “no” from me. You can make this drink at home with just a few ingredients. Take one half glass of regular eggnog and add one half glass of cold water, then remove two thirds of the flavor and presto - you have made Good Karma nog! This one is only good if you're vegan or you've never tasted regular eggnog ever in your life.

She Said: I get that this is a much healthier nog option, with less foodpoisoning risk to boot, but would it kill ya to load up on the spices a bit? It already has an uphill battle in the creamy department (and my dairy-sensitive self appreciates this vegan version), but the consistency is similar to almond milk, so you gotta kick it up in the flavor area. Our kids liked it at least, but I'll keep searching. Cocokind

My Matcha All-Over Moisture Stick

He Said: You wouldn't be able to tell from my picture up there, but I get some serious bags under my eyes, especially when I'm tired. Like, “going camping for a week duffle-bag” eyes. Anyways. I gave this one a shot since under eye is one of the recommended uses on this elephant-sized chapstick tube and I gotta say it does help. Now I have “overnight backpack” bags. No noticeable smell or taste on this one either.

She Said: I love that this all-purpose moisturizer is the size of a large lip balm! It can fit in your pocket, purse, or Christmas stocking *hint-hint*. With only 3 organic ingredients, you can safely apply it on any dry skin, leaving it smooth, a little shiny (tiny bit greasy) and fragrance-free. I get why they named it “MYmatcha” - because you won't want to share.

Schilling Hard Cider

Spiced Chai “Chaider”

He Said: Y'all have pumpkin spice season and I have apple cider season. For me it just isn't the holidays until I've had a cup of hot apple cider. This Schilling hard cider blended two worlds nicely. Tart apples with all the peppery cardamom, cinnamon and clove flavors of chai. Not quite enough spice to be a hot apple cider (I tried), but very drinkable straight out the can.

She Said: Honestly, I expected this to be very weird. Chai is delicious, and so is hard cider – but mixed together? Weird. But that adorable little owl on the can won me over, and I was not disappointed. The spices went really well with the sweet apple flavor. Tasted exactly like you'd think a winter hard cider should taste like. Not fully organic – hard to find in adult beverages – but all the spices are at least!

GREENScenes December Events Throughout Arizona

CENTRAL ARIZONA November 24 - January 15

ZooLights by the Phoenix Zoo

The Phoenix Zoo is opening its doors after dark and inviting visitors to experience the ZooLights walking experience. With nothing but festive lights and breathtaking colors to light your way, this will let you see the Phoenix Zoo like you never have before. Throw on a couple layers, grab a warm drink and let yourself be captivated by the ZooLights experience. Visit: www.phoenixzoo.org

December 4

APS Electric Light Parade

Carrying on the decade-long tradition, APS will be hosting the Phoenix Electric Light Parade on December 4. This parade has served as an opportunity for businesses, neighborhoods and families from across the Valley to come together and unite in holiday spirit. Experience floats covered in lights, marching bands and endless opportunities for food and drink. This is a free event that has something for every age group and is a perfect way to bring the community together. Visit: www.phoenix.gov/parks/elp

December 11

Movie in the Park by Times Two Entertainment

There is no better way to embrace the holiday season than cozying up with a hot chocolate and watching a timeless Christmas movie. Times Two Entertainment is hosting a ‘Movie in the Park’ event, where visitors are invited to bring the family, pets included, to watch The Grinch (2018). Fletcher Heights Park will be filled with food and drink vendors, festive music and activities for all ages. This event includes free parking and admission. Visit: www.iplaymovies4you.com/events-2/

December 29 - December 31

Jim Brickman: The Gift of Christmas

Named a “worldwide sensation” by Broadway World, Jim Brickman is said to have won over countless numbers of listeners with his unique yet simplistic piano style. This Grammynominated artist will be paying a visit to the Phoenix Musical Instrument Museum, where locals will get the opportunity to hear his holiday concert series. Don’t miss this chance to hear the soulful, holiday-inspired work of Jim Brickman. Visit: www.jimbrickman.com/phoenix/

NORTHERN ARIZONA November 12 - December 30

The Polar Express by Grand Canyon Railway and Hotel

Be transported into a world of wonder when you hop on Grand Canyon Railway’s Polar Express. The moment passengers step on the train, they are greeted with cheerful smiles, hot chocolate and tasty treats. Passengers will then be taken on an actual train ride to the “North Pole,” where they will get to meet Santa and his reindeer. Watch your children’s faces light up like never before in this immersive holiday experience. Train rides last approximately 90 minutes and will be offered through December 30. Visit: www.thetrain.com/events/polar-express/.

December 11

Festival of Lights by Tlaquepaque

A beloved tradition that has united Sedona for 46 years, the Tlaquepaque Festival of Lights is an evening filled with live music, opportunities to meet Santa and free festive drinks. The event centers around the lighting of 6,000 luminarias when the bell tolls at 5:00 p.m. Luminarias dedicated specifically to cancer survivors can also be purchased at the event. For further details, Visit: www.tlaq.com/annual-events/festival-of-lights.

December 11

Holiday Parade of Lights

On the evening of December 11, the historic downtown area of Flagstaff will be filled with gleaming lights, joyous music and the smells and tastes of sweet holiday treats. Join the fun as the whole community comes together for a night of Christmas festivity. The event will be held on Aspen Avenue and will run from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. MST. All are invited to attend and the event is free. Visit: www.allevents.in/flagstaff/holiday-parade-of-lights

BUSINESS December 7, 14, 21, 28

Time Management: How to Avoid Wasting Time [Online Seminar]

Offered once a week throughout the month of December, Iris Reading will be hosting a class dedicated to teaching its attendees the key practices to improve time management. The audience will have the privilege of hearing top executives share their tips for eliminating procrastination and improving productivity. Visit: www.irisreading.com

SOUTHERN ARIZONA December 10

2021 Winter Street Fair on Historic Fourth Avenue [Tucson, AZ]

The Winter Street Fair is no ordinary street fair, as this event is putting the community first. The event focuses on artists from around the world, delectable bites and local entertainment. Not only will guests get to experience these hard-to-miss features, but the funds raised from the fair will go toward Fourth Avenue’s infrastructure and local nonprofits. These funds will also be put toward other free events to bring the community together. Visit: www.fourthavenue.org

December 18

2nd Annual Christmas Market

In the spirit of holiday cheer, Tucson will be hosting their 2nd annual Christmas Market dedicated to supporting homeless veterans. This market will host over 60 vendors and will allow small businesses to showcase their products to the public. The event committee encourages all visitors to join the holiday fun and shop locally. Visit: https://tinyurl.com/4f7e8zsw

December 26

The Nutcracker by Ballet Tucson

The enduring annual classic, the Nutcracker, is back in Tucson to do what it does best: fill its audience with awe and holiday cheer. Through experiencing this production, the audience will be transported into a world of magical creatures and adventures. This show is perfect for children and adults alike. Do not miss this one-of-a-kind production. Visit: www.ballettucson.org

December 15

Career Fair hosted Career Center of the West

Do not miss this unique opportunity to attend a career fair held by the Career Center of the West. This company is dedicated to empowering individuals to achieve lasting and meaningful employment. The Center has held hundreds of conferences, career fairs and hiring events across the United States and is accredited as one of the top employment advocates. At this event, you will have the opportunity to interview with industryleading companies that are seeking motivated professionals. Visit: www.southeastcareercenter.com/west/

Outstanding Farm to Table Food Experience

Event Catering - Customized Meals School Programs - Private Chef 602-625-5828

Attention to detail, flavor and service with the environment in mind. Witnessingnature.net

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THIS HOLIDAY SEASON GO WILD

This holiday, start a new tradition. An annual donation to wildlife conservation here in Arizona will help the Arizona Game and Fish Department conserve and protect more than 800 species, now and in the future.

Because the department receives zero general fund tax dollars, contributions from people like you are critical. It’s how Game and Fish is able to bring back endangered species, create safe passages for animals and deliver lifesaving water to wildlife year-round.

With your help, Arizona wildlife has more than just hope this holiday. It has a future.