Gentle Gifts

close up of dancer holding scarf in hands

Credit: Corina Gill photographed by Katie Salerno

Jai-Dee Dancewear is a sustainable leotard company celebrating the beauty, wisdom and value of women who dance. Our blog serves to inform, inspire and connect our community of socially conscious women in ballet and beyond. All hearts are welcome here.

Here we are, already moving into the 2019 holiday season. This year, my intention is to remember that we are the makers of these holidays. We create the rituals and traditions, the gifts and gatherings, the lists and expectations. We create all of it, and yet we forget we can recreate it all too.

Perhaps this year we let the spirit of the season honor our imperfect lives and hearts as they are in this moment. Maybe we bring more gentleness into the mix. Whether current life is cheerful, utterly challenging, or a tangled web of both, gentleness can help hold it. As you create your own version of the holidays this year, here are a few gentle gift ideas to consider along the way.

Fire Leaf Extracts

close up of pointe shoes and Fire Leaf Pile Cream

Credit: Skye Schmidt for Fire Leaf Extracts

I first heard about Fire Leaf Extracts on the Ballet to Business podcast. This dancer-founded company makes a thoughtful line of wellness products for active bodies seeking balance. I love the educational work they are doing around CBD, their 1% for the planet partnership and how they are supporting community with their ambassador program. Gifting the CBD Plie Relief Cream and CBD Restore Drops to yourself or other active people in your life is a wonderfully unique way to encourage ease throughout the season.

Coming up for Black Friday, Fire Leaf Extracts is offering our readers 25% off any purchase of $70 or more, plus free shipping. Use FIRE25 at checkout.

Ballerina Project Book

pages of Ballerina Book Project

Credit: Ballerina Project Book

The Ballerina Project Book is a stunning celebration of dance and dancers. It is a gentle, powerful reminder that there is so much beauty in the world. Gift this book to yourself, to other dancers or perhaps to someone who may not have access to live art or know much about dance at all. Gift one to a lobby or waiting room you frequent and witness the gentleness it inspires in that space.

We have TWO of these beautiful books to share with our community. Follow along with us on Instagram and reshare one of our posts on your own page for a chance to receive one of these lovely books.

Jai-Dee and Friends

three dancers smiling together

Credit: Katie Salerno for Jai-Dee Dancewear

Now through 12/2/19, you can purchase and gift Jai-Dee leotards with $50 off using shop code FALLACCESS. It’s a price that’s gentler on your wallet, and it’s dancewear that’s gentler on the earth. If you are looking to add a bit of fun to this gift, fellow ECONYL® brand Swedish Stockings has an amazing line of colored and patterned tights. Skip the holiday packaging all together and wrap your finds right into a Guppyfriend® bag (a perfect present on its own) for a holiday gift that is both gentle and generous.

For apparel gifts beyond leotards and tights, I am currently loving everything from Left Edit – a sustainable brand that proves we can be gentle with the earth AND bold with design. My favorite piece is The Vera and I adore the creative ways it can be styled and layered.

Sleep Support

Blanket and Eye Pillow

Credit: Bearaby and Collective Hand

Especially on performance nights, a sleep-friendly environment and quiet evening rituals are critical for transitioning towards regenerative sleep. To help downregulate energy, we love the weighted eye pillows and face masks from Collective Hand in our home. Everything at this textile design studio in Brooklyn is created consciously and their silky, naturally dyed fabrics are not only soothing on the face but also beautiful on the nightstand. The masks create a cozy cocoon of darkness and the gentle weight induces full body relaxation.

A weighted blanket is another essential companion for restless bodies and anxious minds. Many weighted blankets have plastic beads in them but Bearaby makes blankets and duvets with sustainable fabrics and no fillers. The chunky-knit blankets from Kanthae Bae are also lovely and offer some natural weight. These two companies offer beautiful options to gift oneself and loved ones.

Climate Credits

climate credits

Credit: Reformation

Make your holiday travels and to-dos gentler on the planet by purchasing climate credits with Reformation. Climate credit purchases at Reformation help invest in clean energy and support carbon-reducing projects in partnership with NativeEnergy. Purchasing climate credits are an easy way to soften our collective “holiday impact” on the environment. Also, they also make a thoughtful, meaningful gift for the conscious travelers in your life.

You can discover additional gentle gift ideas and guides HERE and at The Good Trade.

With heart,

Sustainable leotards empowering women through ecofriendly clothing.