Just the Facts: Your Holiday Gift Guide, Courtesy of American Oil and Natural Gas

Just in time for the holidays! Guides to this year’s top toys and gifts for the outdoors and do-it-yourselfers have been published by a number of independent sources, and the big winners – hands down – are oil and natural gas, produced in the United States. In fact, Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and even New Year’s Eve would be pretty dismal without supplies of these essential products. Let’s take a look at some of the best sellers for 2022. . Toys: Target has published its top toys for 2022, and the results are not surprising. Here’s the list of 10 things kids might be most hoping to receive this year: . Gabby Dollhouse Purrfect Dollhouse Playset Lego Succulent Plant Décor Building Kit Pop It! Pro Light-Up Fidget Toy Magic Mixies Moonlight Magic Crystal Ball Nintendo Switch – OLED Model with White Joy-Con Fisher-Price DJ Bouncin’ Beats Interactive Toy Kinetic Sand Swirl N’ Surprise Playset Xbox Series S Console MetaQuest 2: Advanced All-in-One Virtual Reality Headset Bluey Ultimate Light & Sound Playhouse.

Yes, every one of them counts plastic as one of their primary materials, with several of them made up exclusively of plastic. Target has also gone out of its way on the company’s website to provide gift givers with the chance to select which material they would like for their toys to be made of, with fabric, linen, metal and paper among them. Sadly, a search finds only one item made from each of those materials among the top toys for 2022. Meanwhile, the number of toys derived from oil and natural gas are quite a bit higher: Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (12), plastic (51) and polyester (17) are the materials of choice among toy manufacturers. . For the child looking to receive that brand-new bike this holiday season, they can be assured its frame will probably be made of steel or another metal alloy (unless parents opt for carbon fiber, which is derived from oil and natural gas). There is also the option of buying a new igus:bike, the world’s first urban bicycle crafted almost entirely from recycled polymer. Made by Igus, a Germanbased manufacturer, and MTRL, a Dutch company, the igus:bike retails for about $1,430. . Outdoor Gear  With 24.5 million members in the U.S., the Recreational Equipment Incorporated Cooperative (REI) is one of the world’s largest sellers of gear to explore the great outdoors. CNN published “The Ultimate REI Gift Guide for 2022” on its website last month, and the results show how important oil and natural gas are to spending time with Mother Nature. Here are the gifts: . Outdoor Afro – REI Co-op Fleece Pullover Allbirds Wool Runner Mizzle Sneaker AutoPress Go Trail Coffee Press Nemo Stargaze Recliner Luxury Chair BioLite Alpenglow 500 Lantern Black Diamond Moji & Lantern REI Co-op Wonderland X Tent Rumpl Original Puffy Recycled Blanket Nomadix Original Towel Eno SingleNest Hammock  . People who gravitate to a thirsty towel made from 100 percent cotton might be surprised to learn that the Nomadix towel here is made from recycled plastic bottles, which is also listed as a feature of the Rumpl blanket. And the Allbirds Wool Runner shoes do include an upper made from Merino wool, but the rest of the shoe – just like all of the other gifts listed – are made possible with oil and natural gas. . Do-It-Yourselfer Gifts There is no shortage of sources to look to for gifts for all of the DIYer’s out there, from Home Depot and Lowe’s to Bob Vila’s home improvement website. Let’s look at the top 10 list of affordable gifts from Popular Mechanics: . Bosch Laser Distance Measure Skil Self-Leveling Crossline Laser DeWalt Right-Angle Attachment Irwin Quick-Grip Clamp Set LoriMag Neodymium Rare Earth Magnets Worx ZipSnip Cordless Electric Scissors Skil Rechargable Cordless Screwdriver Rak Telescoping Magnetic Pickup Tool Nordic Pocket Saw Dixon Industrial Reach Deep Hole Mechanical Pencil . There was a time when just many of these tools and others were made with bulky, heavy metal housings, or in the case of clamps, were made of 100 percent steel. The use of high-density plastic to house most hand tools makes them lighter and more affordable, without sacrificing durability. In most cases, the plastic exteriors likely withstand routine drops during usage much better than those made of metal. Only one gift on the Popular Mechanics list – the rare earth magnets – does not include some type of plastic, although 3M-made plastic discs to make the separation of the magnets easier are included with the purchase of the 12-piece magnet set. .

THE FACTS ARE CLEAR: . Products made from the processing of oil and natural gas are all around us during the holiday season, in addition to the popular gifts: light strings, artificial Christmas trees and wreaths, inflatable yard decorations, and noisemakers, banners and balloons for New Year’s Eve celebrations are just the start of that list. Whether you are staying home for the holidays or traveling – in a gasoline-powered car, a jet-fueled airplane, or an electric vehicle that’s made of 50 percent plastic – PIOGA wishes you a safe and enjoyable holiday season!

Click HERE to download/print the Your Holiday Gift Guide, Courtesy of American Oil and Natural Gas

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