'Tis the Season - Good Resources for Great Gifts

Not done with your holiday shopping?  Consider some of these sources for unique presents that support good causes!

Handcrafted Silver Bangle

Worldstock Fair Trade (Overstock.com): 60-70% of the sales dollars go directly to the artisans responsible for the lovely wares of Worldstock Fair Trade.  One easy location for housewares, art, clothing, and accessories from projects in approximately 40 countries worldwide.  Plus, your purchase ships carbon neutral!  My personal favorite is the jewelry selection...


Ten Thousand Villages: one of the biggest fair trade organizations in the world, Ten Thousand Villages is another good resource for a variety of treasures from around the globe.  This is a favorite source of earrings for one of my best friends.


Etsy.com: a marketplace for handmade and vintage wares from individuals and small businesses.  You can find just about anything here, and the price ranges from pennies to much more for custom-made goods or vintage duds.  I find Etsy to be much less intimidating than eBay  and I love connecting with such creative people.  I once bought my boyfriend a light switch cover made out of an old Sesame Street plate with his namesake Bert striking a GQ pose.

Mercy Corps

The gift of giving: one year, I donated a goat in honor of my family via Heifer International.  I took a cookie cutter (yes, my grandma had one in the shape of a goat) and traced out tags to put in each person's stocking.  Mercy Corps has an excellent gift guide for your friends and family members based on their interest in animals, health, the environment, and so on.  For a friend who is sweet-as-can be, how about giving her a bottle of local honey with a note that you have made a donation to provide a family in Central America with a hive of bees?  Or for your stinker of a little brother, the gift of compost.


Thrift store challenge: my family has always encouraged homemade or practical gifts for Christmas (hmmm, I wonder if mom got me any socks this year - I'm really running low).  In the past few years, this has morphed into a year-long challenge to find the most creative thrift store presents.  I am now the proud owner of a mushroom salt-and-pepper shaker set and vintage Parisian travel poster thanks to this fine tradition.  And several people have individually gifted me with books on "How to Talk to Your Cat."  After all, Christmas is the season to make fun of the people you love.