Making a Difference

Reesa does better than me, and I’m trying to follow her exemplary example this year by making a difference when I do my Christmas shopping. It’s easy enough to fall into the general hysteria and hand-flapping of “Oh god, it’s all so commercialized and evil” but the simple truth of the matter is, I LIKE to buy presents for the people I love. What I don’t want to do, though, is just buy things to be buying things. So along those lines, I’ll share a couple of gifts I’ve done so far…

I love Best Friends.  I love the work they do, and anyone who knows me knows that animal charities are near and dear to my heart. So for gifts, I’ve sponsored a kitty and I’ve made a donation in memory of mom and dad’s two beloved kitties they lost.

For when I want to buy things, I highly recommend The Animal Rescue Site.  You might recognize their co-shop The Hunger Site. Awesome stuff. I can’t buy (or own!) enough of their purple paw print clothes, accessories, jewelry, etc.

My newest obsession is the jewelry on Overstock.com’s Worldstock Fair Trade section.  It’s really cool to read about the artist who designed and made each piece of jewelry and to know that they’re getting a fair return for it.

I’m looking for more suggestions, since the shopping season has really just begun. Send ‘em along if you’ve got them!