Green Gift Idea

Although my #1 rule for Christmas shopping is to buy local (closely followed by number #1A: knit it yourself!), I did a lot of internet shopping this year. Since I have a lot of presents that need to end up in Wisconsin, it's so much easier to just have them shipped there in the first place!

Anyway, one of my new favorite online shopping destinations is http://www.reusablebags.com/.

It's where I got my uber-cute lunch bag:

And I just purchased a set of cotton string bags to practically eliminate our collection of plastic bags. Plastic bags are my arch nemesis. They're blown all over the city. And almost as bad: people who pick up their dog poo in a plastic bag, but then leave that "present" lying about. What do they think is going to happen to that goodie bag? Totally gross, although safer for my shoes.

Anyway, just visiting Reusable Bags and watching that plastic bag counter spin away the number of bags being used every second makes me sick, so I like knowing that at least I'm not contributing to it. Get bags for yourself - or as gifts! Give the gift of no plastic! Better yet, give that gift in clever reusable cloth bags. How cute!

Conscious Consuming

Check this out (courtesy of Massnonprofit.org's weekly e-newsletter):

Conscious Consuming's alternative gift fair, affords shoppers the
opportunity to meet with representatives from 14 Boston area non-profits, and
choose a gift from a menu to fit any budget. Attendees will be able to visit
each of the nonprofit booths to match a nonprofit with someone on their gift
list. Shoppers can buy anything from $15 mosquito nets for AIDS affected youth
from the African Health Foundation to a $55 creole pig from Grassroots
International, and receive an honorary gift card to present to their loved one
about their donation.

I'm going to be in JP on Saturday anyway. Maybe I should forgo the annual trip to Best Buy, attend the alternative gift fair, and finally purchase the gift everyone wants: a llama!

Christmases!

The only thing that beats Christmas is multiple Christmases. So far I've collected:

The pretty silver bracelet from Jon,

A pretty artsy necklace from Grandma,

A really cool backpack from Grandma (it's from LL Bean),

The monogramed charm for my slide necklace from Jon's parents,

Knitting stuff.

And today, while I didn't collect any new presents, I did finally get to meet my new little cousins (well, kids of my cousin) the twins: Vincent and Isabella. They are CUTE. SO, SO CUTE. They've just learned to walk and while Vinny is bolder about manovering around, Bella "has good posture" according to my mother.

Did I mention that they're cute?