Okay, it’s Christmas. The lights are going up and carols are being sung. I keep promising a blog but then don’t deliver. So Scrooge-y of me!

So, this isn’t a blog, it’s a query: What do you give for Christmas that’s not a gift wrapped in a bow?

I love things, don’t get me wrong — giving and getting. But in this time of crippling recession when folks have less money to spend I have been thinking about alternatives — donations, services, homemade stuff — and realized that I wanted to hear YOUR ideas because they’re always better than mine!

Some thoughts of alternative gift giving:

• Donating money in a loved one’s name (such as Heifer International, one of my favorites).
• Buying something from a fair trade collective (such as Women’s Piece Collective, or for us angelenos, the gift shop at the Skirball Cultural Center. They are featuring an exhibit on one of my favorite books, Half The Sky and selling wonderful wares from women in Asia, Africa and South America).
• Making something (a book of photos, children’s art, or a box full of love notes).

How do you give at Christmas, that’s not about the mall? I want to know!