Holiday shopping...

I'm sure that at least a few of you are probably like me, and wait until the last minute to get your shopping done. You might be looking for that perfect gift, or maybe you're just a procrastinator. Either way, it's tough. You want to find something super cool for the awesome feminists in your life, or you want to support small businesses, or you want to get gifts that are unique, or, or, or...

Whatever your reasons for waiting, I'm here for you, looking out for you, and generally stuck in the same boat by virtue of my being: a. particularly picky about what I buy people (most of the time), and b. a bit of a procrastinator.

So, I thought I'd share some great links that I've found or that people (thanks Jaclyn!) have sent to me, in order to help you (and me) find the perfect gift.

The Big Moves 2008 Calendar makes an awesome gift. Big Moves is a great, great organization, and this high quality, full color, 13 month calendar lets you show support for their mission (proving that people of all sizes can get into dance studio and up on stage) while you give a beautiful calendar to someone you know. Or, you know, to yourself- because who can't use a little size-acceptence in their day to day life? You've got to hurry, though- you've only got two days to ensure delivery by Christmas.

Also: Sticks and Stones Clothing offers some great in-your-face t-shirts to subvert the hurtful words that are too often used against women who make waves in this world. If you've ever been accused of being a "lying, man-hating whore" or of "hating freedom" or of being a "hairy-legged lesbian" by people who didn't like your views, or you know someone who has, these shirts are for you.

But, let's say you're looking for something a little less political, but you want to support artists who still make things by hand- what do you do? You shop Etsy, of course! Etsy is a really great site featuring tons and tons of handmade items from candles, to clothing, to soaps, to sculptures. There are tons of great artists and crafters(?... craftists? craftsmen and craftswomen? What is the term for one who makes crafts?) selling all kinds of different things on there. You could easily do all of your holiday shopping on Etsy, and find the perfect gifts for everyone on your list, all while supporting the "little guys".

Speaking of supporting the underdogs- if you're looking to pick up some books this holiday season, check out In Other Words, a great feminist bookstore that runs on a non-profit basis. From their website:

In Other Words Women's Books and Resources is the last surviving non-profit feminist bookstore in the United States. For the last 14 years we have offered a comprehensive and diverse collection of books, magazines, and zines with a wide variety of subjects, including: feminist & queer studies, erotica, sex & sexuality, trans studies, spirituality, herbs, and non-sexist children's books, to name a few.
In addition to books, we sell eco-friendly menstrual products, cards, stickers, buttons, and a variety of locally made crafts for all your activist and gifting needs.

They've got an excellent selection (including awesome graphic novels!), and they're part of a dying breed- the independent bookstore. If you're going to be giving books- and they're a great gift- I definitely urge you to consider buying from an independent, local bookstore, or from on an idie store online if you don't have that option. As the little stores die and close up shop, we also lose the little publishers. Big box stores want to sell proven titles, and are less willing to reach out to niche markets the way indie stores were. That means fewer titles being published, and that means less choice.

Another option is to consider the gift that keeps on giving... like a subscription to Bitch: Feminist Response to Pop Culture. You get four issues of one of the best magazines on the stands today, delivered at no extra cost. They've also got an assortment of other products to consider, as well (the links appear to be broken right now, unfortunately).

If you're looking to give the gift of charity, consider investing in Charity gift certificates. This is the perfect gift for the person who has everything- you put up the money, and that person picks the charity that they want to donate to. Considering how many organizations could really use money this time of year, this is a pretty awesome investment.

And, lest I forget the children: there's the always awesome anti-coloring book series. Susan Striker created these as a way of helping encourage creativity in children, by having them color outside the lines. They're very, very cool.

That's a good start- feel free to add more to the list.