So this is Christmas

 

I try to buy stuff that was made in America for all my Christmas shopping. I've been doing it for over a decade and I'm so happy to report it has gotten easier.

This year, a badly timed cold delayed my Christmas shopping, making it nearly impossible to be sure everything arrived on time. I only buy for my friends' kids and I ended up spending about an hour on etsy.com, where you can find unique hand crafted gifts made by artisans around the world. You can narrow your search to the US.

For several years now, my family has decided to donate to charity in lieu of gifts to each other. We have given to Unicef, Heifer, CharityWater, and OxFam to name a few. Before selecting a charity, I always check them out at Charitynavigator.org to find out how much of donations go to services and how much they pay the CEO. (I can't stand charity CEOs who make millions.) I recommend checking out your charity here before donating. You can even look at their list of top-rated charities if you need ideas.

This year, I gave to the Arizona Friends of Foster Care Foundation, and was able to specify which program to direct my donation. I chose their Keys to Success program which focuses on kids aging out of the system.