Visit small shows throughout the city with artists sporting their creations. These are gifts that keep money local. For the non-corporate gift ideas, check out these shows:

Jewelry by Jo Brody, Soaps and Crocheted Wear
December 4th-5th, 10am-5pm
423 SE 69th Ave
Call for details: 253-5352
Bring a friend and you each receive 10% off.

Riches at Rimsky's - Buy handmade for the holidays!
12 Women artists selling cool handmade gifts.
December 11th-12th, 11am-6pm
Rimsky-Korsakoffee House
707 SE 12th Ave.

Trillium Artisans Holiday Sale - Local Artisans selling a variety of wares.
Sunday, December 12, 3pm-6pm
Atrium at Ecotrust Building
721 NW 9th (9th and Irving in the Pearl)
Call for details: 503-775-7993

Give a membership to a local organization -- an environmental, social justice or political group that you and your gift recipient want to support this year. Year-long memberships often come with a newsletter and other perks, not to mention the good feeling you get when supporting a great organization. Our top recommendations are:

Audubon Society of Portland
Northwest Earth Institute
Friends of Forest Park
League of Conservation Voters
Oregon Natural Resources Council
American Civil Liberties Union

A donation in your gift recipient's name is another gift for the person who has all she needs. Again, choose from a variety of organizations such as Union Gospel Mission, The Rebuilding Center, Sisters of the Road www.sistersoftheroad.org, Friends of Zenger Farm, a non-profit educational farm promoting sustainable food systems, www.zengerfarm.org, or the Oregon Food Bank www.oregonfoodbank.org

Join in the Holiday Bike Drive at the Community Cycling Center. For a $50 donation, a child can pick out a refurbished bicycle, get fitted for a new helmet and attend a holiday party. You can donate securely online at www.communitycyclingcenter.org and you will receive a gift card you can fill out and give to the lucky kid! CCC also accepts smaller donations for this and other programs.

Another monthly reminder of the gift-giver's thoughtfulness is a subscription to a magazine or newsletter. Take a look at Frugal Environmentalist, Ode, National Geographic, Mother Jones, our very own Sustainable Industries Journal, Orion, YES!, Vegetarian Times or the New York Sunday Times.

Of course, there is the gift that keeps on giving all year-round plus - Chinook Book (Portland or Seattle) or Blue Sky Guide (Twin Cities). Introduce your friends and co-workers to their local Coupon Book for Healthy Living. These make great gifts for your babysitter, handyman, co-worker or child's teacher.

Don't forget the gift of transportation! How about a Tri-Met pass for the bus champion on your list? www.trimet.org

Trade creative talents with friends. If you knit and your friend bakes, agree to make double and you can give out two handmade gifts this year. Or, widen your circle and include jewelry makers, painters, photographers, calligraphers -use your imagination.

Give certificates of your time and/or skill. These are VERY appreciated. Consider babysitting, a home-cooked meal (lasagna or big pot of soup), pet or housesitting, gardening (2 hours of weeding), oil change, assistance with moving or a painting project, help plant a tree, car wash or anything else that comes to mind.

Write out a fun certificate, decorate with abandon and put in an envelope for dramatic presentation. There you have the ideal gift! Sustainable! Practical From the Heart! Thoughtful! And no returns!

For the more tangible gifts that will last longer than the truffles or chutney, shop for gifts from sustainable, mindful companies. Look for durable, outdoor apparel from www.patagonia.com, cotton clothing made in the USA under good working conditions from American Apparel, natural fiber clothing from Masterpeace Hemp, Greenloop, Hollywood Naturals, and Gazelle. Secondhand clothing is worth a second look - kid's clothing -- that usually has minimal wear -- can be found at Milagros, Snappy or new at Hanna Andersson or Mother Natures. Retread Threads, Buffalo Exchange and Red Light also carry a wide selection of used clothing for adults and kids.

Gifts made from recycled bike parts, glass, aluminum, wood and other materials can be found at Mirador, Natural Spaces, Monkey and the Rat, ReFind Furniture and Trillium Artisans. Look for fun candlesticks, picture frames, furniture, linens, mirrors, planters, birdhouses, gardening and kitchen tools at these stores.

How about a gift bursting with life or the promise of life to come? A simple, elegant gift of a paper white bulb nestled in some recycled glass chips in a small planter is sure to delight. Pick out a native plant for the avid gardener on your list or organic seed packets coupled with a small terra cotta pot. Depending on your budget, you can add a small hand tool, rubber gloves and shea butter cream for a little tlc for the hands. Go to www.cleanwaterservices.org/gonative for a list of native plants. For your gardening gift goodies, try Pistils Nursery, Buffalo Gardens, Portland Nursery, Tualatin River Nursery, Farmington Gardens, Flat Creek Nursery, Garden Fever, Recycled Gardens, Max and Hildy's, or Seven Dees. For seed packets, try Seeds of Change -- 100% certified organic seeds.

Give your kids a "Special Day" certificate. They can redeem it over the holiday break and they get to choose the days activities. Give them financial and time boundaries and then give them free reign to make their day - museum outing, movie theater, children's theater show, OMSI, sledding, skiing, a playdate with a special friend, making cookies or their favorite treat, or hot chocolate with extra whipped cream at a local coffee shop. Give the gift of yourself to your kids!

For the adults on your list, plan a field trip with activities that your partner or friend likes to do. Breakfast at a local eatery (Mothers, Violets, Jam on Hawthorne or Grand Central Bakery), cross- country ski on Mt. Hood and some live music or a movie at Laurelhurst Theater at night. Write out his or her itinerary and present the scroll tied with a ribbon.

Rituals can be as simple as honoring the Solstice with candles lit throughout your home, decorating your Christmas tree with the family, lighting the Menorah or baking holiday cookies. Two Celilo Group staffers shared their family rituals for the season:

Solstice
December is the month of Winter Solstice -- early darkness gives way to a tiny bit more light each day, leading us back to spring. Winter Solstice is traditionally celebrated in Sweden with a tribute to Santa Lucia, the patron saint of light. There are local Lucia festivals, the most widely attended in Portland are done by tthe Swedish School of Portland, www.swedishschool.org. Lucia's celebration consists of a beautiful girl with candles on her head and her court singing traditional holiday songs. We celebrate it in our home with our boys (boys can be a part of the court, too!) along with homemade cinnamon rolls and hot mulled wine. -- April Streeter

Christmas Eve
Every Christmas Eve, my family hangs around the kitchen, lit by candles, with holiday music playing in the background (which I use to agonize over as a teen) and talks casually about our past year, our plans for the following year, and memories of holiday's past. We have such a good time, usually over wine and finger foods, that the evening carries on early into the morning. This is something that evolved over the years, being embraced by all of us, rather than planning it -- which makes it extra special. We also, always, take this day to play tricks on my Dad, who plays tricks on us year round. We do all sorts of silly things, like hide his gifts, wrap things he already owns, etc. -- Jenn Adams

According to Metro, there is a 25% increase in garbage over the holiday season! You can do something about that. No matter what the gift, there is an eco-friendly wrapper for it.

• First, consider not wrapping your gift! Make the gift recipient work for it. Have them go on a treasure hunt around the house and they can find their gift inside the toaster oven (make sure it is off).
• The handy among us can stamp brown kraft paper or paper grocery bags with decorative holiday stamps.
• Wrap your gift in newsprint, reused wrapping paper, bits of fabric, old Christmas or birthday cards or tissue paper (sans wax or plastic coating).
• Look for wrapsacks - beautiful, fabric bags that come in all sizes, perfect for wine bottles, small books, journals, candles - anything. These bags are completely reusable and can be passed around for years. www.wrapsacks.com
• Other options include dishtowels, hand towels, cloth napkins, placemats, a pretty scarf or table runner and terracotta pots or coffee mugs.
• Head on over to SCRAP, to get a wide variety of creative materials to wrap your gifts.
• Pack your gifts to be shipped in popcorn (oil-free) or reusable peanuts, newspaper or plastic bags that are taking up space in your cabinets. Leave a note for the recipient explaining all these materials are either reusable or recyclable, to ensure the cycle continues.
• If you're feeling really ambitious, buy a stamp that says "Please recycle" and use liberally on packaging and other recyclables.

The holidays are over! You did it. You shopped thoughtfully with a critical eye cast toward waste and excess. Your gift recipients were thrilled! Good job! Now, for clean up.

• Keep and reuse bows, ribbons, packing material and wrapping paper. Stow away for use next year.
• Recycle your Christmas tree at the curb. You can do it with curbside yard debris pick-up for a nominal fee.
• Donate usable items to local charities. Call Metro for questions about where to donate items and for information on tree recycling -- 503-234- 3000.

Environment & Recreation