Holiday Gift Idea #5: Eleventh Hour Rush

Okay, it's Christmas Eve. There's still one extremely hard to shop for person on your list, and you're stuck. He or she didn't seem too enthused about the chia pet last year, so you have got to find something meaningful.
Okay, last minute, simple, easy, and meaningful -- Big Bad Wolf's got you covered.
Go to the following website: http://www.heifer.org. (Well, not now. Read the rest of the steps and then come back and click on the link.)
This is the website for Heifer International: an organization that does an awful lot of good in the world (unfortunate moniker aside).
Here's how: Heifer International provides families in starving nations around the world with livestock essential to building a sustainable way of life. Following the "teach a man to fish" axiom, these animals aren't sent to be butchered, but rather to become part of a thriving, self-sustaining farm.
Goats, for example, provide milk for growing youngsters and fertilizer for growing crops. A flock of chicks will grow into a hen house that provides eggs daily for a family as well as a surplus that can be sold at market.
This is the abridged version of the project, but I know that you're in a hurry. At some point you ought to peruse the whole site, but for now just scroll over the tab that says "Give" and click on "Online Gift Catalog."
You will see just over twenty different items with prices. A donation of a heifer is $500 or a share of a heifer is $50. A flock of chicks is $20. Honeybees, pigs, llamas - all of these critters will help needy families move from poverty into prosperity. Click on a picture that looks interesting, and read about how a little thing like a flock of baby ducks can change a village for the better.
Once you have decided on the creature or combination of creatures that you think will hold meaning for your gift recipient, go ahead and check out just like you would on any other online merchant site. Once your transaction is complete, you can create an e-card for your gift recipient with a link back to the site, so they can see how the gift given in their honor can impact a starving family.
You can also print out a card if you want - there are even folding instructions.
There. The shopping is done, and you have given the best gift you can give - hope.
Followed in a close second place by Elmo Live.
I'm joking, of course, but there is also something to be said for a gift that won't get shoved in a drawer and re-gifted next year.
This time of year, everyone is always saying, "It's the thought that counts." Well how about a thought that feeds people as well?

Holiday Gift Idea #4: Happy Feet

My good friend Ali told me about this idea. She just graduated with her Master's in Non-Profit Management (Congratulations, Ali!) and spent a couple of weeks this last semester in Alaska as part of an externship. While there, she stumbled upon this very unique gift idea from the Alaska SeaLife Center.
Look at this.
It's called a puffin painting, and is created by these funny little aquatic birds sometimes called sea parrots or the clowns of the sea.
Regularly priced at $150, through December 24th you can get one of these one-of-a-kind works of art for just $100 and the proceeds go to benefit the Alaska Sea Life Center and the good work that they do there.

*Update*: Ali just posted another (and less expensive) way to support puffins in the comments section throught the Puffins Cereal website, which I have now made a link here in the main post.

Holiday Gift Idea #3: A Little Wilder, Perhaps?

As in wild animals.
Here is a really great gift idea for that person on your Christmas list who is crazy about polar bears, penguins, otters, or, of course, wolves.
You can symbolically adopt just about any endangered fauna in someone else's name through either of these two organizations: Defenders of Wildlife or The World Wildlife Fund.
You can adopt at many levels, and what your recipient gets a nice little adoption package and the knowledge that their favorite critters are being given a fighting chance to be around for years to come.
For example, with a $25 Gray Wolf Adoption through Defenders of Wildlife, here's what gets sent to your gift recipient: a certificate of adoption, a photo, fact sheet about the species, and this little 8" plush wolf.

At the $50 Wolf Family Level, you get the certificate, fact sheet, photo, a kids wildlife activities book and this 17" plush.

The Wolf Pack ($75) includes everything in the above package plus a nice frame for the photo and certificate, so that your recipient can display their support of their favorite animal for one and all.

The Wolf Mom and Pup ($100) adds a little wolf cub plush to the package.

The Giant Wolf Level ($250) replaces the smaller plush with this 40" plush wolf.

Pretty cool idea, no?
World Wildlife Fund's packages are a little different, but it's pretty much the same idea.
Again, it's a chance to give a gift that really speaks to the heart of your giftee and does some good at the same time. It's sort of like saving two birds with one coin. (See what I did there? Sometimes I even impress myself.)

Here are just a few of the animals available for adoption at one or the other of these two sites:
Wolves, polar bears, snow leopards, pandas, bison, meerkats, sea turtles, vampire bats, penguins, anacondas, bald eagles, great white sharks, dolphins, and orangutans.
There's a little something for everybody.

Holiday Gift Idea #2: Puppy Love

Any pet lovers on your christmas list this year?
Well, I can't think of a more thoughtful gift than one that also helps out our four-legged friends in the process.
Here are a few ideas for the dog's (or cat's) best friend in your life.
The North Shore Animal League, the world's largest no-kill shelter has all kinds of fun pet-related gifts, and, of course, the proceeds go toward keeping this amazing endeavor up and running.
Look at this necklace for $28. (The same design is available in a lapel pin for $21.50.) Check out their whole catalog. Lots of good stuff here.
A little closer to home is the Denver Dumb Friend's League right here in the Mile High City. Take a look at some of the goodies in their gift shop. It's through Cafe Press, so, you have a lot of options for every design featured.
Maybe the person on your list is moved by the spirit of activism. Well, how about a "We are their voice" t-shirt with a loveable dog or cat on the front from the ASPCA Online Store?
Or you can get even more to the point with a "Stop Puppy Mills" T-shirt from the Humane Society. You could even give it to them early so that they can stand outside the mall pet stores and educate people about the conditions in which those cute little doggies in the window were sired.
Anyway, I think you get the idea. There are a lot of ways to spend your holiday-shopping dollars that can allow you check a name off your list and support a worthy cause at the same time.
Of course there's always the option of making a donation in the name of someone who really just does not need one more t-shirt or coffee cup.
Show you appreciate them by showing that you appreciate their cause.
Now, before you accuse the Big Bad Wolf of being a little canine-centric with this entry, here's a little something for you cat lovers out there:

Holiday Gift Idea #1

Okay, you've survived Black Friday. You've made it through the easy part of your list.
A home beer brewing kit for Dad.
A snuggly warm bathrobe for Mom.
A Tickle-Me-Yoda doll for little Tommy. (Would be cool, though wouldn't it?)
Now, what about those people on your list who are a little harder to shop for during the holidays?
Gift card? Maybe, but isn't that just a little impersonal? Besides, many gift cards have hidden fees and expiration dates, and about 27% of the gift cards purchased for the holidays in 2007 never got used.
Never fear, the Big Bad Wolf is here! I've got a few ideas for unique, heartfelt gifts that have the added bonus of making the world a better place, and over the next few weeks, I'm going to share a few of them with all of you.
Today's gift idea:
Check out this cool logo hat and t-shirt combo in a distressed, retro style.
Normally $18, now just $15. This is a great gift for those office holiday exchanges, too.
Don't recognize the team logo?
Well, I'm glad you asked.
That team is working and succeeding every day to cure childhood cancer and other diseases.
That's right. That is a St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital logo hat and t-shirt combo, and 100% of the profits from the sale of this gift goes straight to the hospital.
This gift and many other just like it can be found in the St. Jude's Hope Gift Book.
These are gifts that you can feel good about buying and the receiver can feel good about receiving.
If , like me, you sometimes feel that the true meaning of the holidays gets lost amid all the jewelry and toy ads, here is a way to bring real giving back into the gifts.
While you're at it, why not pick up some wrapping paper designed by some of the kids who have been patients at St. Jude's?

Some of My Best Friends . . .

Are married. Some of them also happen to be of the same gender. Some might then say that they then cannot possibly be married. "Marriage can only be between a man and a woman," comes the argument. "Marriage is sacred," they say. "Same-sex unions cheapen the sanctity of marriage," is the battle-cry I hear most often.
With the recent passage of California's Proposition Eight, I decided to do a little investigating.
Why, exactly, is a marriage only between a man and a woman? "Because that's the way it always has been," is the answer I receive.
I believe that statement is accurate. That is, as far as I'm aware, the way it has always been. However, why is that a valid argument for marriage, but not for other things as well? Should we not, then, be hunting our own food, reading by firelight, walking from village to village, and curing ailments like schizophrenia and autism through exorcism, and headaches through bloodletting? Is there no room for a progressive perspective?
The number one reason that marriage has been between a man and a woman is this: progeny. The propagation of the species is why a man and a woman were paired.
Now, with a world population of 6.72 billion that is predicted to reach 9 billion by the middle of this century, is it not safe to say that we've got the propagation of the species covered?
As to the notions of "sanctity" and the "sacred," all I can say is that marriage has traditionally been about the exchange of property between families. Marriages were arranged like business transactions (many still are), and consent was not a factor between the "happy couple" -- forget about love. Love is a late-comer to the institution of marriage.
And as institutions go, I find it difficult to locate much sanctity in a bond that is so easily and frequently put asunder. Somewhere between 40 and 55% of all first marriages end in divorce. 60% of second marriages end in divorce. 75% of third marriages end in divorce.
Reason #1: Money.
Reason #2: Infidelity.
"The sanctity of marriage" argument doesn't hold water.
So, let's be honest, here. Proposition Eight passed not because marriage is a sacred institution, but because a lot of straight people are freaked out by gay people.
Sure, we could get into a long debate about Leviticus and the letters from Paul and other elements of the Bible that have been used through the years to condemn homosexuality. We could even find equally outdated, obscure, and out-of-context passages in other holy books that can be interpreted to condemn homosexuality. Jerry Falwell found homosexuality in a teletubbie. If you want to find something badly enough, you'll find it wherever you look.
So why do so many people want to find a reason to condemn homosexuality? Why do so many latch on to a passage in an ancient book on a page full of completely outdated "laws" in order to validate their idea that one entire group of people is unnatural or wrong?
Well, why are we so obsessed with erectile dysfunction, breast implants, hair loss? It's all about gender roles. Guys are supposed to be masculine, strong, virile -- oh, and we don't cry. Women are supposed to be attractive to men.
We may have been able to put aside the Suzy Homemaker and Tom Breadwinner stereotypes somewhat, but the basic idea is still there. It is at the root of most individual and group (and national) psychoses: Men constantly want to know if they are "man" enough. Women obsess about their role in a relationship.
Heterosexuals are constantly on shaky ground with our own sense of worthiness in our gender. Homosexuality presents a perspective that, frankly, scares the hell out of us.
Does that make it wrong? Don't we kind of have to figure out what's right before we can figure out what's wrong?
In this country, it is not appropriate to legislate your fears. You overstep your bounds by writing or re-writing laws that infringe upon the rights of others just because you find something distasteful.
And "distasteful" is as far as I'll go. I am tired of hearing the word "abhorrent" being thrown around so lightly. Violence against a child or an innocent animal is abhorrent. "Abhorrent" should be reserved for school shootings, suicide bombings, and Kid Rock's "music."
Two men or two women in a committed and loving relationship is not abhorrent. It may be confusing for some. It may be unsettling for others. It may even be disgusting to you.
But it isn't abhorrent. And it isn't hurting anybody. Proposition Eight and the fearful thinking behind it is hurting people, and we are supposed to be better than that -- as Americans and as spiritual and human beings.

Disturbing Trend

I read a couple of articles earlier this week in Stage Directions Magazine about two Shakespeare companies that are experiencing some financial woes of late. Despite having a record season, the Oregon Shakespeare Festival is running a $700,000 deficit. More on that story here.
Even worse off is the Milwaukee Shakespeare Company that had to abruptly close its doors mid-season.
In both cases, a lack of financial support in the current economic market is a major factor.
Denver Post theatre critic John Moore pointed out in his last column that, here in Denver, a third of the existing theatre companies do not have any upcoming shows scheduled.
The current state of the economy is considered the main culprit.
Now, I am not an economist, but it seems to me that when we talk about the economy we are really talking about people spending money. Money doesn't spend itself (though at times it may seem like it.)
If people aren't spending money, people aren't making money, and lo and behold the economy takes a downslide. Now, yes, there are a lot of other factors, and there has been some seriously fproblematic handing out of loans and such over the last few years that have put us in the situation we are in, and those things will have to be dealt with as best we can.
Notice, though, that I said "situation" and not "crisis."
"Crisis" makes for good headlines. It's scary, and scared people watch the news more often. The problem with that is that "crisis" calls for panic, and panic only magnifies things.
Look, gas has gone down a bit. Groceries didn't suddenly get more expensive. Things are really not as bad as the word crisis suggests. Things are tougher for some people than for others, but, what little I do know about economics is that the line graphs are very seldom made up of straight lines. Things go up, then down, then back up, etc.
There are a lot of "financial experts" vying for fifteen minutes of fame, and the ones that are going to get the most exposure are the ones who wave their arms the wildest and scream the loudest and whip us into a panicked frenzy the fastest. This is not true of all of them, but I think it's important to consider what people will do or say to get on TV.
So, where am I going with all of this?
Where I am going is simple. Go see a show. You are obviously a theatre aficionado if you are troubling yourself to read this blog. You love theatre. Put your money where your heart is, fly in the face of these overly dramatic doom-sayers, and buy two tickets to the comedy, drama, or musical of your choice. Just for good measure, drop a few bucks in the donation jar, buy a can of soda and a homemeade lemon square for 2 bucks. Even consider becoming a sponsor at the basic level or above. Nearly every theatre company has a sponsorship option (if they know at all what they're doing), and, if it's not listed in the program or on the website, the person who smiled and handed you the ginger ale can probably tell you something about it.
Now a couple of lemon squares and a $50 donation might not have been enough to save the Miluakee Shakespeare Company, but I believe that a helathy dose of consumer confidence just might have.
The economy is not something that exists outside of us. We are the economy. All of us. I'm not in "crisis." Are you?
I didn't think so.
Check out the Denver Post Theatre page and see where you want to exercise your economic influence.