More gifts that give back + a giveaway!

For the last few years, my mom hasn’t wanted anything for Christmas — and she means it. She had a realization a few years back that she already had a house FILLED with stuff, much of it which she was already trying to give away, so why keep adding to it? Do you find this is true with your own parents too? I think people get to an age and if they want something, they just get it for themselves. Makes sense and definitely helps prevent a pile up of junk, but it presents a conundrum for the gift giver.

Luckily, my mom has come up with the perfect solution. She asks me to donate money for farm animals through the charity World Vision each year. Certainly a unique gift; it’s fun giving her a card that says something along the lines of “Thanks for your donation of five chickens and a goat.” She gets a kick out of it!

However, there are times I still wish I could get her something tangible, despite her protestations. So I was glad to learn about the company NOVICA a few short weeks ago. In association with National Geographic, NOVICA is an organization that finds artisans from all over the world, then gives them a way to sell their pieces online. All fair trade. And you can even learn about the person that created the item you buy! There’s a huge assortment of things on the website, ranging from accessories for guys and gals alike (like scarves), to jewelry, to furniture, to art work, to home goods to rugs. Check out just some of the pretty I found:

This holiday, the kind folks at NOVICA are giving one vmac+cheese reader a $75 gift certificate! Use it for a gift…or spend it on yourself (I won’t tell!).

To enter, just leave a comment below. Say hi, say what you’d order — doesn’t matter! For extra entries, you can:

1) Follow me on Twitter 

2) Like me on Facebook

3) Follow NOVICA on Twitter

4) Like Novica on Facebook

Be sure to leave a separate comment for each entry. If you already follow or like me or NOVICA, leave a comment anyway letting me know you do! The giveaway will close this Sunday, December 11, at 11:59pm Pacific time. I’ll announce a winner later next week. Good luck and happy shopping!