To Give

Starting to think holiday gifts? Here are some thoughts:

* Local food. Give taste-treats that those on your list will enjoy and the purchase of which helps local farmers and other local food providers (such as these cheeses from Georgia's own Sweet Grass Dairy, sold by Via Elisa at the Peachtree Road Farmers Market).

* Santa Cause. Give gifts-with-a-cause that give a percentage to charity (especially local ones) or help third-world artisans, like the goods at Ten Thousand Villages by Target, and many other products you can find pretty easily if you look.

* Time and experience. Give a couple tickets to a local arts performance, pay for a month of lessons for a grandchild (with the offer to take the child there and back on those days, thereby giving the gift of your company as well), or offer to teach a skill (bread baking? sewing? computer repair? gardening?) to someone on your list whom you know would appreciate it. (This is a great way to transfer knowledge to the younger generation.)

* Recycled stuff. Clean out that closet (you know the one about which I'm talking!) and see what you already have that might be a treasure to someone else. This kind of regifting may have gotten a bad rap in the past, but this year, with our renewed focus on reducing waste (including wasted money), it makes good sense. Don't want to do this? Consider finally getting these valuable items out of your house and into Goodwill so someone else can give them as gifts this year.

The thing I want to remember most this holiday season about gifts? To give what I can (and to accept that that is enough). To give from my heart. And to give thanks for the opportunity to do so.