femifist

So it’s the holiday season again.  Are you wondering what to get your sweetie for Christmas?  If she’s anything like me, she’ll want something useful.  Ask yourself this question:  can she wear it, eat it, drink it, cook with it, watch it, listen to it….etc?  If the answer is “yes” then that’s pretty sweet.  If the answer is “no” then that means that you were about to buy her some piece of nick-knack trash.  That’s not good.

I’ve compiled a list of sites for holiday ideas.  Why?  Because I’m bored and I had to blog about something.  So here it is: 

LGBT Christmas cards: My favorite is the “Don We Now Our Gay Apparel.” http://www.gay-christmas-cards.com/

Gift ideas:

Here’s a site that sells lesbian focused tee-shirts.  I really love all of them.  These shirts are sexy and/or political and really cute.

http://www.dyketees.com/

This company sells some gay and lesbian greeting cards, candle holders, and jewelry. Overall I’m not really feeling their products.  Maybe you will though, so check it out anyway.  http://www.zingthings.com/index.html

This next site is chock full of lesbian gift ideas.  http://www.lesbiatopia.com/2008/12/lesbian-gift-ideas-for-holiday-season.html

Here are some gifts for gay men.  Question:  Do gay men really like electronics more than lesbians?

http://gaylife.about.com/od/entertainment/tp/gayholidaygifts.htm

Holiday Events:

Boston Gay Men’s Chorus is a great date night idea. http://upcoming.yahoo.com/event/1372639/

Not necessarily “gay” events, but here is a list of a ton of holiday related goings-on in Boston.

http://www.thebostonchannel.com/holidays/3810813/detail.html

My own lesbian gift ideas:

1.  Surprise her with tickets to a concert that she’s been wanting to see.  Concert tickets are almost always an awesome gift.  Just make sure that she doesn’t have other plans for that night because that could start a fight and that’s not very Christmasy.

2.  Clothes are always good as long as you are positive that you know what she likes.

3.  Make an album/scrap book of your times together—photos, movie stubs, old cards and letters.  Yes, this is a time consuming project, but it comes from the heart and I guarantee that she will be impressed and perhaps even moved to tears.  I had a couple of friends who did this for me and it was one of the most thoughtful gifts that I’d ever received.

4.  Knit her something.  Knitting is a labor of love.

5.  Clean her living space and treat her to a relaxing bath with her favorite smelling bath oils, salts, soaps, and incense.  Then make (or buy) her favorite foods for dinner.  She doesn’t have to do anything because it’s all taken care of. 

I would advise against buying every lesbian you know seasons of The L Word.  Chances are she already has all of them, or she hates the show.  Plus, that’s not really a creative gift at all.

Lastly,  the holiday season is a great time to do some volunteer work.  There are tons of people out there that don’t have family around for the holidays, are in bad situations, or could just use a pick-me-up during this difficult time.  There are so many agencies that would love to have volunteers:  soup kitchens, homeless shelters, nursing homes, and hospitals.  Doing a volunteer project with your significant other will only make you closer.

For those of you that don’t know, I’m a skater for Providence Roller Derby and we’re organizing a clothing drive for an organization called Sojourner House in Providence, RI.  http://www.providencerollerderby.com

Sojourner House is non-profit agency that offers services to victims of domestic violence.  They are also hosting an event for World Aids Day on December 19th where they will be using our clothing donations. http://www.sojournerri.org/sojourner/

In the past, Providence Roller Derby has raised several hundred dollars for breast cancer research and participated in Habitat for Humanity, and there are always charities at our events that we actively support.

I am not writing this to solicit donations from you as it would be impossible to obtain them.  This blog is about encouraging you to make a difference in your community as well.  The holidays are a hard time for some people and often trigger feelings of loss or depression.  Please go out and find at least one person’s day that your thoughtfulness can brighten.

Quit being greedy!!!  We all should be doing our part to make our communities better places to live!!! 

Here are some easy ways in which you can make a difference:

1.  Spend a few hours picking up trash in your neighborhood.  This is one of my favorite ways to volunteer.  I absolutely hate litter and I don’t have a shred of respect for anyone that litters.  All you need are trashbags and work gloves.  These are both sold at the Dollar Tree for a dollar a piece and the work gloves can be washed and reused.  An old broom and dustpan will also help. Note:  If you live in Boston and are interested in doing this, let me know in the form of a comment, and I will meet up with you.

2.  Beach Clean-Up-It’s getting a little cold for this one, but many of the beaches in Boston (especially Revere Beach) are disgusting.  People just have picnics and leave all of their trash behind.  Kids are there playing in trash.  It really is appalling.  Just grab a bag and some gloves and pick up the trash.  Same here, if you want to do a beach clean-up, let me know via comment, and I would love to help you out.

3.  Find a cause close to your heart and sign up as a regular volunteer.  You could volunteer as much or as little of your time as you’d like.  This is also a great way to gain experience in your particular field of interest.  Some examples would be:  animal shelter, battered women’s shelter, nursing home, soup kitchen, homeless shelter, Habitat for Humanity, LGBT youth centers…etc.  Just see what is available in your area and do it!

4.  Do something nice for someone without expecting anything in return.  Bake a loved one some cookies or shovel snow from a neighbor’s driveway.

5.  Clean out your closet and cabinets to donate clothing and food to someone in need.

6.  Run or walk in a charity race.  I recently did a 3 Day, 60 mile, breast cancer walk, raised over $2200 for the cause and had a great experience.

7.  Plant flowers, veggies, and trees.

8.  Get permission to clean up graffiti, by covering them with meaningful murals.

9.  Contact Legislators about issues that you care about.

These are just a few ideas to get you started.  Just donating a little of your time really does make a difference!